TOUCHING BASE - NO. 1

Periodic reports from inside the job. Recounting my first two weeks as a newly called lawyer working in family law.

I’ve been a practicing lawyer for two whole weeks. Here’s how it’s going.

My very first day was, blessedly, quite uneventful, just admin stuff. The first week went by very much the same. I did things like set up Notion, inquire about software subscriptions I knew I’d want, and update my LSO profile and bio for my firm’s website.

But you never stay quiet in family law for long.

By week two, I was already getting busy. I have been assigned five or six clients this week alone. I did expect to be busy relatively quickly - I was warned by a few people that Kingston, as a city, is busy for family law work. My very first task was an email from opposing counsel needing a fast resolution on something. I can’t lie, I read it, and immediately freaked out thinking “OMG I have no idea”. But that was just first-lawyer-task-ever jitters. I made a cup of tea, came back, locked in, reread it, and it was resolved within two emails.

And after that, I felt that, yeah, I was in the right career. I love problem solving and figuring things out. I felt a little daunted the first time I read that email because I care deeply about doing a good job and ensuring my clients receive good legal counsel. In my brief moment of doubt, I just had this anxiety about letting the client down. I was truly making a mountain out of a molehill because I think I’ve billed 20 minutes to fix the problem - it did not take much at all.

Adding to the workload, I was invited to shadow collaborative practice (“CP”) files with a lawyer at my firm, which I’m quite psyched about. My goal as a lawyer is to build a practice focused on amicable divorce, so I’m very interested in gaining more experience in CP. Plus, the lawyer that I’m working with is fabulous. She’s wicked smart and works in a way that’s similar to me in terms of resolving conflict. I think it has the potential to be a deeply rewarding professional relationship, so I’m excited to see how it goes!

And on a more personal note, I broke my toe on Friday (sad), but I was in and out of the hospital in ONE (1) HOUR. I love Canada’s universal healthcare, but an efficient trip to emergency is truly unheard of. This story is going to go triple platinum when I retell it at parties.