Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS March 1, 2010 • Law TiMes Women get advice on success in law BY MATT POWELL Law Times wo weeks after Supreme Court Justice Louise Charron criticized law firms for putting up barriers to women, prominent practi- tioners who have lived through them gathered to give their ad- vice on how to succeed. Last Monday, the Law Soci- T ety of Upper Canada hosted A Guide to Success: A Dialogue with Women in Law in co-op- eration with the Women's Law Association of Ontario. The event at Osgoode Hall featured several panellists speaking about their experiences in the law and included discussion on how women can break into the legal community. Speakers included Beth Symes, a partner at Symes & Street; Kim Bernhardt of Grant & Bernhardt; Kathy Laird, executive director of the Human Rights Legal Sup- port Centre; and Anne Ristic, assistant managing partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP. For her part, Ristic noted there are some areas, such as de- veloping a network and finding clients, that women still have to work harder at than men. "There is that implicit as- sumption that men are more credible," she said. "But I think that the way women can tight- en that gap is by diversifying their body of work. Develop- ing a rapport with clients will become more of a conscious thing as your career develops." Ristic added that mentor- ing opportunities, which often come through informal experi- ences, can be quite useful. "Especially at larger firms, I find at least, that mentoring programs are extremely useful because the experiences you gain from them come from a variety of sources, whether for- mal or informal. At my firm, you have a mentor through- out your associate career, and I think that process is invaluable per cent of lawyers called to the bar last year. But as the sym- posium made clear, the barri- ers between men and women are ever more transparent, a fact Charron highlighted in remarks prepared for a similar event in Ottawa last month at which she decried law firms' "priority of profit" as a road- block to women's success and advancement. In summing up her advice, 'Different things on a resumé can add to how opportunities will start to show up. Try to experience as much as you can,' said Kathy Laird. because there is always some- one to go to for advice. "Lawyers love to give advice — take advantage of it." According to the law soci- ety, women accounted for 53 Laird pointed to the impor- tance of experiencing as much as possible as a young lawyer in a field that is becoming in- creasingly diversified. "Different things on a re- sumé can add to how oppor- tunities will start to show up," she said. "Try to experience as much as you can." Another key part of the dis- cussion focused on how law- yers can find a balance between work and home life, an area of interest for some young wom- en starting out in the profes- sion who wish to have a family at some point. Bernhardt, however, gave a clear response to that issue. Noting she entered the profes- sion late, having gone to law school after having children, she said the most important thing for women to remem- ber is knowing when to shut off and to give themselves and their clients boundaries. "You need to find flexibil- ity, set a target for yourself, ask yourself what you're going to do, when you're going to do it," she said. "You have to give your- self boundaries. Make sure your clients know when they can and can't get a hold of you." The ability to prioritize is an important quality to mas- ter, a skill Bernhardt said will also help to lead a career in the right direction. Symes, meanwhile, provided one of the simplest ideas of the evening on how young lawyers can not only build relation- ships with clients but also start up a firm of their own. "I had coffee, lunch, drinks, Inside you will find: • an up-to-date alphabetical listing of more than 57,000 barristers, solicitors and Quebec notaries, corporate counsel, law firms and judges in Canada; • contact information for the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, Federal Cabinet Ministers, departments, boards, commissions and Crown corporations; • legal and government contact information related to each province for the Courts of Appeal, Supreme Courts, County and District Courts, Provincial Courts, law societies, law schools, Legal Aid, and other law-related offices of importance. More than a phone book Hardbound • Published February each year • On subscription $141 • P/C 0600140999 One-time purchase $157 • P/C 0600010999 • ISSN 0084-8573 CD-ROM • On subscription $214 • P/C 0600260999 One-time purchase $229 • P/C 0600210000 whatever, with anyone who would go with me," she said. "At that point, it's not so much about getting clients but it's about getting advice. The cli- ents will come. Setting up your own practice can be incredibly lonely, and I urge anyone want- ing to do it to find a partner." Ronda Bessner, the men- toring initiative committee chairwoman at the Women's Law Association, mediated the session. Despite a treacherous winter storm that hit earlier in the afternoon, about 40 wom- en took part in the sympo- sium. "The event was very well attended," Bessner says. "The room was filled with women at various stages of their legal careers. We had a lot of people from various jurisdictions, from large, small, and medium firms. A lot of people have told me how helpful it was." Bessner adds these kinds of events are important because they allow women who are starting out to get information on how to be successful as well as receive support from senior professionals. "We wanted to make sure For a 30-day, no risk evaluation call 1.800.565.6967 Canada Law Book is a Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd. Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping and handling. CanLawList_LT_Feb8/15_10.indd 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 2/3/10 4:35:06 PM the event showed how impor- tant the mentoring process is and that there are sources of support that provide help to young lawyers in the areas of work and life balance, network- ing, and the practice of law it- self," she says. "The women on the panel on Monday evening are great examples of the kind of people that younger women can go to for help in different aspects of the profession." Overall, Bessner was happy with the outcome of the eve- ning. "I think the fact that we had panellists from different ar- eas of the law was extremely im- portant and vital for the attend- ees because a lot of them are just starting out. There are a lot of people that need advice like this because a lot of this isn't stuff you can learn at school." LT

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