Articling: Watching your Classmates Succeed

I didn't really think about it much during law school, but now that it is here, I really enjoy watching my friends and classmates going through their bar call ceremonies and becoming members of the Law Society. I haven't been able to attend all of the ceremonies, but I have been able to see photos and have heard the stories. Thinking back to their scared faces in those first year classes, and thinking of all of the panic going on in the law library, I wonder if I looked equally scared and panicked. All of my friends, save one or two, have succeeded in obtaining articles, completing their articles and bar exam/CPLED requirements, and getting offers from their firms. That's pretty good, I think. Way to go guys and gals!

The bar call ceremony is different everywhere. In Calgary and Edmonton, for example, you often do the ceremony en masse with a bunch of other new lawyers. In smaller centres, you usually go alone, or with one other person. That was the case for me. I went with another fellow who had been a solicitor in the U.K. for 11 years.

Our judge, a member of the Court of Queens Bench, met with us before hand, interviewed us, shared some good inside jokes and shared a bit of sage advice. The ceremony itself was really nice. Although it had its formal moments, it was also filled with joviality, and even laughter. It was really great to have friends and family in attendance. I have some classmates who had family come from pretty far away. For many parents, it is a very proud moment.

You will have to wear robes to your bar call ceremony in most jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions (such as Saskatchewan, I believe), you just go down somewhere and sign the Law Society register. There is no real ceremony. If you do end up having to wear robes, be prepared to pay between $900 and $1000. Some firms will cover this cost. You may want to negotiate this with your firm when you negotiate your articling contract. I didn't realize they would be so much money, and it hurt my bank account at a time when I was hoping to start getting ahead on student loans.

There are a bunch of administrative hoops that you will need to go through before you get called to the bar. In Alberta, the rule is that you cannot be called to the bar until 30 days have passed beyond the end of your articles. That is also something that nobody told me about before beginning my article, or during my article. What a rip off! Another month at articling salary sucks. I was able to push my call date up one week, but apparently that is as far as it can be pushed. So, be prepared for this little technicality. You will also have to fill out a bunch of paperwork, which will include your principal. Get this done before the end of your articles, so that you can submit it the day after your articles are complete and shorten any possible delays.

Be sure to read through the archives of this blog. There are many entries about law school, articling, the LSAT, and more. Shoot me any questions you might have, and be sure to check out my book whether you are just thinking about law school, are about to write the LSAT, are applying for law school, in law school already, or about to apply for articles.

Law School - Get a Real Mentor

Some schools offer formal mentorship programs for first year law students. This may link up professors and law students, practitioners and law students, or even lower-year and upper-year law students. My experience with this was abysmal. It may have been fantastic for other classmates or colleagues at other law schools, but for me it was useless. The practitioner that I was assigned to was extremely overworked, overstressed and overcome with emotion about his own career. He signed up for the mentorship program with very good intentions, I am sure, but bit off much more than he could chew. As a result, the time that I was able to squeeze out of him was comparatively futile for both of us. Scheduled appointments were postponed, invitations to attend court cancelled, and the relationship quickly deteriorated and eventually disappeared by my second semester of law school. I have heard similar stories from classmates.

I would highly suggest seeking out a formal mentor of your own choice and finding. A practitioner is great, if you can find one. A family friend or colleague of someone that you know is ideal, as they will feel more inclined to make good on their commitment that they make to you, and may feel more accountable for the relationship. Seek out someone who you perceive to handle stress well, to be on top of their game, and most importantly, who shares some of your interests, both in and out of law school. Try to strike up a professional relationship, but do not be afraid to be friendly.

In my experience, a golf game or coffee with a chosen mentor is worth more than almost anything in law school. A small word of advice from a veteran of the law school and practical legal worlds can save you tons of time and stress, and can really help you in your goals to succeed. A good mentor can also be invaluable when it comes time to apply for a summer job or an article. A practitioner can be an excellent ‘in’ at the law firm that they work for, but also at other firms. Remember, they were once law students, and likely have maintained friendships with their past classmates or co-workers. The legal community is relatively small, and having an ally, or more than one ally, can be like gold when it comes to obtaining employment in your field of choice.

