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The Lawyers Weekly Profiles Law is Cool Founder
The Lawyers Weekly, Canada’s first print news publication for legal professionals, has profiled Omar Ha-Redeye, founder of this site.
You can read the profile by Christopher Guly on the website here,
Ha-Redeye established the Western Law Review Association, a group dedicated to publishing a student-run law review at UWO, and was active in various groups on campus, including as president of the Black Law Students’ Association, Health Law Club and Mature Students Club.
But his activities are best known in cyberspace.
Even before being called to the Ontario Bar, Ha-Redeye has made an impression on the profession with his blogs and postings on legal issues.
He runs his own website (www.omarha-redeye.com), as well as a blog and podcast on Canadian law schools (www.lawiscool.com) and regularly contributes to the legal weblog, www.Slaw.ca.
Now, he’s on the path to practising law.
This site is currently transitioning to a whole new line of administrators, and we expect equally great and exciting things from them in the years to come.
T I M E – the treasure that will measure…
If there is one word that distinguishes a simple undergraduate degree from a law degree, then that word is TIME.
As a newly minted law student, never before has time appeared so essential, so vital, and so treasured. The extra second or two of sleep after a long night of dense reading can seem like an eternity in the comfort of one’s bed.
In the classroom setting, if one loses focus for just a single second or just between the “tick” and the “tock,” then you may miss the ratio of an important case or fail to comprehend the professor’s explanation of a key theory. The great coefficient of human efforts does not ignore law students or legal professionals.
Looking ahead, time may become our friend or foe, as we write down how we spent our billable hour. In fact, our worth may one day be appraised by these “billable hours.” Whether one is working, listening, or studying, time always seems to transform into the one treasure that will measure who we are and what we will become.
For those law students vexed with their skilled procrastination tendencies (practice truly does make perfect) and who would like to turn a new page in their lives, then seek out and learn how to wrestle with time, so you can pin it to your wall (literally and figuratively). For those individuals still procrastinating after reading the previous sentence or who are genuinely interested in learning about the real oxygen of a law student’s life, this video will certainly be useful:
Failing to Produce Insurance Card
From my blog: Simon Says. Category: Police Myths.
Failing to Produce Insurance Card
Don’t I have 24 hours to show it to someone at the police station?
I used to get asked this question all the time: “I got a ticket for failing to produce my insurance card, don’t I have 24 hours to show up with it at the police station and they’ll throw the ticket out?” Simon says NO!
I suspect this myth was started by kindhearted police officers who gave people breaks and told them that if they brought their insurance card in within 24 hours they wouldn’t process the ticket. That was very nice of them to be sure, but that is entirely within their discretion to do and, in my experience, it is not common practice these days.
The Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act section 3(1) states that, “an operator of a motor vehicle on a highway shall have in the motor vehicle at all times (a) an insurance card for the motor vehicle; or (b) an insurance card evidencing that the operator is insured under a contract of automobile insurance.”
There is nothing in the rest of this Act, or elsewhere in law, that supports the 24 hour myth.
Usually officers submit their tickets at the end of their shift and after that it is out of their hands. Once processed by administrative staff and sent off to the courts, they couldn’t recall it or withdraw it if they wanted to.
So if you get a $65 ticket for failing to produce your insurance card, don’t expect to be given 24 hours to produce it. If you are given that opportunity, take it before the officer changes their mind!
LEAF Intervenes in R. v. L.B. at Ontario Court of Appeal
On September 23 and 24, 2010 LEAF will be intervening at the Ontario Court of Appeal regarding the offence of infanticide in the Criminal Code. LEAF aims to offer the court a perspective that will shed light on infanticide as a homicide offence that is distinct from murder.
Moreover, according to LEAF’s press release, they will argue that “where the elements of infanticide are present, the infanticide offence should be available to women regardless of whether the Crown charges murder. This approach is consistent with the clear intention of Parliament to include the offence of infanticide in the Criminal Code.”
LEAF’s Legal Director, Joanna Birenbaum, stated that “infanticide is treated differently in law than murder because of the many overlapping social, cultural, psychological and medical factors which may affect the state of mind of accused women following childbirth. It is a very serious crime, but it is a crime which recognizes the reduced culpability of women [who have recently given birth] whose minds are “disturbed” due to the interaction of these complex factors related to childbirth.”
OCI Fever
I decided to write a note because there is a lot of tension going around Macdonald Hall and elsewhere. Apparently OCI fever is rampant and has taken many victims. My purpose in writing this is fourfold: I want to congratulate people; encourage others; express some concern; and finally, I want to challenge everyone with a few thoughts. This was originally just going to be a facebook note, so bear with me.
