Surveys continue to find “overwhelming evidence that stress, anxiety and burnout are the most prevalent issues affecting the legal profession”, and that work life balance “remains a key issue for lawyers”.[1] Five early signs of chronic stress include:[2] Overreacting and snapping at people. Losing your sense of humour. Thinking about work 24/7. Decreased satisfaction. Life…
I was recently speaking with a good friend and respected civil trial lawyer. During our conversation we talked about litigation generally and trials and administrative hearings specifically. The discussion came around to the topic of whether some novice and intermediate litigation lawyers may be actively avoiding trials (to the detriment of their clients in some…
To be a lawyer in the legal profession is a privilege. Nevertheless, the profession of law is challenging. Deadlines are relentless and constant, and the hours long and taxing. There are demanding clients, partners, colleagues, opposing counsel and judges. Female lawyers may “face their own particular set of challenges. Even with the changing role of…
Our family loves pizza. Not Neapolitan pizza, or hipster pizza, or the latest pizza of the month. Real pizza, or what is often affectionately referred to as old school pizza. Fully loaded pepperoni and cheese (although we traditionalists won’t say no to adding mushroom and bacon). The secret to a good pizza is in the…
The Canadian Universities Reciprocal Insurance Exchange (CURIE) is an insurer for universities in Canada. CURIE provides universities with insurance coverage, risk management services, and essential knowledge sharing and insight. Coverage includes legal liability and defence costs.[1] Universities are covered for professional liability, which is a sophisticated way of saying they have insurance for legal claims…
There is no typical lawyer. With specialization there are substantial differences in workload, client interaction, work environment, compensation and overall quality of life. In addition, the legal profession and economy has changed substantially even since I was called to the Bar in 1990. There are no guarantees today to a successful practice, a job, or…
A career as a lawyer is an extraordinary calling, and to become a lawyer is an enormous undertaking in terms of personal commitment and financial investment. So why do we become lawyers? “A good many reasons why we became lawyers can be seen every day in [our society]: When people get on a bus and…
Having a strong litigation bar that has the knowledge and desire to take on appropriate cases and see them through to their resolution is critical to clients, and critical to the vitality of our dispute resolution system of justice. Understanding not only the pressures and responsibilities that arise in the trial context, but also how…
Mandatory arbitration clauses often appear as pre-dispute provisions in standard form contracts and generally are not negotiable by consumers. From a public policy perspective, the question is whether powerful corporations should be permitted to be able to force individual citizens, with limited financial and legal resources, to submit to mandatory arbitration after a dispute arises…
Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud. Take good care of those you love. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life. Be decisive even if…
