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Law Students and Young Lawyers

What Danger Lurks in the Shadow of Brilliance?

Now that I have been retired for a few years, I sometimes wonder whether my experience as to how law firms work remains valid. Also, since I spent my days with medium-sized firms and not in Big Law, I occasionally worry that my view of what goes on in Big Law is not correct.

But then I speak to lawyers working in Big Law and they invariably confirm that Big Law is exactly what I always thought it was (which is just Medium Law on steroids, with worse side effects), and nothing has changed, and likely never will.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

A Good Day at the Office

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” 

Yogi Berra.

I was speaking to an unhappy lawyer the other day, which is typically the only type of lawyer that calls me.

This particular fellow has been practicing law quite a long time and makes decent money. His unhappiness stems from his insecurity, that so many of us share, about whether the clients will continue to come, and the fact that his work is too easy. He needs to develop his reputation so that he is in demand. He must also attract some more complicated stuff to sink his teeth into so that he is intellectually challenged and feels that he is doing something valuable for his clients.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Look Before You Leap

In the early 1980’s, just about the time that I was looking for my first permanent job in the legal profession, someone had called a recession and everyone had shown up. The pickings were slim for first year lawyers. Luckily for me, there was Don, a lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in the profession, who was being let go by the firm that hired me. 

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Don’t Be Just One More Corporate Lawyer

I went to high school so long ago that personal computers were not yet a thing. All of the students were required to take typing, which did not sit well with Gerry. He announced on the first day of class that since, as a man, he was never going to be a secretary, he did not need to learn how to type. He then skipped all of the typing classes for the entire semester.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

The View From Under The Bus

So, here is the situation. I am closing a deal with a senior partner from one of Canada’s largest law firms. Let’s call him “Big Law Guy.”    

I am a senior partner myself, but with a medium-sized suburban law firm. By definition, he is supposed to be smarter than I am and his junior is supposed to be fortunate to be working for him instead of working with me.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Write About What You Don’t Know

We have all heard the expression, “write about what you know,” usually attributed to Mark Twain, who knew a thing or two about writing.

I don’t do that.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Emboldened Articling Students

Warning

This article has three parts. Do not act on the suggestions in the first part until you consider the advice in the second part and the rebuttal in the third part. 

Part One: Murray’s Recommendations

Murray strongly recommends that articling students ask these probing questions and many similar ones before accepting a position:

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

A Feminist Perspective on Carbon Taxes

With this post I venture onto dangerous ground, but what the hell.

Some years ago I came across a Canadian law school which was offering a course on “A Feminist Perspective on Corporate Tax.” More recently, I came across a law school course on “A Feminist Perspective on Carbon Taxes.” It all struck me as kind of stupid.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Lies We Tell Our Associates

My wife says that I am pathologically honest. I even have trouble bringing myself to tell little white lies (except when writing on LinkedIn where I may fib about the identity of some of the characters, and that one time I forgot to mention to my ex-wife that I had fallen in love with my Associate.)

Being too honest can be a real problem sometimes, especially when you are running a law firm.

At my law firm, we were scrupulously honest. But my friend Martin tells me that at his firm it was sometimes necessary to lie to the Associates.

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

The Tip of the Articling Iceberg

There is a fair amount of talk right now about whether law firms should be required to pay articling students a minimum wage.

But isn’t this so-called ‘debate’ about whether the Law Society should legislate a minimum wage for articling students just the tip of the iceberg? What about the institutionalized discrimination created by the Employment Standards Act (Ontario) against lawyers and articling students (together with architects, accountants, engineers, teachers, surveyors, and others)?