Life Outside the Office

Two months into my articling term, instead of writing about some of the amazing experiences I have had thus far, I have decided to write about something that has allowed me to make the most of these experiences—and it is not related to work! In fact, it has to do with “life” outside the office.

there are many benefits associated with taking part in activities outside of work...

Yes, the topic of work-life balance may seem a bit cliché, but, in my defence, it is something that is far too often preached but seldom practiced. Fortunately, at MB, with effective time management, it is a totally achievable feat.

Outside of work, I regularly participate in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), spend time with my friends and family, and still try to make it to the gym at 6:30 a.m. on a daily basis with Mahdi, another articling student (still trying to get the others onboard). At the same time, I have been successful in managing my workload and the stress that is associated with articling.

Admittedly, these activities have bettered my experiences at work. For one, I feel that I am much more productive while I am at the office. Additionally, I feel more energized throughout the day, which allows me to stay focused while working on a task.

Many other individuals at MB participate in interesting activities outside the firm. The perk of this is the unique blend added to the firm’s overall culture. Here are a few samples below:

Elsa

Michael Kennedy (Partner)

Other than being in a band up until the summer of 2015, when he is not in the office, Michael likes to spend time with his friends, snowboard throughout the winter and spend time with Elsa. Michael believes that as a successful lawyer, there will always be more work than one has time for and that the key is to learn to prioritize.

Eric Turkienicz (Associate)

Eric has been writing and performing comedy for over 10 years and has done performances in Chicago, Montreal, and across Ontario. In 2012, Eric was part of a group that was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award. Today, Eric is a regular contributing writer to a satirical online newspaper. He says that these experiences outside the office let him explore creative expression in other areas, which coincidentally help him master the skills that come up regularly as a litigator!

Shayan and Cheyenne

Sandy Mark Lee (Legal Assistant)

When Sandy is not in the office, she selflessly makes it her mission to volunteer and give back to the community! Ultimately, she decided to combine her love for dogs and working with the elderly. So naturally, she picked St. John Ambulance. She and her beloved Cheyenne (yes, I said “Cheyenne”) visit long-term care homes, Bridgepoint Rehab Hospital, university, and colleges, attend fundraisers and soon they will be part of a team visiting travellers at Toronto Pearson Airport. Sandy says that the work she does outside the firm helps her with meeting the daily demands of her job at MB.

Although working at a law firm is challenging and fast-paced, there are many benefits associated with taking part in activities outside of work. However, it is undeniable that there will be times where you will have to make sacrifices due to the nature and the demands of the job. Just remember, there are 365 days in a year and 24 hours in a day, you can definitely spare a few hours on yourself!

Shayan K.

Home Stretch

As we near the home stretch of the articling experience, students everywhere are beginning to feel the excitement and buzz surrounding the fast-approaching call to the bar. Reflecting on the past eight months of articling and trying to find ways to push forward to complete the last two months with grace, perseverance and enthusiasm I find myself thinking of the five most important things I’ve learned to help keep myself motivated throughout this process:

Reflecting on the last eight months of articling... thinking of the five most important things:

Make time to see friends and family
We were lucky enough to have a fantastic articling group, which is a testament to the kind of people that work at MB. But regardless of how well you get along with your articling peers, it is important to make sure you have time to see your friends and family outside of work. While articling can be an all-consuming endeavour, it is important to start learning how to balance your personal and work commitments.

Lean in and out as needed
In any job certain weeks are bound to be busier than others. Learning to lean in when needed and enjoy the lulls when lucky enough to have them will allow you to pace yourself during these ten intense months. You may have to work late nights and even weekends some months, and during this time your workload may demand all of your attention. However, enjoying the slower periods during your articling term and ensuring not to overload yourself will help you be prepared for those more demanding times.

Don’t give up your hobbies
Whether it be going to the gym, or taking a cooking class, make sure you don’t give up all your hobbies once you start articling. Continuing to do something you enjoy outside of the office that is just for you will help you be more productive during the day. It will help keep your mind and body refreshed and will also decrease stress levels.

Seek out assignments that interest you
Everyone has different interests and lucky for us, the lawyers at MB encourage us to seek out work that we find interesting. While it is important to ensure you give yourself a wide variety of experiences, seeking out assignments in practice areas that interest you can also help keep you motivated at work.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Despite the above advice to seek out assignments you are interested in, keep in mind you have to keep up with your workload and over-committing to too many projects or people is a sure-fire way to upset others as well as burn yourself out. Staying organized will also help you ensure you don’t over-commit yourself.

By Divya K.

Life is a Marathon

Have you heard of the saying, life is a marathon, not a sprint? Well, articling is like a series of sprints within a marathon. It demands your focus, respect and humility. It requires your very best work. And it places on your shoulders the responsibility to do the best job you can for your client, your firm, and your principal.

As an articling student, you are on call to do great work at any time.

