Learning curve:
A mentorship in five parts
Making your way in the practice of law is challenging at the best of times — it’s worse when you don’t even have a map and a compass. So we asked five lawyers across the spectrum of legal practice to equip the profession’s newest members with guides to success.
By Beverley Spencer
It’s hard getting the hang of being a lawyer. Even with law schools producing students better-equipped for the professional life, Bar Admission Courses more geared toward practice, and law firms coming around to the idea of associate training — even with all this, thousands of new lawyers enter the profession each year unsure of themselves, bereft of map and compass and not at all certain how to navigate treacherous waters.
Making things more difficult is the growing specialization and fragmentation of the profession — a brand-new sole practitioner in Kelowna and a first-year associate on Bay Street might as well be practising law on two different planets. Veteran lawyers who survey the profession these days have been known to lament how many new lawyers are learning how to swim by being thrown into the deep end of the pool.
What many young lawyers could use is some friendly advice from a senior practitioner — the ins and outs of this type of career, the politics and economics they don’t teach in law school, the business and professional basics required to be a good lawyer and a happy person.
What they need are mentors, and so it’s good that mentoring is making a comeback of sorts in the profession, as established lawyers remember and do something about their obligation to the newest members of the Bar.
Some young lawyers find their mentors through these law firm programs, matched with senior practitioners who show them the ropes. Others turn to established lawyers in their community, especially those in smaller centres and smaller practices. Still others turn to professionals such as trained career coaches, or to non-traditional sources such as retired lawyers and even law school professors. The important thing is that the lines of communication are open.
National spoke with five lawyers throughout Canada and asked them to share with our readers their insights and advice about entering the law. They came from very different types of practice — one from a large national firm, one from a midsize regional firm, one from a small-town small firm, one in the public sector, and one in an in-house law department — but they all share a strong interest in helping new lawyers make their way in the legal world.
Here’s what our five mentors had to say.
BIG firm
Claude Marseille
Office: Fasken Martineau, Montreal
Specialty: Corporate/Commercial Litigation
Non-Billable: Professor, Québec Bar School, Trial Advocacy; Lecturer, Université de Montréal Faculty of Law, Evidence in Civil and Commercial Matters (1997-2001); Vice-President (Canada), International Association of Young Lawyers (1998-2001).
Gaining a Foothold
The route into a big firm has changed. Just five or ten years ago, firms preferred to "grow their own" lawyers in-house through the articling program. Today, although the articling process remains important, associates are just as likely to be recruited through lateral hiring. Firms keep an eye out for promising talent, says Claude Marseille.
"We try to keep abreast of what is going on in the market," he says. "When a law firm seems to be imploding or they have great shakeups, then we make sure that if there are people in there that interest us, that we approach them." Some successful candidates took a more proactive route and sent in a curriculum vitae.
Getting Established
Any aspiring lawyer needs to start off by learning the tools of the trade, choosing an area of specialization, and joining the relevant CBA or local Bar Association sections and trade associations. Make sure you establish your credentials with the local bar, the courthouse and the judiciary as someone with integrity who can be trusted.
That last part is the key to building a life in the law, says Marseille. The respect you earn in the legal community is invaluable. "Your integrity is what will take you to a long and successful career," he says. "It is what you own, what you sell to your clients, what you represent to the court; to me, it is the one basic value that you can never, ever let go of."
Back at the firm, build networks within your department: try to get your name associated with the type of work you want to do. Departmental meetings, firm intranets, even internal newsletters are all good avenues for making yourself known. Once people identify your name with a specialty, work will start coming to you, Marseille says.
Build networks outside your department as well: it’s too easy to lose track of people in a large firm. Marseille estimates that 80 percent of his work at the 170-lawyer Fasken Martineau office in Montreal is with the same 10 or 15 people. Establish yourself in other departments’ minds and maintain a good rapport with the professionals there.
