Students asked – and alumni answered! On Jan. 30, the Law Students’ Society Alumni Relations Committee welcomed eight members of the class of Law’09 back to Macdonald Hall to speak to students about their diverse career paths.
The “Five Years out of Law School” panel featured the following alumni:
- Colleen Feehan, Legal Counsel and Senior Compliance Officer with TD Bank (Toronto)
- Julie Lowe, PhD in Law candidate (University of Toronto) and LLM graduate (University of London) specializing in Islamic Law
- Emilie Nicholas, Legal Counsel with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (Toronto)
- Captain Alexander Parker, Legal Officer with the Office of the Judge Advocate General in the Canadian Forces (Ottawa)
- Melissa Reiter, Counsel with AUM Law, a boutique corporate and securities firm (Toronto)
- Jason Schmidt, Lawyer with Mann McCracken Bebee and Schmidt, practising a broad range of civil litigation matters (Port Hope)
- Jason Sonshine, Counsel with Rothmans, Benson and Hedges (North York)
- Scott Southward, CEO of Benana, an affiliate of Benefits by Design (Toronto)
“The panelists spoke candidly about their experiences,” says organizing committee member Aashima Singh, Law’16, a moderator at the jam-packed event. “They gave some really great advice to students who were concerned about the various recruitment processes and life after law school in general.”
Calling it an “excellent informational experience,” attendee Shalome Barrow, Law’17, especially liked learning about the variety of opportunities open to law graduates. “It is great to see that we can find a job that complements our individual personalities and passions – whether it's a love of sports, the nation or academics,” she says.
Another key theme of the discussion was the importance of networking and maintaining relationships. “We repeatedly hear that we are going to be friends with our classmates for years to come,” Barrow says, “but I don't think I ever really believed it until I saw the sense of camaraderie amongst the panelists. I really enjoyed knowing that the collegial environment of Queen’s would carry out into the workforce.”