The need to change constantly

I never knew how important it would be to be flexible as a sole practitioner lawyer. The market is constantly changing. One day, there is a great need for litigation. The next, it is a strong real estate market. The next, people are dying, and everybody remembers that they need a will. The next, people are on fire to start up companies and need a lawyer to get them started. The next, companies are buying each other out, merging, or liquidating. The next day, forclosures are the big thing.

I am learning, with some time and effort, that it is impossible to keep up, and the the importance of choosing some key areas of focus. I have started to narrow my focus areas, and it is feeling good. I am attracting a broader client base as a result, and am able to provide better service to those key area clients.

At first, I was afraid that I would have to try to be everything to everybody, but I have learned that this is impossible, and not economically or chronologically feasible. It is too hard to start from scratch from one file to the next. I am appreciating the feeling of developing a particular expertise in the areas of real estate, wills and estates and divorce law. These are to become the bread and butter of our practice. I am also focussing a lot of time on mediation and arbitration training and marketing. Focus is good. Focus is safer. Focus is financially sound.

Law school for Seagram site?

Proposal being floated among RIM co-CEO, Laurier, UW

TheRecord.com
January 11, 2008
TAMSIN MCMAHON
RECORD STAFF
WATERLOO

The former Seagram lands in downtown Waterloo are being touted as a potential location for a proposed law school.

Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive officer of Research In Motion, has been in talks with both the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University about a potential partnership to open a law school on the site at Erb and Caroline streets, said John English.

Read more...

Becoming a Mediator and Arbitrator

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. Christmas kept me really busy with family committments.

Then, in the New Year, I decided to become accredited as a mediator and an arbitrator, so I have been really busy with that. It's an exciting new development in my legal career. I'll write more about it soon, as you may find it interesting or inspiring.

ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) has become a lot more mainstream in the last 15 years or so, and continues to make inroads with the public, the courts, and with lawyers. More on that later.

Law students: drop LLB for U.S.-style JD

From Western News

By Paul Mayne
Thursday, December 6, 2007

With an eye to international employment, Western Law students have voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing their degree from LL.B. to J.D. (Juris Doctor), matching similarly named degrees at U.S. universities.

The J.D. designation is typically regarded as a professional degree, requiring an undergraduate degree as well as a law degree. Outside of Canada, in countries such as the UK and Australia, it is possible to enter an LL.B. program directly from high school. Students feel J.D. would facilitate international employment...

Read more here, and give us your comments on this changeover that more schools are adopting these days. Thanks!

University of Toronto Law school gets a boost

Businessman and lawyer David Asper has donated $7.5-million to establish a centre for the study of constitutional rights in his name at the University of Toronto's faculty of law.

This was from the Globe and Mail site (click here). Unfortunately, you have to pay for the stupid article (I hate that! $5 for an article!), so I don't know the details. Anybody else out there know more? Please comment.

Law is Cool

I just came across a great Canadian Law School Blog and Podcast - Law is Cool (http://lawiscool.com/)

I'm going to copy directly from the About Page, because I was so impressed, and I'm sure they won't mind if I plug them a bit here:

Law Is Cool is a new blog and podcast addressing issues related to law school and the legal field with a Canadian focus.

The contents are intended for three broad audiences:

1) Current and potential law students

2) Graduates reviewing for their bar exam

3) Members of the general public interested in learning more about the law

Law Is Cool is intended to be an exciting and engaging resource for all three groups. This require your participation to make it happen. If you are a first year law student in Canada, feel free to contact us about joining the team.

The Team:

Omar Ha-Redeye has an educational background in nuclear medicine, health administration, and public relations. He has worked in all three fields for several years before deciding to pursue a law degree at the University of Western Ontario.

Thomas Wisdom is a political science major from the University of Toronto and a first year law student at Osgoode Hall.

Ken Saddington is an engineer from Queen’s University, and is starting Law at the University of Western Ontario.

Marie Winfield has a BS Engineering & Public Policy, BA French (Washington University in St. Louis) and an MA French Language & Literature (University of Pennsylvania). She is studying her first year of law at the McGill University in Montreal.

Vimal Baid is a first-year law student at the University of Saskatchewan.

Gail Geronimo studied psychology at York University and is in her first year of law at the University of Ottawa.

Rob Evans has a BAA in psychology from Kwantlen University College in Surrey, B.C. He is starting the LLB/JD joint program at the University of Windsor and University of Detroit Mercy.