Still Birthing the law firm

I apologize for not posting regularly as of late. I have been up to my neck in setting up our new law offices. It's been two months of exhileration and fun. Business is going good, and our offices are 95% complete. I promise to post more during August, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out this cool story about a former lawyer from Quebec gone music industry. As I keep saying, a law degree can lead to so many possibilities.

Letourneau Eden LLP

If you are interested, check out our new law firm website - www.lelaw.ca. Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. Thanks!

Canadian Law School: Black Letter Law

A reader of my book sent me an email last week. I thought it would be worthwhile to provide the answer to that email, as it may be useful to everyone.

Original email question:

"I have a question I've been mulling over. I have an uncle who attends law school in the United States and he suggests that a big part of law school success is 'mastering the black letter law.' Distressingly, he found that the black letter law was not taught in law school (at least not explicitly), and that students must learn it on their own. In particular, he recommends notes from BARBRI Bar exam preparation lectures as a good source for 'black letter law.' Do you think this is good advice for Canadian law students? What IS the black letter law? Is BarBri a good source for learning Canadian law (aren't Canadian and American laws pretty different?)."

Answer:

Thank you for the email. I really appreciate it. The "Black Letter Law" debate is a good one, and one that I have heard for quite a few years now. Some people live by it. It's not discussed much at all by Canadian law professors, from my experience. From my experience, it's application of the law that you learn in class that is most important. Being able to disect a problem into its issues, sub issues and sub issues. You will find that Getting to Maybe is invaluable, and I recommend that you read it before classes begin.

I know law students who have had terrible memories. They can't remember dates, names, case names, etc. However, they have received A's in their classes because they are able to take a step back, take a breath and begin dissecting a hypothetical problem, keeping all of the sub issues in mind, returning to them and fleshing them out. They are able to get the big points out of the way quickly, and then are able to get bonus points for dissecting the minutiae. Read Getting to Maybe. Take every opportunity that you have to discuss exam preparation and application of law with your professors. Get to know the professors well. I wish someone had given me that advice early on, because it is very good advice.

Find your strengths early on. Stay on top of your material, but don't become so engrossed in it that you can't see the forest through the trees. Find other students (especially upper year students) that are proving to be successful, and find ways of accessing their knowledge and experience. Write me during the course of your law school experience when you have questions, and I will do my best to answer them, or to point you towards a resource that may help.

Thanks again, and good luck in your new career. You've made a great choice.Find your strengths early on. Stay on top of your material, but don't become so engrossed in it that you can't see the forest through the trees. Find other students (especially upper year students) that are proving to be successful, and find ways of accessing their knowledge and experience. Write me during the course of your law school experience when you have questions, and I will do my best to answer them, or to point you towards a resource that may help.

Thanks again, and good luck in your new career. You've made a great choice.

ed note: BLACK LETTER LAW - The principles of law which are generally known and free from doubt or dispute. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_letter_law

Radio Show for So, You Want to be a Lawyer, eh?

I am pleased to announce that I will be interviewed on a radio show next week. Friday July 14, 2006 from 8pm to 9 pm. The show will be heard on The New 940 AM in Montreal. The show is called "Sidebar with Dino Mazzone". Tune in if you are interested in applying for law school, you have been accepted into law school, are in law school, or are about to embark on your legal career. Dino will be interviewing me about my book, and taking calls throughout the hour.

From the New 940 AM website: "Sidebar is a new legal show on The New 940Montreal. Host Dino Mazzone is a media commentator, politician and a practicing lawyer. Mazzone will bring-on experts on legal issues important to Montrealers and won't hesitate from commenting on the legal stories making news. To speak to Dino on-the-air call 514-790-0006."

You can listen live by clicking the listen live link on the New 940 AM website.

The Birth of a Law Practice

I have been giving birth to my new law practice. It's a longer and more arduous labour than previously anticipated. Added to that, I am taking care of my three children while my wife is away for a month becoming a yoga instructor.