Articling represents a level of intensity that I never saw in law school. Yes, there were moot and exams and final papers and Socratic classes. But you could pace yourself and spread tasks across weeks or months. As an articling student, you are on call to do great work at any time. This means you are operating at peak efficiency, often for long stretches of time.

So, how do you avoid burning yourself out? 

First, develop relationships with your peers.  Depending on your outlook, these individuals are your competitors or your compatriots. One of the reasons I chose to article at McCague Borlack was because they make an effort to foster collegiality and tend to attract people who thrive in that environment.

Second, take breaks. I mean real breaks, not “go outside and stare at your cell phone for 10 minutes” breaks. It’s easy to get wrapped up in a case or assignment, but you have to be cognizant of your time as well. Sitting for three hours straight may seem productive at first, but it can hurt you in the long run. This seems obvious, but when you are under pressure or deeply engaged in a task, sometimes you forget.

And third, get a life. Your family and friends are important. They have been with you since the beginning. Let them be there for you during articles.

Articling is a truly challenging process, but the quality of your experience will depend on the quality of your personal and professional relationships at home and at work.

Ben C.

Client Events

Client events are a great way for students to get involved with the business aspect of the firm and put a face to the person on the flip-side of the email or telephone. Luckily, MB gives its students numerous opportunities to do just that! And January/February seems to be the season for it!

Knowing how to interact and connect with your client can be just as important and is a skill only developed through practice.

Last week our office hosted Christmas in January, a cocktail party with a mingling of MB’ers, clients, experts of all sorts, and other industry shakers. Even next year’s articling students were invited to join in! Here I had a chance to meet adjusters and hear about their side of the business, speak with expert engineers and learn how they can help my files, and indulge in a student’s favourite thing – tasty hors d'oeuvres. Not to mention the office’s meeting room looked like we had been whisked off to an elegant winter cocktail lounge in the sky.

This week MB is also hosting a more causal affair – a client bowling night. This event has been of particular interest to me because the partner gave another student and me the chance to help out with organizing. We get are in charge of making the night as fun as possible for the clients with creative contests and charming prizes. This should be a great opportunity for us to spend some focused time with one client in particular and turn our mind to the client-relations side of the business. As students, many of us do not yet have appreciate that the practice of law involves far more than just knowing law. Knowing how to interact and connect with your client can be just as important. This is a skill only developed and mastered with practice.

If you are more of an introvert, or simply love to write, there are also opportunities to impress and network with clients through papers and seminars. MB and its practice groups host frequent seminars where clients are invited to our firm to build their own legal knowledge and understanding of a particular topic. Students are often involved in helping write a paper with a partner, doing research on the area of law, and sometimes even get to present at the seminar. Helping out with one of these is doubly good because you not only earn face time with clients, it is also an excellent occasion to make a splash with the partners!

All in all, there are countless ways for students to interact with clients from fancy cocktail parties, to bowling, to papers and seminars, and many others not mentioned here. And best of all, MB is always there encouraging us to dive right in! I know we are all excited for the next one, my personal favourite, MB Ski Day!

Emily C.

Work/Life Balance...

Eight weeks later, many posts later and somehow we’re back to me again?! I guess it’s indicative of how quickly time goes by during articling. A lot has happened at MB in the last little while, so here’s the update:

Since the acquisition of the newly available office space on the 27^th floor, the firm has been laboriously working on renovations. The transformation is almost complete and we all eagerly await the final product. The design style is ultra-modern and represents a paradigm shift in the way a law firm functions. Fostering greater collaboration amongst lawyers and more effective utilization of support staff; is both a practical and yet creative innovation.

Speaking of collaboration, as Amanda mentioned in a previous post, the firm takes March Madness very seriously. Over the past couple of weeks, members of the firm have intensely competed in the firm-wide NCAA Basketball pool for ultimate bragging rights. Although many basketball aficionados in the firm have already fallen it comes as no surprise that the articling students currently sit second overall with victory guaranteed if Louisville wins the championship. What can I say, the articling experience has sharpened our senses, perceptions and predictive abilities; the other competitors really had no chance.

As for me, work has been steady and manageable as of late. “Manageable” means that I can get in a good hard day’s work but still have the time to watch my dearest Maple Leafs make a run at the Stanley Cup. I’ve also recently had the pleasure of assisting a partner on a complex motor vehicle claim, and through this experience, I’ve been able to get an insider’s perspective on how a seasoned lawyer approaches a file. To be more specific, I have been assisting with the drafting of a defence medical brief that will be essential to our expert’s assessment of the plaintiff. Perhaps most encouraging is the fact that I am now actively invested in the development of this file and have the privilege of seeing it through to its entirety. After all, the practice of law requires exactly that, “practice”. Thus, every opportunity to observe and assist a skilled practitioner on an up-close and personal basis is invaluable in making me a better lawyer than I was the day before.

Until next time…GO LOUISVILLE!!

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