Why did you go to law school?

As I walked onto campus this fall as an instructor, I found myself reflecting on how I ended up in law school.

Like many others, law wasn't always part of my plan. In fact, my original goal was to study agribusiness and eventually take over my father’s farm and agriculture businesses. I was even enrolled in the agriculture college. Then, my father sat me down and asked me what I truly wanted to study.

What I really wanted was to study political science. I was interested in the workings of government, voting systems, and the way different levels of government shared responsibilities. Discussions about politics and governance were always my favourite part of our family dinners.

Toward the end of my political science degree, I noticed a trend among my peers. Many of them were talking about grad school or law school. Curiously, I observed that the ones planning to attend grad school were all women (save one), while those saying they were headed to law school (save one) were men. 

This gender disparity immediately struck me as something problematic. I reflected on whether the reason I didn't see myself in law school was because of my gender.

Growing up in a small town, our local lawyer was one of my friend’s fathers. While he handled important work like land transactions and estates, it didn’t particularly interest me. The women in my family were teachers, librarians, nurses, bookkeepers, farmers, or business co-owners. I had no women role models in law, nor had I ever considered it an option for myself. The only pop culture reference I had was Elle Woods (love her). 

This realization made me wonder if I had internalized gender expectations, limiting my career options. Rather than simply feel frustrated, I decided to act. I signed up for a career internship course and secured an internship at CLASSIC, a growing legal clinic in the inner city.

At CLASSIC, I met law students who, to my surprise, were “my kind of people.” They were nerdy, opinionated, read a lot, and cared about helping others. Their interest in helping others reminded me how volunteering in service roles had always felt like I was contributing to something greater than myself. I enjoyed being around them and for the first time, I could see myself being one.

That experience was the turning point; I decided to apply to law school. Many of the people I met during that internship later became friends, colleagues, and opposing counsel on cases.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had that opportunity to explore an unfamiliar field. My gratitude goes to the late Joe Garcea, who led that career internship course and agreed to let me do my placement outside the usual options! 

Since law school, I have done a clerkship at the King's Bench Court of Saskatchewan, a secondment at Prosecutions, practiced family law and litigation, investigated, mediated, and litigated discrimination complaints. Now I work with employers and organizations to improve workplace psychological safety, communication, and productivity with the goal of reducing complaints and turnovers. 

Send me an email via my contact page to inquire about my services!