Finally, exercise collegiality with those at your own level: in a hierarchical culture, new lawyers must demonstrate they can work with others. "People who are perceived as trying to step over the heads of their peers will, at least in our firm, be viewed very poorly," Marseille says. "That is not the way to succeed."
Bumps in the Road
Big-firm life is not for everyone: the hours are invariably long, the demands intense. "You’re going to spend a lot of time working in your life," Marseille points out. "If you don’t love it, if you don’t have passion for it, change. You will become bitter and unhappy; even if you get excellent pay, the money will not make up for you being unhappy with what you’re doing."
If it’s not the hours but the work that gets you down, consider whether another area of practice might be more suitable. For example, litigation is very different from corporate practice, Marseille says. "It’s almost like two different professions." Simply deciding whether you really prefer transactional work or litigation gets you most of the way there.
But don’t wait too long to decide. There are opportunities to change direction in a big firm early in your career; after five to seven years in practice, less so. Sometimes, articling students unsure of where they want to go will divide their time between two departments, then decide. Others make a complete switch to something new after several years.
Having a Life
This is the biggest concern for those who approach big firms. It’s a fact that lawyers at large firms have to decide how much of their time they’re willing to invest in their career. That decision will affect how high and how quickly they rise.
"Some people will decide not to have a family because they want to put almost all of their energies in their career," Marseille says. "You have to accept that they will move up perhaps more quickly than you would, because it is a question of how much you invest in it."
Marseille himself puts in 60 to 90 hours a week, but the nature of his practice allows him more control over his schedule and the flexibility to leave the office at 5 p.m. when family calls. "You have to be able to say, ’No — tonight, I’ve got my kids," he says.
Public Sector
James Bissell
Office: Department of Justice, Ottawa
Calling: Assistant Deputy Attorney-General, Civil Litigation Branch
Non-Billable: Member of Federal Court Bench and Bar Committee; co-chaired Report on Role of Solicitors in the Regions; lectured at Nova Scotia Bar Admission Course, Canadian Police College.
Gaining a Foothold
It’s not easy getting in the door of the federal Department of Justice, but opportunities abound once you’re inside. The department doesn’t recruit the numbers it once did, but, as James Bissell points out, there’ll always be some opportunities in a department with 5,000 employees.
Flexibility is good. Some new lawyers initially join on contract, so lawyers who are open to that sort of arrangement will have an advantage. It also helps to be willing to move to another province; Bissell himself worked in Halifax and Vancouver before moving to Ottawa.
DoJ recruiters seek "people who have done well," work hard and have a strong public-service ethic. "When I’m recruiting, I’m looking for someone with a variety of experiences in life, because they bring in maturity of judgment," Bissell says.
For new lawyers straight out of school, that means assessing their volunteer activities and summer employment history for an indication that "they don’t have a single focus or single dimension," he adds. Candidates must also demonstrate an ability to work well in teams: "The day and age of the lone-wolf counsel is long gone."
Getting Established
Once inside, look for a mentor in your department, Bissell advises. "Select someone who will take a personal interest in you and your career development, and maybe give you some files to work on with him or her." Volunteer to take on assignments, to show you’re eager to learn and get involved. "You will eventually get noticed, because a lot of our work cuts across offices," he notes.
If you’re not sure how to find a mentor, go to your manager or a human resources officer, suggests Bissell. Managers tend to be well connected and can guide you to the right person; human resources personnel often know who is interested in acting as a mentor. "We have people who pride themselves on helping out other people," he says.
The key to moving up in the public service lies in understanding how to succeed in the competition process, Bissell says. Almost all positions are filled through competitions, a formal process unlike any the candidate likely would have encountered before. He recommends applying for a few positions just for the experience.
To prepare for the competition interview, which is conducted by a panel of three or four people, pay close attention to the job description; it will identify the qualities the interviewers are looking for and the standard by which the candidates will be measured. Anticipate the kind of questions the panel will ask to draw out those qualities, and "be very fulsome" in your response.
