While finalizing a recent proposal, I took a moment to pause and consider the team I had been working with to complete the submission. I thought about the lead lawyers on the project, two senior female lawyers that Chair practice groups at my firm. I thought of my female COO, providing guidance and insight, and the female assistant on my team who championed some of the research related to the proposal. And, last but not least, I thought of our female graphic designer – making all the legalese included in the submission aesthetically pleasing and easier to digest. I proudly reflected on the strong female leaders, mentors, and team members I’ve had thus far during my career and considered how this makes not only my firm, but all firms stronger. While working with the women at my firm – both…

Recently, I learned of a course entitled “Happiness and the Law,” offered to law students at the University of Ottawa. The course was designed by Professor Lynda Collins, who has niche expertise in the area of law student and lawyer wellness, focusing on the law and policy of subjective wellbeing. Professor Collins has taught the Happiness and the Law course for six years, which is designed to help law students cope with the stress of law school and, ultimately, how to handle such a high-pressure profession. I read an interview with Professor Collins and Canadian Lawyer Magazine, where she explained that the course was designed in response to the overwhelming mental health issues many students face when they are thrown into the high-stress learning environment of law school. Many law students find these challenges are only exacerbated once they are…

On December 1st 2022, as part of a professionalism series, we had the pleasure of hosting and hearing from Marie Henein at the Toronto Lerners office. As an incredibly experienced litigator and former managing partner of Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP, her words were insightful and informative for everyone in the room, ranging from articling students like myself to senior associates and partners at Lerners. Perhaps best known for defending Jian Ghomeshi in his criminal case, few Canadian lawyers gain public notoriety the way Marie Henein has. Likely alluding to this, she told us that she is often asked, “How do you do this work?” For Henein, practising law and representing clients is not a question of morality. Each and every person is entitled to the presumption of innocence under the Charter, and it is not a lawyer’s place to pass…

In December 2022, the Université de Sherbrooke, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association published the report on The National Study on the Psychological Health Determinants of Legal Professionals in Canada. This report is Phase I of the National Wellness Study. The data analyzed in the report comes from a national survey conducted between 2020-2022 on the wellness of legal professionals in Canada. More than 7,300 legal professionals from all jurisdictions – lawyers, Quebec notaries, Ontario paralegals and articling students – participated in the survey. The study’s authors have now launched Phase II of the study, which will involve qualitative interviews with legal professionals to explore differences by province and territory. Phase II is expected to conclude in 2024. The National Wellness Study report paints a troubling picture of the wellness of Canadian legal professionals. Its key…

Dear Jumpy Junior: The question that you have posed is an excellent one. This is exactly the sort of thing that you should be thinking about at this early stage in your legal career. Having strong relationships with senior counsel is important, as this will impact the sort of work you will be involved with, and who you will be working with during those early years while you have much to learn. Here are five areas that you can focus on to stand out as a junior lawyer and build positive professional relationships with the senior lawyers you work with: 1. Get to Know the Senior Lawyer Each lawyer has his or her own style and preferences for how they like to manage a file. As a junior, it is important to gain a good understanding about how the senior…