Gerard Kennedy studied Canadian Studies, Political Science, Christianity and Culture at the University of Toronto, and is pursuing law at Queen’s Universiy.

Adrian Di Lullo studied political science at Carleton, and is starting law school at Queen’s University this year. Adrian is heading up the international conflict section with a focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Daniel Simard is in the joint LLB and Masters of Environmental Studies at Osgoode Hall and York University, and is currently in his first year of law.

Jacob Kaufman studied History and Economics at Queen’s University, and is currently a first-year law student at the University of Western Ontario.

Kashif Ahmed completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Regina, and is currently in his first year of law at the University of Saskatchewan.

Ajay Gajaria is a fourth-year political science major at the University of Western Ontario. He heads up the support team for the site.

I was really happy to see a publication of this kind. I have added it to my blogroll.

Please let me know if you know of a Law School Blog or Legal Blog that I have not mentioned, or that I don't include in the blogroll. Thanks!

CanadianLawSchool.ca Revamped

I reworked www.CanadianLawSchool.ca today. I plan to post some more resources, cans, news, etc. on that site. You can also find more detailed information about my book, So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh? Law School in Canada (2nd Edition).

My book is now available on Amazon.ca at the lowest price available - $17.83 - 27% off of the retail price of $24.95. It is also available on Amazon.com, but you'll have to pay a bit more - $18.96 - 24% off retail.

I noticed the following on Amazon.ca:

#2 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation
#2 in	Books > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation
#3 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > One-L > Legal Profession

Alternative Careers (nevermind legal)

I have been asked quite a few times about alternative legal careers. However, today, I came across a fairly long-running thread on Lawstudents.ca that asks the question, what would you be if you were not a lawyer. A great question! Most of the posts are nonsense, of course, but I think it is a question worth asking yourself if you are anywhere in the midst of becoming or acting as a lawyer.

In asking myself this question, I came up with the following list in order of most desirable at the top:

1. Professional writer - photographer;
2. Property Developer and Renovator;
3. Law professor;
4. English professor;
5. Publisher;
6. Librarian

That was a fun exercise, and provided for at least some loosening of the career strings. Please post your alternative careers here (no nonsense please - only legitimate careers). Thanks!

2nd Edition now available on Amazon.com

I noticed today that the 2nd Edition of So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh? is now available on Amazon.com. The "Inside the Book" feature and further information should be up on Amazon.com shortly.

Maclean's first-ever ranking of Canada's law school

It has been a while since I posted, and Macleans came out with a ranking for law schools in September. It isn't really their first ever ranking. They did a ranking a number of years ago.

It's really nice to have a ranking other than CanadianLawyer magazine. However, I don't think that Maclean's did a very good job at ranking. There is far too much emphasis on such things as number of articles published by professors, and the number of placements of students articling / clerking with the Supreme Court of Canada. In my mind these are not true reflections of the quality of education, or more important, the quality of job placements or students upon graduation.

I have commented more completely in the 2nd Edition of my book.

Have a read through the rankings, and especially the commentary. It's worth reading. I hope that the magazine continues to provide an annual ranking so that we might see some trends. As I have indicated previously, the CanadianLawyer rankings are all over the map over the past 6-7 years, and are not a reliable source at all. I am glad that Macleans has at least tried to be scientific in their approach.

Post your thoughts and comments here once you have read the rankings. We would all be interested in your thoughts.

A reward for hard work - and not giving up

ANTHONY REINHART
From Friday's Globe and Mail
E-mail Anthony Reinhart Read Bio Latest Columns
October 25, 2007 at 8:55 PM EDT

“Law school's really hard when you don't have the funds there to help you,” Ms. Williams, a second-year student at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School ...

A nice inspiring story. Read more.

Canadian law school in the works

Cassandra McKenna cordweekly.com Oct 03, 2007

Laurier has recently put forth a proposal to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to open the first Canadian law school in almost 30 years; proposal includes a unique co-op program. Read more.

U of C law school moves up application deadline by four months

Andrew Barbero Gauntlet News October 04, 2007

Are you an aspiring University of Calgary law student? Then you better have already written the LSAT. The U of C law school has moved their application deadline forward from Feb. to Nov. 1 starting this year. The move means potential law students must have written the law school admissions test no later than Sep. 29. "The main problem was we were behind compared to other schools in Canada," said U of C law school director of admission Keith Yamauchi. "When we sent offers out to students, they were turning us down because they had already accepted somewhere else." Read more.

