 Meet our next leading lawyer and entrepreneur: Karen Yamamoto, Co-Founder of Executive Counsel Group. Read on for Karen's journey in law and some excellent advice for new lawyers at the beginning of their careers (well really for any lawyer!) 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I started my business with a colleague twelve years ago with the desire to help small to medium sized businesses who had all the typical legal issues that companies encounter but could not afford to hire full time legal counsel or the senior level external counsel fees. We wanted to fill that gap by offering senior level, flexible and cost-effective legal services. Over the past 12 years, I have helped companies of all sizes, in English, French and Japanese, as temporary on or off-site legal counsel or as their ad-hoc advisor in commercial law (specializing in privacy and technology). I’m called to the Ontario and Quebec bars and have been fortunate in the first half of my career to have worked in a wide variety of companies and industries in both Toronto and Montreal. I’ve worked at multi-national law firms, the multi-disciplinary law firm of Donahue Ernst and Young, innovative start up tech companies as well as large pharmaceutical companies. The variety kept me nimble and adaptable to different industries, work cultures, personalities and mandates. I didn’t realize it at the time but it prepared me well for the kind of services I offer today. 2. Why did you go to law school? When I was in my last year of the physiology program at McGill University, the faculty of law visited our faculty to tell us about how the world needed lawyers with science backgrounds. After completing my science degree and a year off to travel and live in Japan, I realized that the world of law appealed to me more than the sciences. As an immigrant who did not speak English or French when I first arrived in Canada, I experienced and abhorred injustice and discrimination. The idea of being able to somehow combine my interest in science, the power of words, sense of justice and the ability to make a real and positive difference greatly appealed to me and I applied for law school during my year in Japan. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? Both. If the faculty of law had not made the presentation to the science students that day, I likely would have looked at alternative careers in science. Chance put people on my life path who influenced and/or supported me towards my career path - family, friends, community and business colleagues. But starting my own business was definitely by design so that I could have the type of practice and clients I wanted, charge the fees I wanted and have the flexibility I craved. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? Since I am part of the first generation to have attended university on my father’s side, I am proud of having become a lawyer and having worked at top tier firms and companies. However, I am most proud of having launched my own business on my own terms while remaining a very involved parent. There were a lot of naysayers who said my business model would not work and that I shouldn’t leave my “secure” job. I took a leap of faith despite my risk-averse nature and I am so glad that I did. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to contribute even in a small way to the success of a company whether the client is a 3 person company or a multinational organization. For example, I’ve helped multinational companies build robust privacy programs from conception to launch and also helped a young female entrepreneur successfully launch her technology platform in the male-dominated world of tech. I feel very invested in and loyal to my clients and feel the same from my long-time clients. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? I experienced gender discrimination earlier in my career when I worked in big law firms. I believe the issues that women face in big law firms tend to be more entrenched. Since I started my own business, gender discrimination is extremely rare and more times than not, I find being a woman has probably contributed to my success. My clients are looking for results and appreciate me for my collaborative and creative approach. Work life balance remains my biggest challenge but I find it gets easier as I (and the children) get older. It’s interesting to see that the majority of people volunteering at my children’s schools are women despite their full time careers. I have found over the years that the traits that I and a lot of my female friends and colleagues have are advantageous traits to have as a lawyer: community-minded, caring, reliable, collaborative, consensus building, multitasking and engaged. The majority of my clients are repeat, loyal and respectful clients. I strongly believe that these traits contribute greatly to strong, trusting and enduring relationships with clients. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career?
Thank you Karen for sharing your story and for your valuable advice and takeaway tips. I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Victoria Crewe-Nelson, Lynne Vicars, Kemi Oduwole, Anne-Marie McElroy, Jennifer Gold, Jordana Goldlist, Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan. 
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 A reader wrote in and suggested that I profile this next leading lawyer, describing her as: "a wonderful supporter and mentor for women in law, particularly young women in law who obtained their law degrees out of Canada." I think that is a wonderful description. Meet Victoria Crewe-Nelson: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am very proud to say I’m part of the LAWPRO team that provides malpractice insurance to Ontario lawyers and law firms. Since 2018 I’ve been the VP Underwriting and Customer Service and the corporate secretary. Before joining LAWPRO in 2012 I was a lawyer in a mid-town Toronto firm. I liked to think of myself as an old-fashioned solicitor who had long-term clients who I got to help through their first home purchases, setting up their businesses, and acting on their estate matters. 2. Why did you go to law school? I wish I could say I went to law school to advocate for those who need it most, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. No, I went to law school to tick off a box and either go back into business or work for the government. When I was finishing my BA (in English and history) I went on a holiday to Scotland and fell in love with it. I came up with the plan that I’d go to law school in Scotland and after I graduated I would either stay in Europe or come back to Canada and resume my life as an office worker. But I was definitely not going to be a lawyer. As it turns out I did get into the University of Edinburgh and things started to change for me. I got excited about my studies. I began to enjoy the beauty of the law. I was cajoled into entering mooting competitions and wound up loving it. But even when I graduated I didn’t think I’d be a lawyer. After returning to Canada and working for a year, I applied with the National Committee of Accreditation to see what it would take to convert my Scottish law degree into a Canadian one. As it turns out, it was two years of law school. So I spent one year at the University of Ottawa, and one year at the University of Toronto. If someone had told me ahead of time that (i) I would actually want to be a lawyer; and (ii) that if I went to Scotland it would be onerous to qualify in Canada, would I still have gone to Edinburgh? No. And that’s a tragedy. What I gained from studying at Edinburgh had a big impact on me and I wouldn’t want to have lost that opportunity. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? Chance played a large role in how I got to where I am. When I was at the University of Ottawa I was fired up to get my Masters in Tax Law and eventually teach. At the University of Toronto I got caught up in the idea of practising in big law and started applying for an articling position. I made a hash out of every articling interview I had. It didn’t help that I had no experience summering in law firms, but I also stink at networking so the rounds of cocktail parties were a nightmare for me. But one lawyer very kindly put me in touch with another lawyer he thought could benefit from an articling student. My principal was a fantastic lawyer and gentleman (William Sharpe) who taught me so many facets of what it takes to be a good lawyer. I was supposed to round out my articles with three months of practice with another firm, but I wound up staying at the second firm for almost ten years. I loved it. I loved developing relationships with my clients and knowing that they could count on me to make things better. I loved the interaction I had with the clerks and lawyers in the firm. I wanted to test myself and each time I came up with a clever solution and was recognized for it I felt like I was changing into the best version of myself. A lot of the best things about that experience were attributable to the woman I worked under for many years (Laura Legge). She showed me how to be strong, and empathetic; how to treat your staff and the clients who need help with the utmost respect; and how to be a great lawyer without sacrificing being a devoted partner and mother. After she died, I lost something. A big part of what I loved about going into the office every day was tied up with her, and I felt her loss every day. So I decided to make a break. But would it be setting up my own practice or going in-house? I went to a CPD where one of the speakers was from LAWPRO (Deborah Petch) and I liked her. What she had to say about her work at LAWPRO resonated with me. Shortly afterwards I saw an advertisement for a claims position. I told one of the partners I was applying for it, but I didn’t expect much to come from it. As it turns out, LAWPRO contacted me but suggested I try for a different position. I did and wound up in their underwriting department. Instead of managing claim files, I get to study what causes claims, and craft the E&O coverage that is fair to respond to these risks. I get to oversee our customer service centre and stay in touch with the realities of today’s practice environment. I somehow lucked out with the perfect job for me and each day I feel joy when I’m working. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? There are so many things I’ve valued about my time in private practice and now working at LAWPRO. Some of my fondest memories are the hand-written notes from clients telling me how I and my team helped them navigate a legal problem. I liked really talking with clients about what was going on, and knowing that they could go to any lawyer but they came back to me because they had confidence in what I could do for them. One thing I’m very proud of now is the excess professional liability program that LAWPRO has. I was the chief underwriter of it for many years and I loved watching it grow and respond to claims for those small law firms it is meant to protect. Outside of work, I’m proud of my family, which is made up of the widest range of personalities you could hope to meet. I enjoy my time on volunteer boards and doing movie marathons with my kids. I give thanks every day for the support shown to me by my husband that has allowed me to pursue my non-traditional path. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? Something that held me back at the start of my career was a lack of confidence in myself. I don’t remember any good answers I gave to interview questions, but I can remember every bad answer. When I went to court I focused on how I didn’t get a perfect result for my client, instead of celebrating a positive outcome. Having mentors demonstrate their belief in me did a lot to help me overcome this. Watching other women in law who would marvel at how well they did at things (even when I knew I would have been devastated with the same result) helped me realize that my expectations were too high. As someone who hates networking, it was a challenge for me (and to be honest, it still is). But it’s an important skill to have. Pro tip: go in well prepared. If you want to share information with someone, prepare a summary ahead of time so you know what points to tick off. If you’re terrified of long silences, have three go-to anecdotes you can share that will break the ice. Remember to ask questions and show the other person you’re interested. And be authentic – as uncomfortable as you feel in some situations, don’t try to come across as someone other than yourself because people will always know. When I was in practice, I saw the benefit of letting clients talk out their issues. I’d sometimes see others try to rush them through, but by letting them get it all out it made communicating easier from that point forward, and you knew some of the weight had come off their shoulders. I think a lot of women have an advantage in that regard, and can show empathy in the workplace and gain valuable insight into what their clients really need. The client who feels heard and who you communicate well with is less likely to blame you if things go wrong, less likely to sue you, and can be your greatest source of referrals. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? If I was starting my career all over, I would hope to know the value of a good mentor. Or a lot of good mentors. People who are already established in their careers can be surprisingly easy to talk to and bounce ideas off. What puts off a new connection is if they think you’re trying to sell them something or have them get you a job. Maybe down the road that’s okay, but when first meeting someone, it should be about sharing ideas and advice and building a relationship. You can find wonderful mentors in the workplace, universities, from volunteer activities, and in your broader social circles. Or you can try the Law Society’s Coach and Advisor Network to get you started. Not enough women stay in private practice in the long term. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I have to say I really respect all those women who stay in firms and carve out balanced lives. We have to move away from judging each other (the eye rolls when someone leaves at 5:00, the “I don’t know how you do it” that hints that your family is suffering because of the long hours you put in). Women have so much to offer and shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in any workplace if they’re working hard and doing their best to have a balanced life. My closing advice is strike your own path and do things your way. You’ll like your job so much more if you make it uniquely your own. And I can’t say enough about approaching work with a “can-do” attitude. Seeing the opportunities every day, instead of the obstacles, makes work more fun for both you and the people you work with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you Victoria for sharing your wisdom with us. (And I agree, I dislike hearing the "I don't know how you do it" comment. No one ever says that to my husband who is also juggling family/work/life. The underlying assumption and judgment aimed at women is aggravating.) I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Lynne Vicars, Kemi Oduwole, Anne-Marie McElroy, Jennifer Gold, Jordana Goldlist, Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   I met our next leading lawyer through my volunteer work with the Ontario Bar Association. Lynne Vicars is the immediate Past President of the OBA and during her time as President Lynne started the Momentum campaign focussed on advancing gender equality in the legal profession. Read on for Lynne's story: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. As a long-time senior corporate counsel for Canada’s most international bank, my legal practice focussed on efficient civil litigation resolution, oversight of forensic investigations and ensuring timely, thorough regulatory responses. All of this required developing innovative practices in information governance, eDiscovery and electronic evidence management. Now, retired from the bank, I share this knowledge with clients at Heuristica Discovery Counsel LLP in our unique eDiscovery practice. At Heuristica I oversee a talented team of lawyers dedicated to helping clients make critical, strategic decisions relating to digital evidence. I was especially attracted to Heuristica because of its track record in delivering high-quality and cost-effective solutions in an emerging practice area. Decisions made regarding evidence can have significant legal implications, including admissibility, proportionality, and defensibility. These impacts can include prejudicial evidentiary rulings, cost sanctions and the inability to recover costs. Heuristica lawyers strategize with clients to make proactive decisions about document discovery then help them find, organize and classify relevant evidence from a sea of unstructured email and other data using state-of the-art technology. In short, my practice is a unique blend of leadership, law and technology. 2. Why did you go to law school? My dear mum, born in 1924, understandably had an old-world view. When I started high-school she suggested I take typing so that I could, “be a legal secretary and marry a lawyer”. She held lawyers in high regard. Although I found law intriguing, I viewed lawyers as scary and intimidating. When I nearly failed the typing class but showed promise in math, Mum suggested I could be a bank teller instead. She died the next year and I became a bank teller four years later. After climbing to management level at the bank, but still feeling professionally unfulfilled, I went back to school. A career counsellor at the University of Western Ontario remarked that my GPA was high enough to be admitted to law school or an MBA program. An MBA had crossed my mind but never before had I imagined that I could be a lawyer. Lawyers were smart and ambitious – I didn’t see myself as either of those things. The fact that someone else believed that I might have what it takes to be a lawyer was the spark I needed to start me on the path to my career in law. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? Though outwardly it might appear my career path was carefully designed and followed, in reality there have been many meanderings along the way. I had hoped to clerk at the Alberta Court of Appeal. When I disclosed in my interview that my dream was to be in-house counsel for a bank within 5-years, the awkward silence followed by one of the Justices commenting, “then you’ll be moving back east”, was a clear indication that I had blown that opportunity. When my then husband’s career caused me to give up my practice with a firm I loved in Edmonton, I joined a small firm in Red Deer. There I developed a broader array of practice areas, which ultimately assisted me in landing a position as corporate counsel with the bank. There was never any plan to become President of the Ontario Bar Association. That was pure chance, arising from my deeper engagement in a truly wonderful organization with kind, supportive members and staff who mentored, coached and encouraged me to be my best self. My journey is far from over. Although I’ve retired from the bank I feel the most significant, fulfilling phase of my career is only just beginning, still without a detailed plan. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? I have raised four brilliantly creative children, a daughter and three sons, and am a proud step-mom to three equally amazing step-daughters, all of whom have grown to be kind, compassionate adults who care about other people and our planet; who embrace diversity and inclusion and do not tolerate discrimination in any form. The extent to which I may have even slightly influenced any of those qualities in these remarkable young people, is my most significant achievement. I am profoundly proud of each of them! 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? The Momentum Campaign we mounted during my year as president of the OBA shone new light on the frustratingly perpetual problem of gender inequality in the legal profession and the even deeper discrimination arising from intersectionality. Although progress has been made, this is still the most incessant challenge women in law continue to face. However, I am optimistic, because I believe that technology offers great opportunity for all lawyers both in terms of how they work and where they work. COVID-19 social distancing is quickly demonstrating how lawyers can serve clients from anywhere. It’s easy to imagine that remote work will remain acceptable, even commonplace for lawyers in the future. The myth that working remotely is less productive has been forever smashed. Virtual offices allow lawyers to provide legal services with much lower overhead and thereby offer legal services more cost effectively to clients. Innovative legal technology: predicting likely legal outcomes and damages; automating legal research functions; supporting auto-citations, electronic signing, document review and exchange; and enabling electronic hearing rooms is here now. Women lawyers who embrace these new technologies will be on equal footing with the men who do so and will excel as compared to the lawyers who remain stuck in the past. Technology has the potential to be a great equalizer for women in law but we will need all genders working together as allies, to achieve true gender equality. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Define what success means to you. Don’t try to measure up to someone else’s definition. Set stretch goals for yourself but ensure you celebrate the milestones along the journey of your career. Don’t wait until the finish line to take your first measurement, instead take pride in each accomplishment, starting with the day you are/were accepted to law school. Don’t be afraid to take risks - a chance not taken is always an opportunity missed. Reach back and offer your hand to a woman following behind you on her own journey in law. A career in law is a great privilege. Be kind, share what you learn and enjoy every minute of it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Lynne for agreeing to participate in this series and for sharing some of your experiences and advice. I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Kemi Oduwole, Anne-Marie McElroy, Jennifer Gold, Jordana Goldlist, Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   Today's profile features Kemi Oduwole. I was introduced to Kemi through her executive assistant, Veronica, who told me I should definitely profile Kemi. After reading her answers I agree completely. I love learning about all of these amazing leading lawyers and different practice areas: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am a partner at Topmarké Attorneys LLP, a medium sized boutique in Toronto. We practice all areas of law including immigration, litigation, family law, child protection, business law, corporate and mental health law. I specialise in mental health law, family law but predominantly immigration and refugee law. I am a foreign trained lawyer from Nigeria. I had practiced corporate law and was involved in civil litigation for years before teaching at the Nigerian Law School, where I was for about 10 years before relocating to Canada in 2010. 2. Why did you go to law school? The first thing that attracted me to law was the robe of lawyers (wig and gown). I loved seeing lawyers in their robes on TV. At a point in high school, I was discussing my career options with my dad and I mentioned law. He found it rather strange because no one in my extended family studied law. We had doctors, engineers, architects but no lawyer. My father, an accountant himself, tried so much to motivate me to study accounting. In my bid to convince my father that law was better for me, I discovered during my research the enormous role of lawyers in society. I got hooked and have since never let law go. I have always enjoyed solving problems. I saw law as a tool of solving individual and societal problems. Studying law for me was a means of developing skills to solve problems. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? I got to where I am today by design and divine direction. From the moment I decided to study law, I worked harder than I had ever done in my life. I studied hard. After law school, I worked in a private practice for about five years before I started teaching at the Nigerian Law School. My motivation for coming to Canada was actually to pursue my PhD. That was the main reason my family applied for the Canadian Permanent Residence. I have had the opportunity of travelling to other countries for my PhD but I did not want to leave my family. Canadian Permanent Residence gave us the option of being together as a family while still following my dreams. Upon getting to Canada, I could not start the PhD program immediately. I decided, while I was waiting, to undertake a master’s program, affording me the opportunity to better understand the Canadian educational system. I also decided to start the Canadian bar licencing process at the same time. The truth was that I had no interest in practice at that time. I just thought it would be a good use of my time and it would afford me the opportunity of studying the Canadian legal framework, which would be a great foundation for my PhD. I was lucky that I was able to secure admission at the University of Toronto. While at U of T, I simultaneously wrote my NCA and bar exams the same year. I also applied for PhD at U of T. Unfortunately, I did not secure an admission. Fortunately for me I passed my bar exams, so I decided to go into practice. I was reluctant to go into practice because it was not in my plan, but my husband encouraged me to try it while I put in another application for PhD the next year. That was how I started practicing and have not since then applied for a PhD program. This is where the divine direction comes in. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? I have two master's degrees, one from University of Lagos in Nigeria and the other from University of Toronto. I also have an uncompleted master’s program from the University of London. As a law teacher, I have published law textbooks, written articles in journals and presented at seminars. My greatest achievements however are my students and clients. I am delighted when I see my students excel and my clients happy. During my time as a teacher, I went outside the box in my teaching pedagogy to ensure that my students gained knowledge and had the ability to produce from that knowledge. I have a number of my students all over the world who have achieved a lot and made an impact in society. I am always excited when I travel and have people walk-up to me to introduce themselves as my past students and particularly tell me how I had motivated them. In my current practice, I work extensively with refugees, and foreign nationals seeking to migrate or remain in Canada. I have had moments when I cried with my clients at the refugee Board after hearings. We’ve had clients visit our office hungry with their children because they were not used to the food served at the shelters. Sometimes, it is very difficult to get information from such clients due to the trauma they have experienced. It is uplifting when you are able to assist the vulnerable. It is however not always a success story. I have had nights when I would be unable to sleep because I know my client is being deported; or the pumping of blood in my heart when I receive decisions from the refugee board wondering whether it is positive or negative. I’ve had days whereby I had to take a moment and pray for my clients because of the fear I have for them if their claims were not accepted. I will never forget a young lady who had been in immigration detention for some time due to her past criminality. She was denied bail and was about to be deported when my firm was retained at the last minute. Upon reviewing her file, her case appears to be a lost battle with deportation looming in the horizon. However, I could not give up on her. Within a limited time we were at the Federal Court and her removal was stayed. It was a celebration in our office. The joy was as if we were each given gold medals. Not only was her removal stayed we were able to secure bail for her by innovative means approved by the immigration division. It is stories like and my ability to see family reunite when they are sponsored after years of separation that keep me going. With respect to family law, it is extremely difficult when you see people who love themselves turn into enemies, and then they have their children, who unfortunately are used as pawns for bargains, in the middle. From experience, I have seen that it is the hurt and emotional disappointment that urges some irrational decisions which unnecessarily prolong such matters. I am quick to advise my clients that in issues like this, the truth is there is no victor or loser. The objective is to find an amicable resolution. I make them see realistically that, the more the matter is dragged on, the more legal fees would be incurred, and the more they may be worse off in the end. That is why the initiative and promotion of collaboration in resolving family law disputes is largely advocated for. My greatest achievement is the success of my clients. I have had young refugee children especially teenagers who had troubles due to their past experiences. I have introduced some to mentors and I have mentored some and they are on the right track and I am very proud of them. A number of them are now graduates. It is always a joy when you see vulnerable people who came to Canada with nothing, fearful for their lives and in turn become successful members of society. That is our success story as a firm and as a society. Our clients are not numbers or files, they are people and they matter to us. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? Gender discrimination still exists in this profession. Notwithstanding, there are countless opportunities for women and we are constantly making impacts within the field. We as women ourselves need to constantly encourage one another to take charge of these opportunities. We need to share information and rely on each other where ever and whenever there is an opportunity to do so. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Determination and self-realization is key. It is very important for women to believe in themselves, and they should not be afraid to take bold steps. Never allow people to define you. In addition, being surrounded by a support network is amazing. ----------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Kemi for taking the time to answer these questions and sharing your practice with us. I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Anne-Marie McElroy, Jennifer Gold, Jordana Goldlist, Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   Meet Anne-Marie McElroy a criminal defence lawyer at McElroy Law in Ottawa. I love seeing all of these criminal defence lawyers succeeding at law. (You are writing down their names and adding them to your referral lists, right?) Read on for Anne-Marie's story and her journey in law: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am a sole practitioner, doing exclusively criminal defence work. I have been on my own since 2015, when I came back from a maternity leave with my second child. I began my solo career with precisely one file and have grown it from there! My practice has evolved into a mix of trial work, pleas and appeals. I really enjoy working with clients and helping them to navigate their way through the criminal justice system. I also love the flexibility that comes with solo practice. It was a huge relief to come back to work on my own terms and according to my own schedule. The shift also gave me an opportunity to focus on other things, such as my blog where I write about new cases, legislation and other issues in criminal law. The blog has been an amazing way to keep current and also indulge my love of writing, as well as providing some opportunities to speak to the media. I think that public legal education is so important and I’m really proud to be able to contribute to it in my own way. 2. Why did you go to law school? I really had no idea that I would ever be a lawyer growing up, but I knew that I wanted to have a job that was challenging intellectually and also helped people. Towards the end of my undergrad, I remember reading an essay by Jacques Derrida about refugees and it sort of clicked that law could be an area that is people-focused but also theoretical. And then I found myself watching Legally Blonde on my couch one evening and I thought again, maybe law is an option? I applied for law school with the intention of working in policy, but then thought I should probably get called to the bar. Mid-way through my articles, I helped one of the partners at my firm with a jury trial and I was hooked. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? Given that part of my decision to apply to law school was driven by Elle Woods, I would say mostly chance, but also a bit of design. I never planned too many steps ahead, but kept moving forward in a direction that felt fulfilling and challenging. In law school, I loved constitutional law and criminal law – those were the two areas that I most connected with. I figured that criminal law would be the best way to combine those interests, so I articled at a criminal firm. My own practice has been more intentional, where I’ve worked to gain experience in all sorts of types of files and areas of criminal law. I have also done my best to give myself space to do things like write, present at conferences and volunteer. These sorts of extra-curricular things help me to stay engaged and excited about law. And while I work as a sole practitioner, I have built a strong network around myself so that I can have matters covered if I need to go to my kid’s Christmas concert or duck out for their dentist appointment. I wouldn’t say that I sat down on day 1 and mapped out this course, but my practice has grown intentionally in a way that aligns with my priorities both within and outside of work. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? Aside from a few particularly rewarding trials that come to mind, I am most proud of having grown a practice while parenting young kids. While both can be challenging and sometimes draining, they are both immensely rewarding. I am also very proud of having represented the Criminal Lawyer’s Association at the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs with respect to bill C-51 in the fall of 2018. It was a really interesting opportunity to advocate on behalf of the profession, drawing on my own trial experience and research, and to engage with those shaping the legislation. (Not that it really mattered – the bill was passed without any real changes, but the experience was great nonetheless!) 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? Having a family while in private practice remains one of the most challenging things that a woman can undertake. Parental leaves are so difficult to take without having your practice decimated and it has led to many amazing, bright young women leaving private practice. Despite so many initiatives to retain women and promote equity practices, there is still so much work to be done. (I wrote about this with my colleagues Rebecca Bromwich and Juliet Knapton in "2019 Reality Check After the LSO Bencher Election: Parenting While (Criminal) Lawyering") In terms of opportunities, I think many women bring important qualities to law, particularly criminal law, that are huge assets in helping out clients. While law isn’t necessarily thought of as a caring profession, in many ways we are helping clients through an immensely stressful period of their lives. Women lawyers are often so well suited to listening and advocating effectively for our clients. Also, as the world shifts in the wake of the Me Too movement, women defence lawyers are often uniquely situated to represent accused persons in a way that is sensitive and ethical, avoiding rape myths and keeping trials streamlined and focused. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? First off, don’t be afraid to chart your own path. When I first went out on my own, a colleague took me for lunch to discuss solo practice. He asked me, “Who do you want to be?” and listed off a number of our colleagues with different types of practices. The answer for me was none of those people. I respected them all immensely, but I needed to build something that was true to me: to be a fierce advocate for my clients while being an empathetic guide through the justice system, providing public legal education and engaging my brain in creative legal work. You can take bits of what others are doing, but don’t try to replicate anyone else exactly. Perhaps more importantly, find your people. This is such a tough job and it makes it so much easier if you have support from those around you. Find colleagues who will work through Charter issues with you, help you to prepare a cross-examination, answer the panicked mid-trial phone call on a discrete issue and listen to you complain at the end of a long day in court. You will be a better lawyer for it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Such great advice Anne-Marie, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and share your experiences. I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Jennifer Gold, Jordana Goldlist, Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   Meet Jennifer Gold, a family law lawyer and co-founder of Wood Gold LLP , as well as the Vice President of the Women's Law Association of Ontario. If you have had the good fortune of attending a WLAO event I am sure you would have met Jennifer who has always been so kind and welcoming to all in attendance. 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am a partner of Wood Gold LLP. Our primary practice area is Family Law. Frances Wood and I entered into partnership in order to create a different workplace culture. We wanted to actively parent our children while enjoying our careers as lawyers. We wanted a workplace culture that honours the flexibility needed by anyone who has priorities outside of work. Frankie was my mentor when I first started in practice and soon became a friend. We later became business partners. We work well together and enjoy the practice of Family Law. I feel that we are an example of how women can succeed by supporting each other. The team at Wood Gold is diverse, inclusive, collegial and supportive. I like going to work every day and working with these great lawyers and staff. 2. Why did you go to law school? I think I have always been an advocate and proud feminist. I have always felt a strong sense of justice. I enjoy exploring different sides of an issue or problem. Also, in Grade 8, I enjoyed my first debate and decided that law was the career for me! 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? I think that I am where I am today due to both design and chance. I recognize my own privilege of having been raised in a “middle class” family, being second generation Canadian, and having the opportunities that come with that. However, I also recognize the challenges I have faced as a woman of colour. In terms of being a lawyer, I worked hard in school and always kept my eye on the goal. I’ve been lucky to know what I want in life. That helps. I couldn’t have arrived at where I am without all of the people in my life; my spouse, my business partner, friends, and colleagues. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? I think being a lawyer and at the same time, a great mom! There should be an award for that! LOL 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? I think a major challenge for women in law is sexism in the legal profession. Women are still harassed and discriminated against. Women who are considered “different” because of race, ability, sexual orientation, religion, etc. face even greater challenges. We need this to end. We can create opportunities and change the culture by getting together and speaking up. I’m involved with the Women’s Law Association of Ontario but there are many associations that advocate for change. By helping each other, we can create better opportunities for women and see more women in leadership roles. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Don’t be afraid to speak up. Be your own advocate. The right people will respect you and the right doors will open for you. More importantly, you’ll respect and be proud of yourself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Jennifer for participating in this series and for your answers. Although, I do feel like I must share this little nugget of information that I found Jennifer's bio on her website: "When Jennifer is not practicing law and managing a law firm, she enjoys spending time with her family and singing with a highly competitive barbershop quartet." Highly competitive barbershop quartet? How cool is that? I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Jordana Goldlist, Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   Welcome back to today's Women Leading in Law profile. Meet Jordana Goldlist an impressive criminal defence lawyer in Toronto. If you have a moment, be sure to watch Jordana's important TEDx talk (link in profile below): 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I run JHG Criminal Law, a boutique firm focused on “high risk criminal litigation,” defending people charged primarily with murder, firearms offences, and drug trafficking. When I started my firm five years ago, I had a huge practice that included most criminal offenses and many jurisdictions across Southern Ontario. After working for a year without a day off, I decided to scale down and focus, both in terms of the type of cases I take on and the jurisdictions I cover. Today, my main office is in downtown Toronto and I am opening a satellite office in Hamilton, as most of my cases are in Toronto, Hamilton, Brampton, Brantford, and St. Catharines. I currently employ a junior associate and articling student and have a senior lawyer on contract to help make sure that my practise can keep running, even when I’m in back to back murder trials. 2. Why did you go to law school? The short answer is that I needed to make money and my undergraduate degree in philosophy wasn’t going to be much help! The full story is that I wanted to be a lawyer from the time I was 7 or 8 years old, when one of my family members was facing criminal charges and the lawyer he hired became the most important person in the world, to my family. I didn’t actually understand what he did or why it was so important, but I wanted to be that important; that when I called somewhere everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. I started reading crime novels and watching courtroom dramas in the coming years and continued wanting to be a trial lawyer or maybe even a judge. Then life took a turn for me during my teens. From the ages of 14 to 20 years old, I bounced around group homes, institutions, rehab, and the streets. I was 21 years old when I finally completed high school and made my way to university. I assumed that my life had veered so far off course that law school was not even in the realm of possibilities. After four years of studying philosophy at York University, I still could not imagine myself in any other career, so I applied to Osgoode Hall Law School and luckily was accepted. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? Definitely a bit of both. I was drawn to criminal law but I know that my history as a street kid made it easier for me to develop a practice. I don’t judge my clients by their criminal records and instead I take the time to understand their situation and circumstances. My business, however, has been built by design. I marketed to a specific demographic and chose jurisdictions that would allow me to build the type of practice I wanted for the type of clients I wanted to represent. It took years of dedication and sacrifice but I now have the practice I always dreamed of having. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? My TEDx talk, called “Who Judges The Judge?”. It was the culmination of my career and my personal successes; where 10 years after being called to the bar, I could get on a stage and admit that I was a criminal turned criminal lawyer. I use my own struggles to try to set an example both for people trying to transition their lives and for people who so easily judge the mistakes of others. The premise is really simple: we as a society need to stop judging people for what may be the worst decision they made on the worst day of their life. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? I have heard rumours of challenges specific to women but I haven’t experienced any. I have never been harassed or belittled or disrespected by male lawyers or judges I have crossed paths with. Either that, or I have just ignored it because I truly don’t care. I think that a career in law is hard enough and a career in business is hard enough and so to combine the two requires a different level of focus to be successful. There is a ton of opportunity to make money and excel at criminal law but it is hard work and requires dedication. And it requires sacrifices that most people do not want to make. Everyone wants to make money but they struggle with competing wants, like spending time with family and friends, and drinking, and travelling. The challenge for most is recognizing that in order to get to the next level, you have to dedicate time that would otherwise be spent on activities you really enjoy doing. The question is how bad you want that next level of success (however you define it) and what you are willing to give up to get it. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? First of all, figure out what you love. I started off in civil litigation and after two years I hated it, which means I hated most of my waking hours on any given day. I switched to criminal defence and knew I was where I needed to be. After you learn what you love, practice like a racehorse, with blinders on. Horses wear blinders because if they look over to see what the other horses are doing, they fall down. So, they wear blinders and they focus on the finish line and they do everything they can to get there first. That’s how I approach each of my cases and it is how I built my business. But because you are doing what you love (step one) you will enjoy most aspects of this career, most of the time. The best advice I ever heard from another lawyer: “never celebrate a win for more than 24 hours and never mourn a loss for more than 24 hours.” But always celebrate the wins… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Jordana for your frank and honest answers and advice! I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Megan Keenberg, Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   Meet Megan Keenberg, today's leading lawyer. I met Megan several years ago (likely at one of the many networking events we lawyers used to go to - remember cocktail parties?) but I never knew this side of Megan I until I read her wonderful answers in this profile. Her journey to law is fascinating and she shares so many great nuggets of wisdom: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am a partner with Van Kralingen & Keenberg LLP, better know as V|K Law. We are a commercial litigation and employment law boutique, focused primarily on solving business problems. I am a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation and I manage complex commercial cases involving shareholder and creditor disputes, breach of contract, professional negligence, fraud, and employment issues. I am also a Mediator and Arbitrator, having completed Osgoode’s LL.M. in Dispute Resolution and the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society’s Gold Standard Course. My dispute resolution practice centres mainly on business disputes, but also includes civil disputes more broadly. 2. Why did you go to law school? I never considered a legal career until the summer before I started law school as a mature student at age 30. Once the idea occurred to me, it seemed clear, in retrospect, that my previous career paths led me to law, albeit in a pretty unorthodox way. Prior to law school, I had a long-standing career as an actor which led me to the New York theatre scene, and a side hustle as a bartender so I could pay my rent. My side hustle morphed into a hospitality consultancy business, and later led to a sweat-equity stake as an owner-operator of a neighbourhood bar in Brooklyn. I gained valuable skills and experiences in these roles that uniquely prepared me for business advocacy – empathy, a sense of narrative, a non-judgmental view of the human condition, communication and presentation skills, organizational and management skills, a very thick skin and strong sense of self, and a deep appreciation for the value of business relationships, especially in a handshake industry. The catalyst to my career change and ultimate decision to go to law school happened early on a Tuesday morning in September, 2001. I awoke to watch the Twin Towers crumble from my bedroom window, and everything changed in a flash. I was seized by a strong need to do something – to offer practical tangible help – and that need has not since abated. In the initial aftermath, I did practical things like delivering food to first responders at Ground Zero and matching employee sign-in logs with lists of missing persons to help identify those presumed dead. The work I had been doing as an actor, a business owner and even the volunteer work I did as a community organizer felt small and fractured in comparison. As the immediate emergency waned, I started, for the first time, to think strategically about how I could make a more significant impact. And I was faced with another pressing challenge – immigration policies changed as a result of 9/11 making it increasingly difficult to maintain my business and life in the US as a foreign national. So, I came back to Canada to start fresh. Since I started acting at a young age, I never grappled with the angsty question about what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was already grown up. At age 30, I started asking myself the bigger questions: what could I contribute? What was I good at? What did I like doing? What did I need? As I reflected on my newly defined goal to make meaningful and tangible positive impacts in peoples’ lives, I considered the broad spectrum of transferable skills I gained in theatre and discovered what was missing from the equation. My main strength had always been my unique approach to complex problem-solving, and until then, this strength had been underutilized. I tend to attack problems on multiple fronts simultaneously, rather than sequentially or linearly, and I am comfortable with dissonance, which allows me to hold opposing thoughts or views at the same time. It occurred to me that if I applied my core competency to the resolution of legal problems, I could make the impact I desired in a helping profession. This analysis coalesced to form a rational basis for giving law school a whirl. I was far from sure about it, but I thought there was no harm in trying. So, I wrote the LSAT in July 2003, and muscled my way into the law school at the University of Ottawa two months later. Luckily, I loved law school and was reasonably good at it. Besides, I faint at the sight of blood, so medicine was off the table. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? It’s both. I took a circuitous route to law that was ultimately triggered by an external event, but there was an element of design in the analysis I brought to my reaction to that event. I’m a big believer in the notion that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Sometimes life throws you a curveball out of nowhere, and there’s no way to prepare. The key is to identify opportunities that arise from surprises and seize them even if they take you off your planned course. I crave stability and revel in routine, but I shine in moments of crisis and change, so I have learned to accept risks and embrace change. It takes practice to develop the necessary confidence that when you leap you will land, and to appreciate that clinging to the familiar is a surer route to a failure. My career path is marked by a series of leaps, some taken pro-actively and others reactively, but all involved lightning fast recalibrations to identify opportunities and assess and accept risks. Throughout law school, I envisioned a career in entertainment law, based on my background in the arts. I summered and articled with a firm that had a strong entertainment law group, and had my future mapped out. Towards the end of my articling term, when I had just wrapped up a rotation through litigation, the firm unexpectedly dissolved. After the initial panic subsided, I looked at the crisis as an opportunity to re-evaluate my career goals and tweak the path I had been on. The entertainment business was still very power-imbalanced and afforded few opportunities to effect real change. I realized that litigation offered me a better platform to play to my strengths in narrative building, presentation, writing, critical analysis and problem-solving, and it appealed more to my helping nature than entertainment law did. I also enjoyed the performative aspect of litigation. So, I took a leap and applied to litigation firms. My top choice litigation firm offered to let me finish my articling term with them but advised me that there was a very low chance of hire-back as they had already made their hiring decisions from their own articling pool. When pressed for my odds, they allowed that I had