The panel looks for evidence that candidates are familiar with the organization, its responsible statutes, its area of practice and where it fits in the larger organization. It’s also important to show that you’ve made an effort to understand the client organization: the government itself. "We’re looking for people who know their client’s business and bring the same kind of service attitude that you would find in the private sector," says Bissell.
Bumps in the Road
You’ve been practising for a couple of years and the fire is gone. Do you keep slogging or look for something new? Public-service lawyers have plenty of options, Bissell says.
"We have such a huge breadth of practice that you’re probably going to be able to find an opportunity to do something that excites you," he observes. For example, lawyers looking for a change can go on secondments, short-term assignments in other departments, or special projects.
The biggest hurdle, Bissell says, might be admitting to yourself that what you’re doing is not what you want to do. "You’ve got to be honest with yourself," he advises. "Make sure what you’re doing feels right."
Having a Life
Lawyers in the public service generally earn less than their counterparts in private practice; the tradeoff is a greater opportunity to achieve work-life balance. But don’t expect to work 9 to 5 every day, Bissell cautions.
"We’re still looking for people with a strong work ethic; there will be times when you aren’t going to be in perfect balance and times when you have to work weekends and evenings," he says.
The key lies in establishing reasonable work patterns and knowing where to draw the line on putting in long hours. That can be a hard line to draw, especially for ambitious new lawyers striving to get ahead. "As a manager, I try to keep an eye out for people burning the candle at both ends," says Bissell. Employees who do are encouraged, but not ordered, to take time off.
Corporate Counsel
Anna Fung
Office: Terasen Gas Inc., Vancouver
Calling: Senior Counsel
Non-Billable: Past President, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association; Past Director, Legal Education and Action Fund and Westcoast LEAF; Past President, B.C. Autism Association.
Gaining a Foothold
No one begins her career as corporate counsel to a major firm. Landing a position as in-house counsel requires solid general training, acquired in a good law firm, and at least three years of experience in practice, says Anna Fung. "You have to hit the ground running," she says. "People expect you to handle files right away."
Corporate counsel typically work in small departments; there are five lawyers in Fung’s group, including her boss, the firm’s general counsel who also acts as corporate secretary. Their files deal with everything from aboriginal law and mergers and acquisitions to environmental law and human-resources issues. Having a general background is definitely an asset, she says.
Getting Established
Once in the door, getting a handle on the business is crucial. That means understanding the industry, the key players and current challenges. "In order to do your job well, you must be able to help the company meet its business goals," says Fung.
One of the hallmarks of good corporate counsel is achieving the best actual result for your company; identifying the "perfect legal solution" is not enough. "The legal point of view is only one aspect of the problem you’re working on," she points out. Corporate counsel must understand all the strategic considerations that come into play.
In-house lawyers by definition have just one client, but traditional client service is still important. You can’t sit in your office and expect people to come to you for your advice on how to run the business, she says: be positive and proactive. Build networks beyond your department that extend throughout the company and the industry. Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge inside the company to learn what you can about the industry.
And don’t pretend to know more than you do, Fung advises: "The worst thing you can do as a lawyer is bluff it." Asking for help shows you’re willing to learn. "People can be impressed that the lawyer came to them and asked them something," she says. It also helps to talk to peers in similar companies.
Teamwork is a byword. That means going to meetings, functioning as part of a group and offering your perspective "without," Fung says, "expecting everyone to jump in and say, ‘Yes, that’s what we need to do.’"
Bumps in the Road
Most law departments are small and expansion is limited, so there are few chances to climb the internal career ladder in the traditional sense. This can thwart lawyers with an ambition to move up in the world.
Some in-house counsel seek new challenges by finding a new role in the business, but that will mean abandoning the practice of law, says Fung. "People have to decide what they want to be: a businessperson or a lawyer."
