Dear Hopeful Quick-Study: This is an excellent question. The articling experience is notoriously challenging and often all-consuming. In this post, I outline some strategies for managing the articling experience based on my own experience and what I’ve picked up from colleagues over the years. There is a Significant Learning Curve I wanted to speak to this point first, as I often questioned whether I was learning “fast enough” during articles. The short answer is that there is no “right” pace for learning. During articles (and the first several years of practice) you are taking in a lot of new information, and for the most part, you are doing things for the very first time. The first few times you take on a new task, it takes longer to complete. This is normal. My best advice for this point is to…

“Jacinda Ardern retires: Can women really have it all?” While Thursday’s (original) BBC Headline was, in my non-journalist’s opinion, tired and clearly meant to evoke some knee-jerk reaction about the state of women in society, it was, at least, thought-provoking. Like many others, my first thought was to wonder if the BBC would ever ask “can men really have it all?” It was more of a rhetorical, rage-filled thought, I confess. But now that the red glow has dissipated from my eyes, the thoughts and questions are more nuanced: what does it mean to have it “all” and do we really want it “all” anyway?

I recently listened to a podcast on the topic of “Claiming your Authority” by host Kara Loewentheil, a lawyer turned life coach from New York. It had me thinking about how I claim my authority in my own personal and professional life. The ideas introduced in the podcast are not novel – Kara discusses how women are conditioned to think and behave in certain ways. Typically, this entails women taking a back seat when it comes to decision-making, women being quiet and “polite”, and women taking on more traditional roles in family and work life.

Are you old enough? A typical exchange in the professional context: Me: “Hi, I’m Brooke. I’m a lawyer.” Client or allied professional: “I hope I won’t offend you…but, are you old enough to be lawyer?”

We all have good intentions but let’s be honest, figuring out how to really disconnect can be tricky – regardless of the time of year. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for enjoying some down time over the holidays, I thought I’d share a few tips that work for me. Give them a try this year and take a moment to truly un-plug and soak up time with your friends and family.