Winter Storm Fails to Rain on Careers Day Parade

Photo Credit: Daniel Chodos

Moderator Karen Park (Law '07) poses with in-house counsel panelists Tanya Mushynski and Blair Mackenzie (sessional instructor) at Careers Day on Friday, March 2, 2007 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel.

On Friday, March 2, 2007, Queen's Law held its annual Careers Day at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in downtown Kingston. This year's event, organized by Career Services Director Deanna Morash, kicked off with four career panels. Afterward, representatives from close to 60 law firms from across Canada packed the Sheraton's ballroom to describe their work to Queen's Law students.

Although inclement weather from a winter storm prevented some panel members from showcasing their practice, there were still plenty of highlights. The Alternative Careers Panel featured Bob Farmer, a magician/musician-turned-lawyer. Farmer, who has given lectures at Queen's Law on copyright and contract law, explained how he parlayed his love of music into a successful practice as an entertainment lawyer. He encouraged students to find ways to incorporate their previous experiences and interests into their legal careers.

The In-House Counsel panel included Blair Mackenzie of Osprey Media and Tanya Mushynski of Ontario Power Generation. Although their industries are very different from one another, Mackenzie and Mushynski recommended a career as in-house counsel for similar reasons. Mackenzie, a sessional instructor who teaches Media, the Courts and the Charter at Queen's Law, likes the interdisciplinary approach he takes to his work, which may involve dozens of legal areas on any given day. Mushynski, who previously worked for Torys LLP, enjoys the more relaxed lifestyle she adopted once she started working for Ontario Power Generation.

The Public Service Careers Panel was comprised of four Queen's Law alumni, including Joe Dart (Law ‘05), Sean Hanley (Law ‘96), Sarah Leece (Law ‘05) and Kelly Matsumoto (Law ‘00). The Private Practice Careers Panel was conducted by Karla Baker, Megan Cornell (Law ‘01), Jordan Goldblatt and Mike Mercer (Law ‘03). All the panels were well-received by the Queen's students in attendance, who came in droves and asked many insightful questions.

The career fair attracted about 150 students in all years at Queen's, many of whom ran into old friends returning to campus as articling students with their firms. Students and firm representatives alike lit up the room with their enthusiasm and good cheer. "It's always nice to come back to Kingston," said Kate Crawford (Law '04) of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. "We had our [on-campus interviews] in this very room and we just had lunch at Café Dominico, where I'd had my dinner after convocation."

Several lawyers at the career fair further donated their time to Queen's students, staying until Saturday to hold a practice interview session for those who were interested. Dozens of students took advantage of this rare opportunity to get a hands-on feel for what can be a mystifying and intimidating process.

At the end of the day, students were left to ponder the myriad of legal paths their careers might take. Whether one chooses to go down a traditional path or takes the road less traveled, Careers Day demonstrated that dedicated law students have a very bright future.