U of T Faculty of Law getting ready to expand

The University of Toronto today revealed the three competing designs for its law school expansion to be built south of the ROM on Queen’s Park Circle.The $60-million project will add 100,000 square feet of classrooms, lecture halls and faculty offices to the historic buildings, something the dean said is sorely needed. Read more.

Back and Better than ever - 2nd Edition is finally ready!

I have received many inquiries about whether this blog is dead, or whether I am dead. I assure that neither rumour is true.

I have had to go "underground" for a couple of months in order to catch up with all of my law firm work, and to finish the 2nd Edition of So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh?.

The book is finally finished, and is now ready to order from the publisher (orders@writingonstone.ca) or the distributor (Sandhill Book Marketing - www.sandhillbooks.com). It will come up on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Chapters.ca shortly. If you order it directly from the publisher, you will get a 20% discount off of the retail price of $24.95.

Here's the description from the back cover:

So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh?
Law School in Canada

Every year, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people apply to Canadian law schools, vying for just over 2,000 coveted spots. The competition is even fiercer when applying for a law job. Adam Letourneau, BSc, BA, LLB, 2005 graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, former Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review and owner of Letourneau Law, Barristers & Solicitors, reveals in this second edition many insider tips on how to gain admittance to law school in Canada. He explores how to cope and succeed in law school and how to land a coveted law job post-graduation. Drawing upon personal experience and the experiences of numerous Canadian law school graduates, Letourneau shares insights on the LSAT, applying for law school, study strategies, summer jobs, the articling application process and much more. This book will save you hours of research, hours of study and tons of stress. This second edition includes new law school graduate comments, updated admissions information, what being a lawyer is really like, tips to avoid pitfalls and more, with over 13,000 additional words and three new chapters.

"As a future Canadian law student, I was frustrated with the lack of guide material available to Canadian law students...it was important to find a book like this that addresses the particular elements of Canadian Law School." --F. Voisin, Ontario

"So, You Want to Be a Lawyer, Eh? outlines the process and offers tips to improve your results in the application process, at law school and in finding an articling position. I will be attending law school next year and I am confident that this book will help me succeed." --Jaime, Ontario

"This book provides an honest and fair appraisal of the law school process, from applications to graduation. I was truly interested in a law school resource that took me `behind the scenes' and into the law school atmosphere, and this book met such an objective." --N. Peterson, Vancouver

"I have read a number of guidebooks on how to succeed at law school and this is by far one of the best." --Dan, Ontario

For more information go to www.CanadianLawSchool.ca

Part of the Writing on Stone Press Canadian Career Series.

You might also be interested in a couple other books that were released last month in the Writing on Stone Press Canadian Career Series:

So, You Want to be a Doctor, Eh? A Guidebook to Canadian Medical School by Dr. Anne Berndl, MD

So, You Want to be a Pilot, Eh? A Guidebook for Canadian Pilot Training by James Ball

Lawyer Gone Bad

Oh man, I am pissed!

Yesterday, I received my Macleans magazine. Title in yellow bold on the front cover: "Lawyers are Rats".

Then, on the same day, I received in the mail from Penguin Group a hardcover version of the book "LAWYER GONE BAD, MONEY SEX AND MADNESS IN CANADAS LEGAL PROFESSION" by Philip Slayton, along with a press release.

The article in the Macleans magazine is an interview with Slayton, a long-time lawyer, law professor and former law school dean. I read it when I got home, and I am not happy. Not happy at all.

I will provide more comments once I read the article again, and once I read the book.

I have no idea why I received the book. I never asked for it. I'm not sure if it is because I am a lawyer, because I subscribe to Macleans or because I am also involved in the publishing business.

I noticed that as of today, Amazon.ca Sales Rank for this book is #26 in Books.

Apparently the Canadian Bar Association provided a response, and it was published in the August 13 issue of Macleans. Macleans has posted a response to their complaints. I think Macleans has its dates all mixed up, as it is only August 2 today...I need to read the response by the CBA and the counter-response by Macleans.

I'll comment more, believe me.

TGIF - in Lawyer's terms

Man, Friday just couldn't come sooner this week! It's been really busy. Lots of new clients, a new Associate started at our firm, some really challenging files. I loved it a lot, but now I am really feeling it.

I have been working really hard on my running this summer. On June 29, I was in a 5K race. I did pretty good (28min:14sec). I came in 3rd in my age category, which made me feel kind of good. I had to stop a couple times to walk because I was overheating.