But lawyers who crave change do have options. They can move to another firm as corporate counsel — "you’ve proven you can learn an industry, so you can learn another," she points out. Or they can return to private practice, where they might be welcomed as a potential source of legal work from their company. The longer you stay at one company, however, the less marketable you may be.
Having a Life
It’s easier to control your workload as a corporate counsel because it’s possible to be open about conflicts or competing priorities in dealing with work requests. "People understand the priorities of the company. In private practice, every client expects that his or her file is the most important on their desk."
On the other hand, corporate counsel don’t work 9 to 5 either. The work may be easier to juggle, but demands are still high and you must demonstrate you’re willing to help the company achieve its goals by working hard. "You’re still expected to perform and show you are bringing value to the company," Fung says.
There are also fewer resources to help get the job done. Staff don’t work around the clock, so if you need photocopying done at 3 a.m., you’re on your own.
Salaries are "considerably less" than what private practice offers, but benefits such as pension plans and generous vacations help make up the difference. There’s also considerably less pressure on corporate counsel because, unlike their peers in private practice, they don’t have to generate clients.
The real key to achieving balance, Fung says, is to keep your support network alive and resist the temptation to become a workaholic. "You can take pride in your work," she says, "but at the end of the day, we have to make sure we are well balanced and have meaningful relationships with friends and family and make time for ourselves."
Midsize firm
Jan McKenzie
Office: Cox Hanson O’Reilly Matheson, Halifax
Specialty: Human rights, labour and employment law
Non-Billable: Instructor, Nova Scotia Bar Admissions Course; Member, Qualifications Committee, Nova Scotia Bar Society, Volunteer Mediator, Youth Alternatives (1999-2001).
Gaining a Foothold
Lawyers in a midsize firm get in the door either through the articling program or as a lateral hire. Just as with larger firms, there has been more lateral hiring at the associate level in recent years than ever before, says Jan McKenzie. There are 48 lawyers in her Halifax office, 93 in total at the firm’s offices across Atlantic Canada.
"I find that the environment has changed a lot; there’s more movement," she says. "We lose some associates to other interests and other things and we gain some that way as well." Young lawyers are not as likely to see their first law firm as an entire career.
Getting Established
The key to success in a midsize firm is being proactive in seeking work, McKenzie says. "In my experience, the most important thing is marketing within the firm; getting to know people, asking people for work, showing they have interest in doing the work."
Like many medium-sized firms, Cox Hanson has a formal mentoring program to help new associates along. Juniors are matched with someone they find approachable in the same practice area. The success of the pairing depends on how much work the two parties put into it.
McKenzie strongly recommends that new lawyers find themselves a mentor, adding that she could have benefited from such an arrangement early in her own career. "I don’t really feel that I’ve had [a mentor], and I think that’s been to my detriment," she says.
The practice of law was largely a man’s world when she started 20 years ago, she says, and having a mentor, especially a man, to help her negotiate that world would have made a difference. Today, she says, the mentor’s gender is not as important as finding someone who is prepared to mentor you and help you along the way.
"If you have the cold, calculating luxury of choosing [a mentor]," McKenzie adds, "you’d be better off choosing someone who can help your career, who has connections in the community, to key clients, business or political connections — someone who can help." Having connections, both inside and outside the firm, is critical to success. "The longer I’m in practice, the more I understand how important that is," she says.
Lawyers in many midsize firms can be considered for partner after seven years of practice. Some don’t make it the first time, but "in my experience, we haven’t had a situation where someone never made partner," she says.
Partners might not be expected to work a set number of hours, but they must put in a "reasonable number" of billable hours, and they’re expected to be involved in the life of the firm (including committees) and in marketing the firm.
Bumps in the Road
New lawyers should bear in mind that there’s a steep learning curve their first couple of years in practice, warns McKenzie. She cautions them not to bail too soon from an area of practice that seems to be a bad fit. "Don’t make the decision too early that’s it’s the area of law; it could be that you just don’t have the comfort zone yet," she says.