Currently, I am in the process of renovating an old building that I bought to house one of our new offices. I am busy ordering phone lines, computers, desks, filing cabinets, insurance, stationary, etc., etc. The list seems endless right now. Will it all be worth it? Oh yeah. Seeing my name on the letterhead provides a significant amount of pride. I won't lie.

I am looking forward to being finished the "building" phase, and getting on to true client development and service.

Law School: Exercise - So Important

You may think that post does not apply to you. You may think that you do not have time or energy now to exercise, so why would you have time during law school, when you will already be so busy. If you really, truly believe this, then skip post and read on.

Making time for exercise, even if it is very moderate exercise will do wonders for you during law school. I am a huge advocate of making exercise a priority. I cannot speak for all of my former classmates, but I know that for myself, my productivity with schoolwork went down dramatically when I did not make time for a workout on a regular basis. Exercise can help you in a number of ways. First, it allows you to take some time for yourself, to feed your body something that is good for it. It allows you to get away from the stress of case briefing, study groups, and the general mêlée of law school. It allows you to see another part of the campus, which is rare because you will likely be taking your classes all in the same building during law school. Exercise also gives you stamina and energy later on, especially during exam preparation time and during exams. As well, because you will be forced to sit in a desk chair for so many hours every day, establishing some muscle base will allow you to continue to burn calories, even while you are stationary.

I chose to workout three to four times per week for 1 hour per day during my first two years of law school. I tried to go with a friend as often as possible. This kept me accountable, and provided some much needed social interaction, which I felt deeply deprived of. During my last year, I chose to train for a triathlon, something I had been wanting to do for years, and for which I felt I had more time to concentrate on with a lighter course load and less anxiety about finding a job.

There are many other opportunities to be active. Our law school had a running club. They also had a rugby club, and quite a few intramural teams. We also had a yoga club. Many of my classmates worked out at the gym, got involved in intramurals on their own, and some even joined a modern dance class on campus. The school that you choose will offer many opportunities as well.

What I saw too often during law school were people who said they did not have time to exercise. They spent hour upon hour in the law library, trying to tackle the mountain of material in front of them. You could almost see them begin to wilt by early afternoon, and many of them were head-down on the desk by early evening. I think that if they had chosen to take an hour break and go move their body a bit, they would have enjoyed a much better rate of return for their study time later on in the day.

Exercise also sets good stress relief habits that will be needed throughout your career, so you may as well start the habit in law school, if you haven’t set it already.

Law School: The Law Review

Not all law schools have a Law Review or similar student run academic journal. If your chosen school does not, please ignore this post.

If your school does have a Law Review or other student run academic journal, you should seriously consider participating on its editorial board or committee.

In the U.S., Law Reviews are very serious business. Depending on the Canadian law school, Law Reviews can be serious business as well. In most U.S. law schools, only those who are invited get to sit on the Law Review editorial board. Only the cream of the crop ever gets the opportunity. Law Review is considered very highly by employers, and is almost always a requisite for graduate studies in law or professorship.

As an example, the Alberta Law Review, a publication that has been in print for 51 years (established in 1955, with its predecessor, the Alberta Law Quarterly, established in the 20’s), follows the same basic format as the U.S. Review system. Second year students (i.e. those who are entering 2L) apply to the Law Review, and applications are reviewed by the Law Review executive (Co-Editors-in-Chief, Treasurer) and Faculty Advisors (usually four). Each of these people is given one vote, and out of those votes 14-16 new members of the Editorial Board are chosen. It is a big honour to be selected to the committee. Many applicants are turned down. For the most part, grades are the prime criterion for selection. However, as the Editorial Board is broken down into various committees, it is possible for a student to gain acceptance, even if their grades are not at the very top of their class, if they can offer unique and useful skills that will help the Law Review to run smoothly. The Alberta Law Review is a business with an operating budget of over $100,000. As a result, committee members are given a lot of responsibility, and it is very important to ensure that committee members have the requisite skills to complete their particular tasks. Being good at law exams does not necessarily indicate this requirement.