Today, I ran the same course, as if it were a race. I beat my previous time by a minute and 18 seconds. It felt great. My time was 26min:56sec. That's an 8:40/mile pace. Pretty good considering that in January of this year, I could not run faster than 13:00/mile, even if I was only going 0.5K. That's a pretty good improvement over 7 months.

I am training pretty hard for a 22K in September. I really am determined to finish it. I found out I have ITB Syndrome, which I have alleviated greatly through physiotherapy and with some straps that I put above my knees. I think this will be the trick towards finishing. The fitness is coming right along - I just have to remain pain free.

All of this has helped my practice greatly. Being in cardiovascular shape really does help with my office-endurance. I have lifted weights for years, and considered myself in shape, but not like I am now.

I am trying to lose about 5 lbs (I call them my articling year 5 lbs) and think this will allow me to tackle those hills in the Banff 22K in September.

How to get $100,000.00 in debt

Go to law school. Actually, first graduate high school. Enroll in a university and take general studies. Rack up some debt by getting a student loan, signing up for a few first-time credit cards, and make sure that you have all the good things in life - bikes, holidays, weekend trips, climbing gear, cool duds, some coyboy boots for the Calgary Stampede. You know, all the essentials. Limit summer working so that you can go on language exchange programs and such. Graduate with a B.A. or B.Sc. Spend a bunch of time and money preparing to take the LSAT. Spend a bunch of time and money preparing your law school applications. Get accepted.

Next, show up on your first day, and start shelling out dough for textbooks and tuition. Don't forget that differential fee. Plead for a bursary. Get turned down.

Spend umpteen hours reading for 100% exams during your first year. Forget about part-time work. You don't have time.

Spend umpteen hours writing essays and preparing for more 100% exams in your 2L and 3L years. Forget summer jobs - you are too busy applying for articling positions.

Buy some good suits for your articling interviews. You'll need more than one - you don't want to wear the same one to a second or third interview!

Spend most of your hard earned dough during your articling year on more suits, sushi and steak lunches with senior associates and partners, and bribes.

There you have it. At least $100,000.00 in debt.

My experience wasn't exactly as described above. But, it was definitely along the same pathway. Be careful out there. Debt can enslave you. It doesn't have to be this way.

Law School Debt

Ok - time to fess up. Debt is killing me! I think I have posted here about student debt before, and I know that I talk about it a bit in my book. But, I think it is time for a dose of reality - both for myself and for my readers.

I have racked up about $95,000.00 in debt because of my choice to become a lawyer. How? Well, I carried about $24K of student loans into law school. I then racked up about another $18K of student loans during law school, and about $17K of a student line of credit. Of course, we also racked up some credit card debt during law school, and during my article, and during my first year of practice.

Luckily, I was able to receive a number of grants, bursaries and scholarships to pay for my expenses during law school.

A debt like mine is not unusual for law graduates. Many will build up debts in excess of $100K before entering their articling year. Some will add to that debt during their articling year because of a low salary.

I have been living in semi-denial for about a year now. Suffice it to say, starting up a law practice cannot be done for free. And suffice it to say, the money does not start rolling in on day one.

But, now is the time to face reality head on.

Here's the deal: I have started a blog called The Debt Elimination Game. It is an open door look at my personal debt. It is a confession of sorts. It is an opportunity to make myself accountable and to face the problem head on. The truth is that it is a problem - a big one.

The reason I have been able to face this problem is that for the first time in my adult life, I feel like I am in a place where I can actually service my student debt. I am finally making a decent salary.

Many people in my position might want to extend the period over which they service their debt. But, when I had a close look at the situation, I realized that I am paying about $1,000 per month to pay minimum payments on all of my debts. I am paying almost half of that $1000 in interest. It's killing me. And that is with interest relief on my Canada student loans.

Like everything in my life, I am taking on a really big bite. I have made a personal goal (in conjunction with my spouse) to pay off all of my debts, save my mortgage, in 18 months. That's $95K in 18 months. Ludicrous? I don't know. I really think that I can do it.

I am hoping that as the story unfolds, I can learn a lot, and perhaps pass it along to current and graduated law students - to help them avoid the debt, and then to tackle it.

Debt is a major problem for many graduating students. Debt can be crippling. It can be depressing. It can be debilitating and limiting. It can limit your options dramatically. It can trap you into a lifestyle that you don't enjoy, with little hope of escape.

Join me as I take on the next chapter in my quest to become the best lawyer that I can be, the best person that I can be. Join me in the Debt Elimination Game.

Next LSAT test

The next LSAT test will be September 29. Registration must be completed by August 28. Late registration goes until September 4. Don't miss it!