On the other hand, if you’ve been practising in an area for two or three years and it’s simply drudgery, you’re probably not in the right place. "Even when you’re on a learning curve, there still should be a level of interest and excitement in what you’re doing. If you’re not finding that at all, you’re probably not in the right spot."
Having a Life
It’s important not to work all the time, McKenzie says. New lawyers, especially those with young families, want the flexibility to maintain both personal and professional commitments, but it can be difficult given the demands of the profession, especially for those trying to get ahead. Even at midsize firms, which don’t always feature the demands of mega-firms, the pressures are there.
"It’s a problem because [young lawyers] are at the whim of the senior people in the firm and if they want to advance, they’re going to have to fulfill the role that’s being asked of them," she says. At the same time, firms must demonstrate flexibility to address these issues in order to retain people, and midsize firms are trying to do just that.
Small firm
Janis Pritchard
Office: Pritchard & Company, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Specialty: Family law
Non-Billable: Board member, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and Chair of Practice Standards Subcommittee; course writer and trainer in collaborative law, Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota.
Gaining a Foothold
Janis Pritchard was on the partnership track at a large Edmonton firm in the late 1970s when she made her decision to switch to a small practice. She knew she wanted to have a family and work part-time, but that wasn’t an option in a large firm.
So she and her husband, also a lawyer, moved to Medicine Hat to join the firm where her father-in-law was a senior partner. It was a lifestyle move that paid off, both personally and professionally. "The ability to balance family and work and community is wonderful, it's terrific," says Pritchard, who has three children.
There are no long commutes — Pritchard rides her bicycle to work in the summer — and everything is close. When her children were small, she was able to go home for lunch and the school was handy. The practice may not be as lucrative as it is in larger centres, but there is still the potential to make a very good living, she says. "Balance: that’s what attracted us."
Lifestyle factors and the chance to take on more responsibility earlier in one’s career make small-firm life seem attractive to many young lawyers, who look for ways to get a foot in the door. Articling student Cameron Kemp, who worked as a summer student at the five-lawyer firm for the past three summers, once considered the big-firm route, but changed his mind.
"I thought I knew what I wanted to do," he says. "I grew up in Medicine Hat and swore I would never come back." But after interviewing elsewhere, he returned home because "I knew the processes, knew all the lawyers in town, knew the city and knew I would get more responsibility earlier on."
Getting Established
Lawyers in small firms are the proverbial big fish in a small pond. You can make a ripple, Pritchard notes, but you can’t go anywhere without people knowing who you are. That can pay dividends for networking and generating new clients, but there’s more to it than that.
"We have a broad commitment to being involved in the community in a major way … not only for personal satisfaction, but to give something back," says Pritchard. "I think it’s important for professionals to give something back to the community." Towns such as Medicine Hat expect their professionals to demonstrate leadership, she adds. "We have a sense of obligation. It’s not just about clients."
Working in a smaller community makes it more challenging to network with other lawyers, but technology has eased that somewhat, she says. Lawyers at Pritchard’s firm can travel to Edmonton or Calgary to attend meetings or CLE sessions, or they can participate in CBA Section meetings by conference call or in CLE programs online.
The career trajectory may not be as clear as in a larger firm, but opportunities abound for interesting work. Contrary to the perception that lawyers in small firms must be jacks-of-all-trades, there are few generalists in small practices, Pritchard says. Ever-increasing expectations of the level of skill required precludes it.
There is also the "human tendency" to want to do something particularly well, she says; after ten years, most small-firm lawyers gravitate to either a barrister or solicitor position. And as lawyers become more senior, they tend to retreat from a litigation focus, she adds.
The key to establishing a successful career, she says, is to establish a reputation as an effective professional who communicates well and delivers results. "In places like Medicine Hat, we really trade on our reputation," Pritchard says. A lot of business in a small centre is generated through word of mouth — not just from your own clients, but from clients on the other side of the file, she says.
