Law Times

lAw Times • April 11, 2011 success as bencher LSUC incumbents were surprised Focus key to at time demands of Convocation BY OLIVIA D'ORAZIO For Law Times just because the seasoned benchers aren't rookies anymore, that doesn't mean they can't easily recall their fi rst memories there. "Th is is the body that governs the profession," Treasurer Laurie Pawlitza recalls W thinking following her fi rst Convocation. "And they all do it from a really small room where everybody is sitting side by side, balancing things on their lap." Pawlitza also recalls the wonderful feeling of being welcomed by the peers she admires. "Th ere are all these people whose names you've known for a long time: Clay Ruby, John Arnup, Laura Legge," she says. "All these names are so meaningful to you as a lawyer . . . and they were very collegial, thoughtful, and welcoming. It was quite a great experience to be put in this position where you're in this very small room with all these people." For Bencher Mark Sandler, the intimidation of being in a room with the stars of the Ontario bar is matched by having to decide on important issues. "I remem- ber one of my fellow benchers leaning over to me at my fi rst Convocation during an evenly divided and highly contentious debate on bencher compensation. 'Glad you're here to cast the deciding vote,'" he recalls his colleague saying. Bencher Julian Porter, meanwhile, remembers the striking diff erence between sitting at Convocation and practising law. "Convocation was a discussion of policy and was an exer- cise in lateral thinking," he says. "It was and still is fun." First-time memories are comple- mented with the misconceptions about being a bencher. Some veterans feel the biggest one is the time com- mitment. Sandler notes that even now, he's sometimes surprised at the amount of time Convocation takes. "I was ready to work hard as a bencher but had no idea whatsoever how time- consuming it could be," he says. Continuing to provide service to cli- ents while simultaneously making such a big time commitment to what's essen- tially a volunteer activity is certainly a balancing act for Pawlitza. "What tends to happen is that whatever was spare time before is no longer spare time," she says. Often, the majority of that time in- 'What tends to happen is that whatever was spare time before is no longer spare time,' says Laurie Pawlitza. volves committees and disciplinary hear- ings. Porter, for example, is head of the proceedings authorization committee in addition to two other committees. San- dler chairs the Law Foundation of On- tario. In addition to her work as treasurer, Pawlitza has participated in many committees and projects, including the licensing and accreditation task force and the retention of women in private practice working group. "It's very hard to do the job in less than four days per month," Porter says. Despite the time pressures and initial intimidation, benchers have plenty of fond memories of their time so far at Convocation. Pawlitza calls to mind the "wonderful moments" she has experienced listening to the likes of Sydney Robins and Arnup. Sandler's favourite memory is being on stage at Roy Th omson Hall to welcome his daughter to the profession. Porter recalled the exact date of his favourite memory: June 25, 2008. After be- ing invited to speak at the year-end dinner for benchers, Porter purchased $1,800 worth of books and handed them out as a summer-reading gift for the cottage. Th e list of books included Th e Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, and the children's classic Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. "When I started to read [Madeline], the people started nodding their heads two by two," he says. New benchers, of course, may want to heed the advice of their experienced counterparts. For his part, Sandler suggests that focus is key to making a diff er- ence. "You can't possibly be fully engaged in every issue that benchers confront," he says. "Identify what you are passionate about and focus on it." Porter adds, "Th ere are so many issues. . . . You can't know about everything." Th e opportunity to learn as much as possible does present itself, something Pawlitza recommends taking full advantage of. "It is really a collegial group, and you have so many people from so many dif- ferent practice areas and so many diff erent parts of the province. . . . It's a great opportunity to get to know more about your profession by meeting and getting to know the people who are doing something completely diff erent from what you're doing in the practice of law. It broadens your horizons, too, as a bencher and as a professional." www.lawtimesnews.com Untitled-1 1 3/31/11 8:44:14 AM BURDEN FOR BENCHER » Bill Burden's background gives him the perspective to see the issues. » Bill Burden's experience gives him the judgment to see the solutions. » Bill Burden has practised both inside and outside of Toronto, in both small and large firms. Vote for Bill Burden. For more about Bill Burden please visit www.casselsbrock.com/People/Bill_Burden You can also find out more about Bill Burden by scanning the QR code on the right with your smart phone. hat happens behind the heavy wooden door at Osgoode Hall is some- thing relatively few lawyers have witnessed. For fi rst-time benchers, at- tending Convocation can be both intimidating and invigorating. And PAGE 11

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