A group of Law’11 alumni spoke to students at the Holiday Inn March 10, to give their thoughts and advice on pursuing their careers after graduation.
The panel, called “Queen’s Law – Five Years Out,” was organized by the Law Students’ Society Alumni Relations Committee and moderated by members Shalini Gunawardhane, Law’17, and Meaghan Farrell, Law’18. Capping off the annual Careers Day, the panel consisted of Tim Burns (Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP), Remissa Hirji (Rochon Genova LLP), Erin McNamara (McNamara Law), Krista Moreau (Bair Family Law) and Gareth Stackhouse (Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP).
Some of the panelists settled quickly into their careers, others took a while to get to the place they are now, others still had “career ADD.”
“It was really interesting to see how many things you can accomplish in only five years,” says Shira Levine, Law’19. “The panelists had such a diverse range of experiences, and sometimes it can be difficult to picture what’s going to happen after law school, especially for someone in first year.”
Hirji spoke about staying persistent, and if you’re not where you want to be, not being afraid to seek out other options. Burns, whose career has taken him to Toronto, Vancouver, Dubai, and now New York, said much the same: keep an open mind to career options that aren’t part of your original plan.
“If you’re sitting there thinking your five-year plan doesn’t look like this, don’t be afraid to move,” said Moreau. “You want to be in a position where you are setting your own five-year plan.”
Stackhouse spoke about doing what he wanted to do, facing adversity and overcoming it, and restarting a career from scratch.
“Queen’s community runs deep,” he added.
“If you don’t know something or have direct experience, you can find it. Lawyers are very resourceful people,” said McNamara. She spoke on what it’s like to run your own small firm, building personal relationships.
“Incorporate the things you enjoy into work,” the Ottawa-based lawyer added. “Then work doesn’t feel like work.”
By Jeremy Mutton