Clients are the same in both large and small centres, she points out. They want their calls returned and they want answers to their questions. "That’s what we have to sell — services."
Bumps in the Road
There are some practical downsides to working in a small firm or with another partner, Pritchard says. "You don’t have the same capacity to absorb lawyer transitions." There is no backup if you or your partner gets sick. And maternity leaves are hard to accommodate in a small firm, because "you don’t have the depth" to spread the work around. Larger firms can bring in an experienced lawyer on contract to fill in, but it’s much harder to find someone willing to uproot themselves to come to a smaller centre for a year.
Still, firms must be flexible to the needs of women in practice, who, after all, have the children, Pritchard points out. "If firms don’t make the accommodation," she says, "they will be losing a large number of very capable lawyers."
Having a Life
Lawyers in small centres tend to earn less than their urban colleagues, but the lower cost of living, easier commute and other lifestyle considerations can make it a worthwhile tradeoff. Many lawyers with families also like the idea of raising their children in a smaller centre.
Younger lawyers find that fewer hours add up to great opportunities to participate in community life. "I don’t put in as many hours as some of my friends in larger centres," says Kemp, "but here, I’m given the opportunity to belong to a lot of organizations, have activities outside the office and get to be known to the community as a whole."
It can also mean the luxury of leaving work at work. "I can leave and go to other things and not worry that I would be hurting the client or the file."
Beverly Spencer is a legal affairs writer based in Toronto. Her previous article for National, on whistleblowers and the law, appeared in our December 2000 issue.
Photo: Pierre-Louis Mongeau
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À vos mentors, prêts, partez!
Les premières années de la pratique du droit sont à la fois stimulantes et déroutantes. Voilà pourquoi cinq juristes de divers horizons nous font part de leurs judicieux conseils.
Étudier le droit est une chose. Pratiquer le droit en est une autre. Mais voilà, lorsque l’on quitte les bancs d’école, on ne sait pas toujours vers qui se tourner pour trouver des réponses à nos questions. On ne peut plus compter sur ses anciens collègues d’université. Ces derniers travaillent désormais au sein d’un grand cabinet ou sont parfois de retour dans leur petite ville d’origine et vivent des expériences totalement différentes.
Conscient de ces difficultés, le National a fait appel à cinq juristes qui en ont vu d’autres afin de vous guider vers le succès. D’horizons différents, ils partagent toutefois tous le désir de vous accueillir à bras ouverts dans votre nouvelle profession.
Grand cabinet
Claude Marseille,
Fasken Martineau, Montréal
Se tailler une place
Intégrité et réseautage sont les clés d’une carrière réussie au sein d’un grand cabinet. Choisissez un domaine de spécialisation, apprenez les règles du milieu et adhérez à diverses associations. Faites-vous connaître au sein de votre cabinet et de la communauté juridique en tant que professionnel intègre et digne de confiance.
Vivre sa vie
Les journées de travail sont longues et la pression est forte. Il est donc primordial d’aimer ce que vous faites, ´ d’être passionné ª. Si ce n’est pas le cas, tous les dollars du monde n’arriveront jamais à vous rendre heureux. Vous pourriez toutefois trouver le bonheur dans un autre champ de pratique.
Déterminez dès le départ combien de temps vous souhaitez consacrer à votre travail et soyez réalistes quant à vos attentes. Vous devrez être en mesure d’accepter que ceux qui ont choisi d’investir plus de temps que vous dans leur carrière progresseront aussi plus rapidement sur ce plan .
Fonction publique
James Bissell
Ministère de la Justice, Ottawa
Se tailler une place
Il n’est pas toujours facile d’entrer dans la fonction publique mais les possibilités augmentent une fois que vous êtes à l’intérieur. Soyez flexibles, soyez prêts à travailler à contrat ou dans une autre province. Multipliez les expériences et démontrez que vous êtes capable de travailler en équipe. Une fois à l’intérieur, manifestez votre intérêt et dénichez-vous un mentor qui aura à cœur l’évolution de votre carrière.