1. Amazing
If you have gotten emails about OCI interviews, that is great! I am really happy for you. You’ve worked hard and the work is now paying off. You should be proud of yourself and you should be happy. But remember, your peers are also bright, hard-working students and they will end up being your colleagues. Treat them with respect and keep in mind that because a firm wants to interview you does not mean you are inherently better than anyone else. I’m not saying that to take away from your accomplishment, just a reminder to stay humble (not an easy task, I know from experience). Life has a way of keeping us humble when we start to think too much of ourselves. We’ve heard about more than one student that had 17 interviews, and many in-firms and ended up jobless last summer. But again – I’m proud of you and excited that you’ve got this great opportunity in front of you – enjoy it.
2. Depressing
IT SUCKS! I’ve already gotten 3 rejection emails, *BUT* I’m not going to go around law school moping. I realize that it’s disappointing (I’m disappointed), but it’s NOT the end of the world! Rejection is difficult to stomach and your feelings are legitimate, but remind yourself of the broader perspective. You are a successful student – getting into law school is not easy. Did you know that most people in law school are in the 98+ percentile of intelligence? You have been blessed with brains, wits and a solid work ethic, not to mention all the other things you have like money, a good education, a supportive family/community, good friends, health, a great country, etc. You will eventually get a job. It might not be the one you thought you wanted, but there is something out there for you that you will LOVE. Don’t give up on that hope, and don’t break down because it’s not easy to get there. You’re in law school, you’re not a quitter!! Don’t let things that are entirely out of your control make you go off the deep end! You can still do this.
3. Ridiculous
You are NOT what you do. Why are you making your worth contingent on how many firms want to interview you? Let me tell you a story:
Once upon a time there was a law student who grew up extremely poor and who had gotten into law school on a whim with no undergraduate degree. He applied to all the Wall Street firms and was one of two students from Harvard left without a job. But he joined a couple of his friends as an associate and they started a firm. They took any work they could get and started into an area of law that was untouched by the big Wall Street firms, and they hit on something big. Do you know who that lawyer is? It’s Joe Flom – and his partners were Marshall Skadden and Leslie Arps – perhaps you’ve heard of them?
OK, that’s a nice story, but what’s the point? Life won’t always make you a big star, but maybe being a star isn’t the point. WHY ARE YOU VALUABLE? This is a question you need to find the answer to. If you’re going to base your value on your job, your salary, your age, your looks, your pro bono efforts, your fame, your athletic abilities – then you need to face the fact that at some point in the future you will lose that thing and you will be left without definition. You will be like a Michael Jordan unable to compete in the NBA, or a washed up movie star, and it will break you. You HAVE to find something outside of this earthly place to stake your identity on, or it – like everything else in this world has a habit of doing – will die.
Michael Jordan’s life isn’t valuable because he can play basketball, and YOUR value is not related to your interview count. It’s not about what you do, it’s about who you ARE. Life is about so much more than Bay Street. We all know this, but we seem to have forgotten.
4. Challenge
Those of you in the first category – I realize you’re thrilled, and that’s great. But if you were at a funeral, would you go up to the family of the deceased and tell them exciting news? Probably not.
Those of you in the second category – if you received some horrible news, would you think the best time to tell your friend would be their birthday party? Might be a bit of a buzzkill.
We essentially live together, and we all need other people to help us when things are rough and to celebrate when times are good. Let’s ALL be a little more sensitive to other peoples’ feelings – whether happy or sad – and be encouraging no matter what the circumstances. Let’s be excited for those with interviews, and let’s comfort those who are going through disappointment. Let’s stop making inappropriate value judgements and maybe talk about something else? I can suggest a few topics if that’s an issue…
~ Joy
Reminiscing about the history of legal education and law schools in Canada
For those looking for an interesting reminiscence about the history of law schools and legal education in Canada, view Christopher Guly’s article in The Lawyers Weekly:
“Apprenticeship to academe: The history of law schools in Canada – Part 1 of a 3-part series” – A LOOK at the past, present, and future of legal education in Canada
http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&articleid=1255
Wise Advice for 1Ls
Christopher Bird, an articling student with Wise Law, offers some advice to law students who started this fall:
1.) Distinguish yourself.
2.) Your marks are important.
3.) Don’t assume it’s the end of the world if you get a C.
Read the entire post over at the Wise Law Blog.
A Legal Student – Then and Now
It’s a lot of tuition, and even more hard work. But the journey to be a lawyer in Canada just might be worth it.
In my column of this week’s Lawyers Weekly I ask the question, “What’s a lawyer worth these days?,” discussing the B.C. S.C. ruling in Danicek v. Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang.
Michelle Danicek, a recent UBC Law graduate, was injured days before the bar at a law firm event. She had a motor vehicle collision soon after that. The judge assessed her promising career as a corporate lawyer with a particular knack for working with clients and awarded nearly $6 million dollars.
Not everyone will be a legal superstar the way Michelle Danicek was expected to be.
