From the Hospital to the Courtroom: An Unusual Path to Law
Most law students come to law school with an undergraduate degree. Law Schools will tell you that there is no preferred degree for admission so you can apply with a B. A., a B. Comm., an engineering degree or anything else. A few also enter law school with work experience, having worked full-time.
From my experience in law school many years ago, it seemed that most students entering law school had studied arts or commerce or some similar subject. In my class, there were many students with degrees in philosophy. They were outspoken in class, articulate and spoke often of Kant, who I had never heard of.
I came from an entirely different and non-traditional direction, entering law school with a nursing degree. I had studied anatomy and organic chemistry; not philosophy or economics. I had never been on a debating team nor was I familiar with the Socratic method. I did not feel as though I belonged in law school. On hindsight, I suspect there were many others in my class who felt the same.
But I quickly learned that law school, and the practice of law for that matter, is a great equalizer when it comes to your background or pedigree. By and large, it really does not matter what you studied in your undergraduate studies. I can attest to the fact that at law firms, we don’t stand by the water cooler at work discussing what we studied in our undergraduate days! Regardless of your background, you learn and apply the relevant legal concepts and if you are a litigator, like myself, you quickly get familiar with the rules of evidence and civil procedure.
That said, we are all individuals who come to the practice of law with different life and work experiences. We don’t all think the same way and approach problems from different directions. To this extent, what we learned in our undergraduate studies and our prior employment may affect our outlook. Certainly, my training as a nurse has helped me practice law, in many respects.
1. The obvious advantage to having studied nursing before law, especially if you practice medical malpractice or personal injury, is that you come with some knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Being able to read and understand medical records gives you a head start dealing with the medical issues that affect injured parties.
2. Having worked in a hospital and experienced first-hand how things get done in “real life” helps you understand the dynamics of such a workplace and will be a significant advantage if you practice in the medical malpractice. It is knowledge that is also very helpful if you deal with regulatory proceedings for regulated health professionals such as the College of Nurses or the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
3. Working in a fast-paced environment with conflicting demands requires time management skills. This applies to the practice of nursing as it does to the practice of law. Nurses learn to prioritize tasks and manage the flow of work. Likewise, lawyers typically juggle many files and clients at once. Time management is a skill that is crucial in order to maintain efficiency and organization.
4. Working collaboratively as a team is the backbone of nursing and you are indoctrinated into this concept from day one in nursing school. This is not necessarily the case in law school which tends to be much more However, in the practice of law, knowing how to collaborate with and respect your colleagues is imperative and is expected.
5. Empathy is a skill nurses are trained to develop in nursing school. Empathic listening is necessary to provide high quality care and is therefore highly encouraged. This skill has served me well throughout my career and I fully believe that you learn so much more from listening to people rather than talking “to” them.
Nursing and law are not obvious companions and there are very few who have left nursing for law. Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of overlap in terms of the skills nurses acquire and those that are valuable in the practice of law. Personally, I did not enjoy working as a nurse but I am grateful for everything I learned during my brief nursing career and appreciate how it helped me become a reasonably successful litigator. It goes to show that no matter what path you took to get to law, even if it is not a traditional one, you are not an outsider and success is within reach.
About the Author
Anne Spafford is a bilingual advocate based in the Lerners LLP Toronto office, with more than three decades of experience in health law, personal injury and professional regulation. She has a B.Sc. in Nursing, and has been called to the Massachusetts, and Ontario bars. She also has a LL.M from the University of Toronto.
Anne has been involved in countless jury and non-jury trials. She has appeared on discipline matters for physicians before the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), and in front of the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB). She has appeared at all levels of the Court in Ontario, at numerous Coroner’s Inquests and before the Human Rights Tribunal.
She is widely recognized for her health and personal injury experience and expertise in numerous peer and client rated legal directories such as Chambers Canada, the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation and Martindale Hubbell.
Anne is a former legal member and Alternate Chair of the Ontario Review Board. She previously served as an Adjudicator for the Law Society Tribunal. She has taught Trial Advocacy at the University of Toronto and regularly teaches advocacy skills for The Advocates’ Society.