If you are selected to the Editorial Board (you apply in the first week of 2L), you will have a 2-year commitment, consisting of 52 hours of work per year for each of the two years for a total of 104 hours. These 104 hours are broken down into editing and committee work. Each member of the Editorial Board must complete a minimum of two full edits (usually 20-80 hours of work each) over the two years. The rest of the time is made up with committee work. As a reward for your hard work over the two years, you are given credit for one 3-credit course in the last year of your last semester. As well, as a member of the Editorial Board, you have the option of registering for the Law Review Research Paper course, which requires you to write a 20-page case comment and to present this comment to a group consisting of Editorial Board members. These two credit opportunities can really take a load of pressure off your shoulders during your last year of law school.

Other benefits of being on the Alberta Law Review include a personalized letter from the Alberta Courts inviting you to apply for clerkships with the Alberta Courts. This is a nice “in.” More importantly, recruiters tend to look very highly upon experience on the Law Review. Inclusion indicates that you are most likely the best of the best, that you have gained considerable experience in legal research and writing, that you have developed an eye for detail, and that you are aware of a number of current legal issues. As well, if you are considering graduate school in law, inclusion on a Law Review will go a very long way for you, especially if you apply in the States. It is a well-kept secret that Law Review does not hold quite the same status in Canada as it does in the States.

A further opportunity comes in your third year of law school if you are elected as Editor-in-Chief (as I was). This is a full-time paid position during the spring/summer of after your second year, and a part-time paid position during your third year. This is an excellent opportunity to beef up your curriculum vitae, to make amazing contacts, and to learn leadership skills. I was able to converse often with leading academics, practitioners, and judges during my term. I also had the opportunity of having dinner with the Chief Justice of Canada, and of having dinner meetings with former members of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Queen’s bench of Alberta. Among some other key things, I attribute this opportunity to landing me so many interviews and subsequent job offers during the articling recruitment period.

Each law school will have a somewhat different process and organization for their law journal. Be sure to inquire with your law school early and find out how you can become involved. Some schools will offer more or less credit than the Alberta Law Review.

If you have any questions about the Law Review experience or process, send me an email.

Articling: The Last Day of my Law Articles

Well, it finally arrived, the last day of my legal training. As of today, and pending my bar call in June, I will have officially arrived at the destination that I set out nearly 6 years ago. Man, it feels good!

Law School: Law School Guidebook - extra copies

See my post not too far down below. I mentioned that I had some copies of my book that were not in perfect condition. I can't see any problems with them. Perhaps a smudge or two. You won't even notice. A bunch of you asked for some. Thanks. I still have a few left. I have no use for them. The bookstores won't take them from the publisher unless they are pristine. I'll give them to y'all for $7 plus $10 shipping anywhere in Canada. Period. Stop. What a deal! Won't last long. Shoot me an email.

Success Stories: Inspiring law student and mother

Check out this brief article about a successful law student, activist and most importantly, mother. I love hearing about those who beat the odds and make great lawyers. Know any great stories similar to this one?

Admissions: Next LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) Dates

A recent comment post asked how and when you register for the next LSAT. You can access LSAT Dates & Deadlines here. The next test is Monday, June 12, 2006. The deadline for registration was May 9. Late registration had a deadline of May 10-19, 2006. Sorry if you missed the deadline.

The following LSAT session is Saturday, September 30, 2006, and the deadline for registration is August 29, 2006. Late registration is from August 30 - Sept 8. You can register either by mail or online or by telephone.

I need to update the dates on the www.canadianlawschool.ca website.

Read this post from March for more guidance on the LSAT - Law, Eh? Law School in Canada: Mastering the LSAT - How to Score 160 or More. Some great answers were given on www.lawstudents.ca. I also posted some information on writing the LSAT back on January 9, 2006 - Law, Eh? Law School in Canada: The LSAT.

Let me know if you have any questions about writing the LSAT, or otherwise. Good luck in June and September!