Vivre sa vie
Bien qu’en général les juristes oeuvrant au sein de la fonction publique troquent salaire pour meilleure qualité de vie, certaines périodes s’avèrent plus intenses que d’autres. Il devient alors primordial de s’assurer d’avoir un régime de travail sain et d’être en mesure de mettre un frein aux longues heures de travail.
Conseiller(ère)s juridiques d’entreprises
Anna Fung
Terasen Gas Inc., Vancouver
Se tailler une place
Une solide expérience générale acquise en pratique privée constitue généralement la meilleure porte d’entrée vers un poste de conseiller juridique d’entreprise. Une fois que vous avez déniché un emploi en entreprise, efforcez-vous de bien connaître l’environnement dans lequel elle évolue. Dans ce type de travail, la perspective légale n’est qu’une donnée à considérer dans la résolution d’un problème. Soyez positif, proactif et ayez l’esprit ouvert à l’apport potentiel des autres membres de l’entreprise.
Vivre sa vie
Puisque vous n’avez qu’un seul client, il est plus facile de gérer votre temps car vous êtes mieux en mesure de déterminer quelles sont les priorités. Par contre, les attentes sont grandes quant votre implication personnelle au sein de la compagnie et vous disposez souvent de moins de ressources pour vous dépanner lorsqu’il y a surcroît de travail. Résistez à la tentation de devenir un bourreau de travail et assurez-vous de pouvoir bénéficier d’un bon réseau de soutien.
Cabinet de taille moyenne
Jan McKenzie
Cox Hanson O’Reilly Matheson, Halifax
Se tailler une place
C’est à vous que revient la charge de vous vendre à vos collègues du cabinet. Soyez proactifs en sollicitant auprès de vos collègues des dossiers dans lesquels vous impliquer, allez vers les gens, démontrez votre intérêt. Vous auriez aussi avantage à obtenir l’aide d’un mentor.
Souvenez-vous qu’il y a beaucoup à apprendre durant vos débuts et qu’il peut vous être difficile de vous sentir à votre place dans un type de pratique si vous n’avez pas encore atteint une certaine zone de confort. Par contre, si après deux ou trois ans de travail vous ne ressentez aucun enthousiasme par rapport à ce que vous faites, vous n’êtes probablement pas au bon endroit.
Vivre sa vie
Il est important de ne pas consacrer toute sa vie au travail. Malheureusement, les exigences sont souvent élevées et les jeunes avocats qui ont de jeunes enfants ont de la difficulté à réconcilier obligations professionnelles et familiales. C’est en misant sur la flexibilité que les cabinets de moyenne taille tentent de répondre à ces aspirations.
Cabinet de petite taille
Janis Pritchard
Pritchard & Company, Medecine Hat
Se tailler une place
La pratique au sein d’un petit cabinet relève souvent du choix de vie. C’est d’autant plus vrai lorsque vous vous établissez dans une petite ville comme Medecine Hat où vous ne serez pas qu’au service de vos clients mais aussi au service de toute la communauté. Votre réputa-tion est ce que vous aurez de plus précieux.
Votre cheminement de carrière ne sera peut-être pas aussi clair que celui d’un juriste oeuvrant en pratique privée mais il existe de nombreuses possibilités d’accomplir du travail intéressant. Contrairement à la croyance populaire, vous n’aurez pas à devenir un touche-à-tout. Même dans une petite ville, la spécialisation est la réponse aux exigences de plus en plus grandes du métier et au désir de chacun d’exceller dans un domaine.
Vivre sa vie
Un des inconvénients majeurs du travail en petit cabinet est la difficulté d’absorber le travail supplémentaire occasionné par l’absence d’un collègue et la rémunération moins élevée. Cependant, une meilleure qualité de vie et du temps pour vous impliquer dans votre milieu devraient largement compenser. |
