Queen’s Students Exposed to Unique Career Options at Paths Less Travelled Conference

Lucy McSweeney, Law '93, Deputy Director of the Ministry of the Attorney General, delivers the keynote address at the 2008 Paths Less Travelled Conference.

Queen's Law students hosted the 4th Annual Paths Less Travelled Conference on February 8 and 9, 2008, with impressive speakers, including representatives from Legal Aid Ontario, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Crown Law Office and the Law Society of Upper Canada, as well as lawyers from boutique law firms and judges.

The conference educated students about the myriad of legal options available to them beyond the "traditional" law firm route. The event culminated with a banquet hosted by the Law Students' Society in conjunction with the Paths Conference, and much anticipated keynote speaker Lucy McSweeney, Law ‘93.

Using a well orchestrated blend of humour, irony, and insight, McSweeney spoke of her progression through the legal world, beginning with her years in law school, followed by her tenure as an associate lawyer, and finally her transition to government legal work.

The effectiveness of McSweeney's words was not in stressing what classes, firms, or areas of law one needs to succeed as a member of the legal community, but in highlighting the fact that ‘success' in law comes in many forms, and through many avenues. Particularly, McSweeney complimented Queen's Law for being supportive of those students who choose to dedicate their careers to social change, as she did.

"I liked the way she made it acceptable to want to do something that would impact the international community with your legal degree," said Kat Aubrey-Horvath, Law '08. "It's a wonderful thing for students to hear from someone who has left the beaten path of the law firm, and still accomplished great things in law."

McSweeney ended her talk with an appreciative cheer from the crowd of students and faculty, declaring, "Be proud to be a part of such a wonderful community at Queen's Law!"

"There are a wide variety of opportunities for young lawyers to build a practice that is both dynamic and rewarding," said Melissa Reiter, Law '09, who co-organized the Paths Conference along with Erin Collins, Law '09. "To make students aware of this reality, at the conference we presented several alternative career choices."

Photo by Chris Missiuna

Justice Anne Trousdale, Law '76, of the Superior Court of Justice in Kingston and Justice Harvey Brownstone, Law '80, of the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto chat with Jeff Fung, Law '08, and Erin Collins, Law '09, at the reception following the Paths Less Travelled Conference in the student lounge.

For Melissa, one of the highlights from the conference was a speech from the always inspirational and entertaining Justice Harvey Brownstone, Law ‘80, who regularly returns to his alma mater for school functions. He related war stories from his family law courtroom as a teaching method for Queen's students.

Despite a limited budget, the conference was a complete success, one in which the organizers took a great deal of pride. Melissa and Erin credited the efforts of Queen's administrators and professors, from past and present, in helping them to put together all the necessary pieces for the conference. "I think that Queen's is unique in that there is a [sense of] community, and that people really turn up and support each other," said Melissa.