But that wasn’t really the point of my article. I also cite Alan Watson and Khaled Abou El Fadel, in Fox Hunting, Pheasant Shooting, and Comparative Law, 48 Am. J. Comp. L. 1 (2000), who suggest that there may have been traditionally more to being a lawyer than just making money or winning cases.
Although jurists were men of the world, aware of social, political and economic realities, they also reveled in the very practice of interpreting the law. Legal interpretation was a sport. Yes, it was actually fun to analyze the law.
And they’re off to the races of … 1L Summer Jobs!
Ten days after law school started, I began to check off all the things that I needed to do in the first two weeks. Allow me to go through my checklist.
Settled in my new home, check. Made friends, check. Bought all required textbooks, check. Know where the washrooms are on the third floor, nope. Applied for summer jobs … WHAT! Who wrote that on this list?!?
Yes, we are less than two weeks into the first semester and there are emails, student service sessions, and peers buzzing loudly in my ear about 1L summer job applications that have deadlines on the horizon. Needless to say, this unexpected news startled me for a couple of reasons.
First, the time required for my alma mater to process my undergraduate transcript is four to five days – that does not include the number of business days needed for the transcript to be shipped to me. Unfortunately, many of those 1L summer jobs have deadlines that would have expired by then.
Second, the time needed for just one reference to whip up a stellar letter about me, albeit they could easily look up the numerous synonyms of outstanding – and copy and paste, is approximately one week, and that does not include the time necessary for them to reply to my “urgent” emails. Now some 1L summer job applications require three references. Can you sense my excitement about 1L summer job applications in the second week of law school yet?
Third, I’m not alone here as many of my peers have raised a similar yet pertinent comment: “Applying for summer jobs in the second week of law school is awesome CRAZY!”
But they (summer job applications) are not holding me by the wrists and dragging me to apply. Maybe we (law students in Canada) should accept the idea that this is a professional degree, where before you know what date all your exams are in December, you must know what date the deadline is to apply for summer jobs, which most students will miss if your alma mater’s printer can only crank out a transcript once every four to five days. Maybe we as first-years should make peace with the fact that many things in law school are on an expedited time frame; perhaps the best example I can construe is that we will apply for jobs well in advance of graduation.
To those 0Ls who will one day go through or are currently going though the OLSAS cocoon and will transform into 1Ls, this is what I wish someone told me before entering 1L:
1. Before you take your first step through the doors of law school, make sure you have an updated resume.
2. Before you take your second step through the doors of law school, make sure you have two or three individuals from your pre-law school era who can be on standby if a reference letter is needed or whose names can be used on your resume.
3. Before you even think about taking your first or second step through the doors of law school, radio your alma mater and ask them (way in advance) for your undergraduate transcript.
4. Last but not least, ask the administrative staff in your first week of law school whether they have any information about which organizations, government agencies, and law firms will require 1L summer job applications in September, so you can apply and put a neat check mark next to applying for 1L summer jobs: check!
More Collaboration Between NCRs
One of the upsides from the fallout of the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” is that there is a clear acknowledgment that Islamophobia likely ranks the highest out of any form of discrimination. This has likely been the case for just under the past 10 years, but recognition of this phenomenon has been challenging, even among law enforcement.
Another positive sign is that Americans from all persuasions have risen up to fight and combat this hatred, including the Jewish community. Although Kamran Pasha stated with some reservation that the ADL has defamed its Jewish heritage, other Jewish activists such as the Shalom Center and interfaith groups have taken a different stand. It’s also the theme for this site in the past year, which is why we presented Ahsan Mirza the Blawger of the Year award.
To me this type of collaboration only seems natural, as hatred towards Jews and Muslims is invariably linked, and the two groups have worked extensively in the past to assist one another.
In light of recent events I’ve decided to dig up a presentation I gave a couple years ago during my first year in law school:
A Two-Year Law Career
The Globe has a story of Chris Graham, a Canadian who ended up on Wall Street doing corporate law, and then quit the law – at the age of 26.
Even more mind-boggling is that Graham left his firm to go back to school – for an undergraduate degree in history in politics,
Just over a year ago I quit my job as a corporate attorney in Manhattan. Four years of business school, three years of law school, two years of practice and retired at 26. From my class of roughly 100 associates, I was among the first to leave the firm and may be the only associate, ever, to leave in pursuit of another bachelor’s degree.
Awards
Partners
sLaw- The Court
- British Columbia (Ministry of Education) v. Moore: Comparing Approaches to Comparator Groups in the Context of Anti-Discrimination Legislation
- So You Got Punched By a Cop: Disciplinary Action or Civil Suit? Issue Estoppel in Penner v. Niagara (Police Services Board), 2010 ONCA 616
- The ‘Return to Unanimity’ in Insite and Division of Powers Jurisprudence: Chief Justice McLachlin’s ‘Oversight’
- UofT
- UofC
- UofA
- LexMonitor
- blawg