Brad Wells is in his first year of practice at the Toronto office of Ogilvy Renault LLP.
Brad Wells is in his first year of practice at the Toronto office of Ogilvy Renault LLP.
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When Brad Wells imagined his life as a lawyer, something he'd dreamed of since childhood, he saw himself in court every day fighting on behalf of his clients.
"The expectation is different from the reality," says Mr. Wells. "I found that out pretty quickly when I worked as a summer student." That said, the 35-year-old lawyer in his first year of practice at the Toronto office of Ogilvy Renault LLP hasn't been disappointed by his legal career.
"Even going through law school, a lot of people still have a Hollywood idea, that you're always in court, and that's not the case. But I am learning every single day. It's exciting, there is always something new each and every day. Sometimes I feel I'm being paid to continually learn."
Before attending Osgoode Hall law school, Mr. Wells worked as an insurance broker. "I had lawyers on a pedestal. I thought they knew all the answers and all the rules. I found out differently. I look around here and I see partners who've been practicing for 30 years and something new comes across their desk and you see them in the library researching."
As what he calls a "second-career mature student" Mr. Wells says he already had an idea of where he'd find his legal niche, but that's not always the case for young law students.
"I've been working with students for a number of years, and I find the majority of them go to law school with a variety of interests and don't have a clear idea of what area they want to practice in," says Michelle Gage, Director of Ogilvy Renault's Ontario office of student and associate programs. "And that's just fine."
Large firms like Ogilvy Renault offer articling students a number of rotations in different areas such as business litigation, employment or tax law. At Ogilvy, students can also choose to do a stint with a client.
Ms. Gage says that some of her firm's practice areas are currently of great interest and opportunities include clean technology, Islamic finance, P-3 (public private partnerships) and intellectual property. In specialized areas, lawyers often possess related degrees such as MBAs or environmental science. In the case of IP and life sciences, another growing area of law, one of Ogilvy's lawyers has a PhD in molecular genetics.
In her role counselling students at Osgoode Hall law school, Chantel Morgan says there is strong interest in intellectual property, green energy, and health law, including areas such as gene mapping and reproductive technologies.
"Interest in family law seems to be stronger this year," says Ms. Morgan. And not surprisingly, "bankruptcy law is of great interest."
As with most other areas of the economy, legal advisers don't know just how the global recession will end up affecting opportunities for law careers in terms of numbers.
At the University of British Columbia law school, counsellors are noting some trends. "Due to the global recession our office is experiencing a slight decline in the number of smaller-firm articling positions available to law graduates," says Kerry Parker-Smith, director of the school's career services department.
However, she adds, rural location opportunities are increasing. "We foresee students having to seek positions outside the downtown Vancouver core."
As for the bright lights of New York City, once a burgeoning field of opportunity for Canada's legal best and brightest, some of the firms "weren't even on campus at McGill this year," says Léna Taylor, director of student programs at McCarthy Tétrault's Montreal office.
Closer to home, Ms. Taylor says that opportunities continue to be strong at her firm. "Litigation, especially in bankruptcy and insolvency, will be strong for the next couple of years." At McCarthy Tétrault the environmental practice group is growing, especially in areas assisting clients with regulatory compliance, she says.
With competition for summer and articling positions intense, firms look for students who can thrive in an increasingly multi-disciplinary environment and that suits what today's generation of graduates is looking for, says Ms. Taylor.
"More and more we're seeing students who want to work in teams, who want connectivity. They want professional development, challenge and work that is not boring. They also want civic involvement, to make a difference. They want it all and they want a work-life balance."
Toward this end, law firms are adapting by offering mentorships, pro bono work that counts toward billable hours, and opportunities to work abroad.
"We partnered with Lawyers Without Borders Canada and sent lawyers to Haiti to participate in an environmental training mission," says Ms. Taylor.
Making it through law school and into a satisfying career is a lot of hard work, says Mr. Wells, so his advice to aspiring lawyers is to "make sure it's something you really want. You won't be successful at it if you're not happy. You need to find out what truly interests you. You don't get to be a partner in a department you don't like. I look around and I see senior lawyers who absolutely love what they're doing."
Ms. Gage says that at Ogilvy Renault it's "not a sink-or-swim attitude when students join us. We encourage students to try new things rather than to try to peer into the future and see where they will be. Pick something you're passionate about and try it. No one has a crystal ball into the future."
Special to The Globe and Mail
