Diversity
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30 marks the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day was created to honour survivors of the residential schools, their families, and communities, and this public commemoration remains a vital part of the reconciliation process. September 30 is a federal statutory holiday. Banks, the post office and other federally regulated entities will… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate, Civil Litigation, DiversityInside the Lawyer’s Mind Part 3: Urgency
In our previous two posts we learned that good lawyers score in the top 10th percentile on measures of skepticism and autonomy. A third trait that lawyers score high on is urgency, which measures a lawyer’s need to get things done and degree of impatience. Consultant Dr. Larry Richard states in his LAWPRO article that… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Career Management, Law Practice Management, DiversityInside the Lawyer’s Mind Part 2: Autonomy
Following up on my previous post on lawyers’ personality traits, we discuss autonomy, a trait that helps lawyers do their job but makes them poor bedfellows in a law firm environment. Dr. Larry Richard states in our LAWPRO magazine article “Herding Cats: The Lawyer Personality Revealed” that studies suggest high achieving lawyers score in the 89th… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Practice Aids, Career Management, Wellness and Balance, Law Practice Management, DiversityThe Average Lawyer Is 90% More Skeptical Than Everyone Else: what this means for your clients, your colleagues, and your firm.
A skeptical lawyer is a good lawyer. He scrutinizes every line in a contract. He questions the opposing party’s arguments. He looks for hidden motives. He looks at the law with a critical eye. His legal decisions are guided by a healthy pessimism, which helps him guard against mistakes. At the same time, a skeptical… Read More »
Categories: Career Management, Wellness and Balance, Law Practice Management, Diversity, Fraud Prevention, Practice AidsWhen taking instructions isn’t taking instructions
How does a diverse population and profession affect our ability as lawyers to settle files, facilitate the purchase of homes, and help businesses grow? It turns out that a number of claims have arisen in recent years where either lawyers have made bad assumptions about their racialized clients, or where racialized lawyers have been taken… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Civil Litigation, DiversityPaths to Success: ‘Be yourself, and build relationships’
“Diversity” describes the characteristics of a group. When we examine how diversity influences the profession as a whole, it’s easy to lose sight of the experience of being an individual lawyer, with specific identity characteristics, practising law in Ontario. While cultural sensitivity benefits all lawyers, what is it like to practice law when, at least… Read More »
Categories: DiversityPaths to Success: ‘Find Yourself a Champion, Then Pay it Forward’
“Diversity” describes the characteristics of a group. When we examine how diversity influences the profession as a whole, it’s easy to lose sight of the experience of being an individual lawyer, with specific identity characteristics, practising law in Ontario. While cultural sensitivity benefits all lawyers, what is it like to practice law when, at least… Read More »
Categories: DiversityPaths to Success: ‘Experiment and be open to opportunities when building your career’
“Diversity” describes the characteristics of a group. When we examine how diversity influences the profession as a whole, it’s easy to lose sight of the experience of being an individual lawyer, with specific identity characteristics, practising law in Ontario. While cultural sensitivity benefits all lawyers, what is it like to practice law when, at least… Read More »
Categories: Diversity