Teaching the Charter to youth

I have volunteered to give a presentation to a group of Boy Scouts on the Canadian Constitution, and especially the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It's an intimidating project. It's hard to pare down volumes of legislation, commentary and case law into a 1-hour presentation. I've been thinking that I will probably provide a very brief background after playing a role-play game (a la Lord of the Flies, perhaps?) where the youth will startup a new country that has no historical law, people coming from all different countries and ethnically backgrounds, and a wide open space to live in. It's hard to imagine that this is the situation that our fore-fathers faced. I think they did a pretty bang-up job myself, although many of my colleagues would beg to differ. I don't recall learning too much about the Constitution or the Charter in my grade-school years. Do you? How would you approach this challenge? It's one thing to teach it to adults who have some background...I think it's great that these boys want to learn about the law, and have some interest in our history. I did find a great resource - a Youth Guide to the Charter, which would probably be a welcome bit of information for any first year Canadian law student. Happy reading.

Admissions: Canadian Law School Admissions Web

Check out this relatively new site that I was made aware of today - Canadian Law School Admissions Web. A welcome addition to the Canadian law school online resource pool.

Articling: Articling - Ah, the end is near

Only 6 actual work days left in my law articles! I can taste the end! Wow. I will officially become a lawyer on June 23. My new practice will open its doors unofficially on July 3, and officially on August 1.

I was quite elated to see the following new review of my book on Amazon.com the other day:

(5 stars) Fantastic Book, May 16, 2006
Reviewer: F. Voisin (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

As a future Canadian law student, I was frustrated with the lack of guide material available to Canadian law students. All of the material I was able to find was aimed toward American students. Since there are some differences between the way the two countries educate their lawyers, it was important to find a book like this that addresses the particular elements of Canadian Law School. I highly recommend this to anyone contemplating law school in Canada.

Thanks F. Voisin! I really appreciate your kind words.

Lawyers: What do lawyers do anyways?

Lots of prospective and current law students have been asking me what the daily life of a lawyer is like. Well, I can't speak for every lawyer out there, but I can tell you what my life is like, and what my colleague's lives are like. I'll probably post a few entries on this topic, and will add it to the second edition of my book.

Yesterday, the biggest thing that I did was to help one of our clients settle a claim for a substantial amount of debt. We did it through a 4 way negotiation, whereby the lawyer for the debtor (other side) put forward some information and an offer to settle the debt. We asked a bunch of questions, then caucused for quite a while. In the end, we ended up agreeing to the offer, as we felt the risk of trying to pursue the remainder was too high. Our client would end up with about $0.70 on the dollar, and I guess they were willing to take that. It probably would have ended up costing them a lot more to try to pursue the remainder, and the interest. One of the biggest parts of the practice of law is advising clients on risk. That was my main job in this matter. There was a chance that all could have been lost. All parties ended up fairly happy, and the matter was finalized very quickly. Had it gone to trial, everyone would have been very unhappy.

Today, I completed a quantum assessment for a personal injury file. Basically, what I had to do was an exhaustive search of case law that typified the type of injury and the circumstances of the accident. I gathered this information and analyzed it, coming up with a range of potential general damages that might be awarded to our client. We will then bring that analysis to the other side and see if they would like to negotiate a settlement. The reason for doing this quantum is to show the other side that indeed the courts have awarded $ for similar incidents.

Today I also completed an application for a new non-profit society, and am in the process of completing two applications for trade-marks. Other stuff I have on my plate right now include a huge donation to a church, which includes just a ton of paperwork; an application for registry of a federal corporation; a sale agreement for some agricultural equipment; a residential tenancies issue; an ongoing debtor-creditor litigation matter which involves some tricky arguing about Limitation periods; drafting of a contract for an online publisher; and a breach of contract matter. Lots of variety. Lots of challenges.

Tomorrow I have to go and make an application in Masters Chambers at the courthouse for an order to release some property. It's not all fancy courthouse stuff in my practice, as I tend to do a lot more solicitor's work, and most of my litigation matters never reach trial.

More later...back to work.