about a 1% chance of hire-back. I figured that 1% was better than zero, so I took my shot. I docketed >300 hours a month for three months, determined to demonstrate my maximum capacity and capabilities. I campaigned for champions and asked for and received specific assistance with ‘Operation Get Megan Hired’. In the end, it paid off and I was hired against the odds. A couple years later, one of the senior lawyers who was instrumental in Operation Get Megan Hired moved to a boutique litigation firm specializing in the kind of complex commercial work that I had grown to love. Despite being very satisfied with my job, I took another leap and followed my mentor. I flourished in the boutique environment as the small team model allowed me to take on greater responsibility and a more central role on cases than would ordinarily be entrusted to a junior associate. After practicing for the better part of a decade, I once again took stock. I was happy in my firm, and doing the work I loved, but I realized I had made some compromises in personal autonomy and authenticity to get to that professional position and I felt uncomfortable about maintaining those compromises long term. That was when I took the most recent leap to co-found V|K in 2017. It was my first purely proactive leap, not precipitated by any cataclysmic triggering event like 9/11 or the dissolution of a firm or the departure of a valued mentor. For that reason, it felt riskier but in the end, this leap has been more meaningful because I am finally steering my own ship. Creating and co-managing my firm has been a tremendously rewarding experience and fulfills my personal and professional goals. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? I am most proud of the firm culture we have fostered at V|K. My partner Alex Van Kralingen and I both came up through highly reputable law firms operating on traditional models. While we valued the exceptional training and experience and lasting relationships those firms offered, we also felt there were gaps and embedded presumptions in the traditional model that could be improved upon. Our analysis pointed to a trickle-down effect on culture stemming from the compensation schemes most firms employ that rewards certain work and undervalues other work and fosters competition among colleagues. We created an alternative compensation scheme that rewards collaboration, teamwork and delegation. As a result, our people-first values are rewarded and reinforced. Our hierarchy has flattened, our mentorship is multi-directional, and collaboration is part of the daily routine. All firm members are consulted about and provide input into firm decisions ranging from recruitment to technology upgrades to business development initiatives. Each member of our team knows that their contributions and perspectives are not just valued but critical to our collective success. It’s been validating to prove that a people-first model is also a lucrative and sensible business model. There’s no cost to the incorporation of socialist values in a capitalist enterprise; in fact, the enshrinement of these values has helped us prosper. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? Summer 2005, I landed my first law job on Bay Street, and it felt like I had time-travelled back to the Mad Men era. At orientation, we were directly warned that if we reported sexual harassment in accordance with the firm’s policy, our reputations and careers would be ruined. Instead we were strongly advised to develop a sense of humour and a thick skin. That was 15 years ago, and we’ve come a long way since then, but I think the traditional law firm model rewards and punishes behaviours that are based on gender stereotypes, and results in lingering unconscious bias against women in the profession. The good news is that that traditional law firm model is waking up to the 21st Century. There are more women working in law – and more women in business who are in positions to select law firms for retainers and instruct counsel – than ever before, and there’s power in our numbers. We no longer have to put up or shut up. Together we can identify the problems, demand better, and put solutions in place to implement the better demands we are making. And if that doesn’t work or you’re fed up with the fight, there are countless viable alternative options available to us now, thanks to advancements in technology that have enabled cloud-based document management systems, remote-working, workspace sharing and virtual legal administrative solutions and freelance lawyering. By leveraging off these advancements, lawyers are no longer dependent on the traditional law firm model and the attendant prohibitively expensive capital requirements for overhead to deliver excellent legal work. Opting out is no longer a career killer. To the contrary, it can be what sets you free to soar. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? I give all new lawyers the excellent advice that was given to me by Samuel Schwartz many years ago, which is to conduct your legal career as though you plan to start your own firm in year 10. By setting that goal, you will naturally benchmark your legal and advocacy skills, you will collect mentors and champions and maintain professional relationships with colleagues who may become referral sources, you will focus on business development early and often, and you will learn the business of law. In this way you will make yourself indispensable and self-reliant in whatever legal position you hold and a sought-after candidate for any legal role you pursue. Fun fact: we launched V|K on the tenth anniversary of my call to the bar. Sam was right! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Megan for agreeing to participate in this series. You have provided wonderful advice that I believe will be beneficial to many (including me). I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Yadesha Satheaswaran, France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   I started this series with the intention of including as many diverse voices as possible, which also meant not focusing solely on women lawyers who have established and long-standing careers. I'm excited that for this profile we have the pleasure of hearing from a leading articling student / almost lawyer (yay!), Yadesha Satheaswaran: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am currently an articling student, so I don’t have a business or practice that I can speak of. However, I hope to become a litigator one day and I am fortunate to have gotten a breadth of experience at my firm, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP. Paliare Roland deals with a wide variety of civil litigation matters, including bankruptcy/insolvency law, corporate/commercial law, labour/employment law, and administrative/constitutional law. 2. Why did you go to law school? I decided to attend law school because of my family’s experiences with domestic violence. Growing up, I saw my mother – a newly single parent and a refugee to this country – try to navigate the criminal, family and immigration law systems concurrently. She had a lot of difficulties, and I knew that she could not have been the only one. I wanted to become an advocate for survivors like her who are often caught in a matrix of multiple legal issues. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? I would say “both”. I applied to law school with the expectation that I would work in the social justice sector, helping the most vulnerable and marginalized. I was able to do just that in my second year when I was employed for eight months at Parkdale Community Legal Services (“PCLS”). I loved the clients at PCLS, but I learned that (due to some unresolved trauma) I currently do not have the emotional capacity or mental wherewithal to make criminal, family or immigration law my entire practice. Interestingly, I had a very litigious case load while I was at PCLS, and I appeared in front of the Social Benefits Tribunal and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board on numerous occasions. I realized that I enjoyed both the oral and written advocacy associated with litigation so I broadened the scope of my interest during the 2L Recruit. That’s how I ended up summering and articling at Paliare Roland. I continue to engage in more radical, community-based activism via my extra-curriculars. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? Near the end of my 3L, I was one of 12 students to receive the Dean’s Golden Key Award. The Dean’s Golden Key Award is given to graduating students at Osgoode Hall who have made outstanding contributions to law school life. I was honoured to have been recognized, and to have shared the moment with my best friends. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? I think a persistent challenge for women in law is to be treated equitably – i.e. to receive the same pay as men, to not be asked unsolicited questions about potential motherhood, to be better represented amongst the partnership, etc. This can all be exacerbated by intersections with race, sexuality, disability, religion/creed, class, and/or age. That being said, I think women are uniquely positioned to drive the legal profession forward. We can push for inclusive models of practice, bring differently-situated insights to our clients’ problems, and even develop new areas of law. In so doing, we can dismantle the vestiges of archaic male-centric thinking and make the legal profession our own. Maybe I am a little too optimistic, but I believe that the law can be an oyster of opportunity for women. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, and do not be afraid to explore! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you Yadesha for participating and all the best in your legal career! I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: France Mahon, Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.   We head out to Vancouver for our next leading lawyer: meet Frances Mahon! When I was told by the person who recommended Frances for this profile that she had done a "bajillion" murder trials I was both impressed and a little worried about Canada's murder rates. I have now been told it might not be a "bajillion" murder trials, but close :) Read on to find out more about France's practice: 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. Mahon & Company is not your typical law firm. We represent people facing serious criminal charges, provide assistance to refugees and other newcomers, and we engage in advocacy and law reform efforts on behalf of individuals and non-profit organizations, with a particular focus on sex worker rights and issues impacting the LGBTQ2S community. In many cases, some or all of these practice areas will overlap (e.g. someone facing criminal charges and immigration consequences) and we bring value to our clients by taking a holistic approach to these intersecting issues. 2. Why did you go to law school? I was an artist before I became a lawyer (still am). Some people think this is an unusual path, but to me it makes perfect sense, since my art practice has long been centred around social justice issues, and there is no question that a creative approach to problem-solving is a valuable skill for lawyers. Right before I applied to law school, I had been working on a documentary with a LGBTQ refugee group in Toronto. Listening to the stories of the brave folks who had been through hell and back made me want to take my advocacy to the next level. I applied to Osgoode Hall Law School, and much to my surprise the school decided that a weirdo artist like me had the potential to be a lawyer. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? A little of both. Although I wanted to be a refugee lawyer when I initially applied to law school, by chance I was enrolled in Professor Alan Young’s intro criminal law class and I quickly became obsessed with criminal law and forged one of the most important relationships of my career. I owe a lot of my initial success to Prof. Young’s mentorship, and criminal defence work is the core of my practice to this day (although I did eventually circle back to refugee work when the opportunity arose). Throughout the rest of law school, I worked as his RA and got to help out with Bedford v. Canada, the Innocence Project, and many of his other initiatives. The best things that Prof. Young taught me were (1) you can be a lawyer and still be a pretty weird and creative person, and (2) you can make a career out of your passion for law reform and social change. When Bedford went to the Supreme Court of Canada, Marlys Edwardh joined the legal team alongside Prof. Young. We ended up spending quite a bit of time together as the team prepared for the SCC, and she eventually offered me an articling position in the criminal law group at Goldblatt Partners LLP in Toronto. I will never forget the years I spent working with her and the team at GP LLP. I got to work on interesting cases with some amazing lawyers, and Marlys taught me how to work hard, think deeply about the law, and to really connect with clients and bring their story to the court. Her intellect and compassion is legendary – she truly is one of the giants of the law and I love her dearly. I moved to Vancouver in 2016 and about 6 months later decided to start my own firm. This was a HUGE leap of faith but one that has really paid off. Three years later, I am working with an extraordinary team of people in a beautiful office (with the coveted north view) in downtown Vancouver. We do work we are really passionate about, get to help our communities, and we have fun while we do it. I’ve somehow managed to create the law firm of my dreams and I can’t imagine doing anything else now. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? Aside from creating the law firm of my dreams? Without a doubt it was representing groups of LGBTQ2S lawyers and law students as intervenors in the Supreme Court of Canada in Trinity Western University v. the Law Society of Upper Canada. I had been to the SCC before, but this was the first time I gave oral submissions (easily the most terrifying 5 minutes of my life). I am so proud that our contribution helped ensure that LGBTQ2S law students can seek out law school positions without the identity-based barrier that TWU’s law school would have imposed. 5. What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for women in law? One challenge (which is presented by your question) is the binary divide between “female” and “male” lawyers and the assumption that it is only cisgender women striving for recognition and equality. I have a number of trans and non-binary colleagues and they are largely erased from these conversations. For example, the challenges my non-binary colleagues face are numerous: where do I get changed into my robes at the courthouse? where do I go to the bathroom, when there are only “men’s” and “women’s” washrooms? how can I get the Court to recognize my name and pronouns without pissing off the judge? There are countless everyday barriers that are largely unnoticed outside (and even inside) the LGBTQ2S community. Fortunately this is changing, albeit only at the glacial pace of the law. Last year, Nicole Nussbaum, Frank Durnford and I conducted a training session on LGBTQ2S issues for Federal Court judges (through the CBA’s National SOGIC section, where I act as 1st Vice Chair) and the response was incredibly positive. One very senior judge (who shall remain unnamed), after learning about the barriers presented by gendered washrooms, said he wanted to “take a sledgehammer” to the bathroom walls in the courthouse and start rebuilding, which is possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever heard a judge say. We are now looking to expand this training to judges across Canada. I like to believe that people can change, when given the necessary tools, and there are lots of opportunities out there to help your community and be an agent of change if you have the energy and desire to do it. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Make friends, and keep them. A support network is crucial to any lawyer. I remember being told at Osgoode that the relationships we forged in law school would last throughout our careers, and it was the best piece of advice I have ever received. In addition to the benefits of friendship, you will get referrals, advice, a shoulder to cry on, someone who gets both the lawyer side of you and the you-you, and so many other things. One of my closest friends is someone I met on the first day of law school and I honestly don’t know how I would have survived this past decade without her. Be a friend, not a jerk! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for taking the time to provide these thoughtful and helpful answers! I started this blog series because I was tired of hearing about women leaving law and wanted to hear about women leading in law. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! ICYMI - previous posts profiled the following amazing lawyers: Sarah Molyneaux, Richa Sandill, Vivene Salmon, Kim Whaley, Alisia Grenville, Frances Wood, Maggie Wente, Anita Szigeti, Neha Chugh, Christy Allen & Nancy Houle, Suzie Seo, Kim Gale, Alexi Wood, Melissa McBain, Erin Best, Gillian Hnatiw, Melanie Sharman Rowand, Meg Chinelo Egbunonu, Lisa Jean Helps, Nathalie Godbout Q.C., Laurie Livingstone, Renatta Austin, Janis Criger, May Cheng, Nicole Chrolavicius, Charlene Theodore, Dyanoosh Youssefi, Shannon Salter, Bindu Cudjoe, Elliot Spears, Jessica Prince, Anu K. Sandhu, Claire Hatcher, Esi Codjoe, Kate Dewhirst, Jennifer Taylor, Rebecca Durcan, Atrisha Lewis, Vandana Sood, Kathryn Manning, Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan.  |
 
  Erin C. Cowling is a former freelance lawyer, entrepreneur, business and career consultant, speaker, writer and CEO and Founder of Flex Legal Network Inc., a network of freelance lawyers.
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