Survivor "Settlement"

Jarvis Googoo, a law student at Dalhousie posted the following at his blog, The Coco Banana, today. He has given me permission to reprint it here at Law Eh? I appreciated his candor and his first-hand take at this controversial topic:

Adam Letourneau blogged not too long ago about the Residential School settlement and the payments made out to the lawyers. I won’t reiterate what he wrote here because he did a good job himself. Rather, I want to yak about the actual payment a survivor is to receive.

First off, I must inform my readers that I and the people in my immediate family have been fortunate enough to have never attended a Residential School. Unfortunately, many from my reserve have.

Anyway, each survivor is to receive about $30,000 on average. In a way, I’m glad that a so-called “settlement” has finally been reached. It’s about time the survivors got some sort of compensation for what they were forced to go through.

However, as an Indian, I’m absolutely insulted that it’s an average of $30,000 per survivor. $30,000?!? What the hell is that? For years of physical, emotional, cultural, sexual, social, and spiritual abuse, this is an insult. For a lawyer, $30,000 is only about half/a quarter/a fraction of what a lawyer [probably] earns in a year. To many Canadians, $30,000 is what one may earn a year (perhaps a little more). So you mean to tell me that, for years of abuse, survivors are given a salary equivalent to one year? For losing the way your people used to live, $30,000 makes up for it? That’s pathetic! While some may feel the lawyer’s contingencies were ridiculous, perhaps settlements and payments need to be reformed so as to consider legal fees. Why should the lawyers be able to collect the settlement of the survivors? The federal government should’ve paid for the legal fees of the lawyers separately from the settlement. The $80 million itself should be divided amongst the survivors, and the feds should pay the lawyers of what would be their contingency fee of the $80 million (but not from the $80 million itself that goes to the survivors). This may sound awful, but how do you think a Residential School survivor feels about this?

Sadly, at the end of the day, perhaps the survivors felt as if they had to take what they can get. As time goes on, more and more survivors (like all humans) pass on. Perhaps they felt that they had to take what they could for now because they were not going to survive long enough to see anything else. $30,000 may sound like a little (it does to me for today’s living standards), but to a Residential School survivor (some of whom are living in poverty, just like many Aboriginal people), $30,000 may be just like a million dollars.

In all, looks like the federal government played a smart yet deceitful delay tactic with the survivors; the longer it waited to try and reach a negotiated settlement, the more likely that survivors would die off, allowing the federal government to pay out less than what it would have had to. Too bad, eh? My sister’s grandparents were both survivors. They passed on some years ago. They never lived to be “compensated” for what they had to go through, and what they had to lose, in order to become “civilized.” Where’s the justice in that? There’s none, and if you’re fortunate enough to make it this far, you get a messily $30,000.

$30,000 doesn’t last very long. But then again, many of the survivors are passing on, so perhaps it’s a “take what you can” thing. Smart move feds! If you were able to delay the settlement for a few more decades, perhaps all the survivors would’ve died, and thus, you wouldn’t have had to pay out anything!

Lawyers: Why Start your own Law Firm?

A reader of my book recently asked me why, and how I was going to start a law firm so early on in my legal career. Great question. Here was my answer:

As far as starting my own firm, yes, it's true. Crazy, but true. I am starting it with a law school buddy of mine, who articled in the same city as myself. I became convinced very early on that I did not really like doing work in a subordinate role. I was a very successful business person before law school, and the large drop in pay, responsibility, and autonomy was too much for me to take. I also found early on that my favourite part of the practice of law was client interaction. I was lucky at my firm in that I was given the opportunity to jump into the deep end and fend for myself. As such, it made perfect sense to set up my own shop and enjoy the benefits of higher remuneration, more responsibility and more autonomy. I figured that if the Law Society says that I can do it, then it must be OK. I have known others who have started a solo practice after articling. It's rare. There are two main obstacles, I have found - $ - most people think that they don't have enough money to cover the first 3-6 months. But, I have found that most people who do start a solo practice do so by going and getting a line of credit for $20-30K and away they go. The second obstacle seems to be a timidness about running a business. Admittedly, many law students have zero background in business. I have an advantage in that I have run a number of businesses, or been an executive in a number of businesses.

Further, I am in an area of the world that is booming, there is no shortage or work, and a relative shortage of lawyers.

Lastly, Carpe Diem. Why not?

Post-note: I was extremely lucky to have such supportive mentors in my firm. As well, I have some fantastic friends in law who have promised support when required.

Lawyers: Outrageous contingency fees for lawyers?

In a quirky bit of fate, I read an article on CBC a couple of days after my last post, which dealt with mega-torts and mega-$ for lawyers through contingency fees. Often, lawyers will agree to take on a case based on a contingency arrangement, rather than a flat fee basis. The number has traditionally been 30% of the "winnings" in a case. Lawyers are careful to get into this kind of arrangement, because it can end up being a real gamble, unless the lawyer feels very strongly that they have a potential winning case. Contingency arrangements are common in personal injury law, because the potential payout has traditionally been quite high, thus resulting in a strong fee for the lawyer.

The article that I recently read told of the fees that would be paid out to lawyers for a recently settled case involving compensation for victims of residential schools in Canada - where many aboriginal children and youth were mistreated, abused and often neglected. The fees to the lawyers will amount to about $80 million. That's right $80,000,000.00. That's a lot of zeros! One firm from Saskatchewan, The Merchant Law Group, will receive about 1/2 of that. $40,000,000.00. One firm. They have 50 lawyers. That's $800,000.00 on average per lawyer. No doubt, the junior lawyers will see very little, if any of that money, and the partners will enjoy much higher yearly bonuses this year. The firm put forward that many of their lawyers had gone without pay for extended periods, and that they had invested over $2 Million of their own monies into the class action case. They represented about 9000 clients in the class action.

Hey, I'm all about making a decent living as a lawyer. I wouldn't have gone through the 10 years of education, and a year of articling if there wasn't some promise of a decent yearly take-home at the end of the rainbow. But $40M for one firm. That's outrageous. What makes it more outrageous is that it never even went to court. It was a back-room negotiation. The $40M firm admitted that it wished it had gotten more for its clients. I bet they wished that too.

The deal offers any former student a lump sum of $10,000 each, plus $3,000 for each year spent in the schools. An estimated average of about $30,000.00 for each living former student. It is estimated there are 80,000 people alive today who attended Indian residential schools, according to Statistics Canada. The total payout is about how much a secretary makes in one year. The average age of the former students is 60, but many are sick and living in poverty. This is compensation for many years of actual physical, sexual and mental abuse, plus years of post-abuse mental anguish. Now, consider that a large number of the victims are now dead, and no claim can be made. Do you think that the abuse suffered by residents of the schools has not affected further generations? I do. Here's why. My grandmother attended a residential school. I don't know how badly it sucked, but I do know that it did suck. We can all read victim stories to get an idea of what it was like. My grandmother did not get to be with her family for 10 months of the year for years. She got to go home for summer holidays. During the school year, she wasn't allowed to speak her native languages. That means that Cree was lost for her, for her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. French was also lost, but luckily regained a couple of generations later through self-study.

I ramble on...

Here's the point. For something that affected an entire life, and the lives of the victim's progeny, the government is willing to hand out $30,000.00. Gee...thanks on behalf of all the claimants. For working really hard on the case for a few years, all the while servicing other clients, I would assume, 50 lawyers get to share $40,000,000.00. That's enough for many people to retire on. Retire well. Yeah, they worked hard, I am sure, but they didn't get what the claimants asked for. O the other hand, they chose to take a risk on 9000 clients and to put in a lot of time. But, in my opinion, the risk they took does not reflect 40 million dollar bills.

Am I off here? Am I crazy to think that this situation is really out of whack? Am I going against the grain too much as a member of the Law Society to say that this is bordering on immorality? Let me know.

P.S. How much is $40,000,000.00? It's hard to imagine for me, as I have been in student-related poverty for so long. Here's a funny post about how much $1,000,000.00 is. Here's some more trivia on the subject - how much does $1,000,000.00 weigh?