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There is an ongoing debate among the Benchers of the Law Society of Ontario about one aspect of the lawyer licensing process and they want to hear your opinion.
In December 2018 the Benchers approved the implementation of mandatory minimum compensation for articling and law practice program (LPP) students, which would be equivalent to statutory minimum wage. The decision was partially based on research showing that, while most placements were paid, approximately 10-15% of the placements, or 130-150 articling students, are paid below statutory minimum wage or are not paid at all. Subsequently, a new report was made in November 2021 which recommended that minimum compensation be encouraged rather than made mandatory. You can read the 2021 report (which includes the 2018 report) here. The Benchers have now deferred the vote on this issue to consult with and receive feedback from licensees, articling students, the public, etc. In brief, some of the arguments against mandatory minimum compensation have included:
Some of the arguments for mandatory minimum compensation include:
Have thoughts on this issue? We are sure you do. Don’t stay silent! You can read more about where/how to email your comments here. Your comments must be received by March 15, 2022.
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I had to get to know myself (my strengths, struggles, skills, unique talents, etc.) to find the right career path. I had to learn to listen to myself and not to what others thought would be a good career for me.
Q1. Why do you Freelance? I took the leap into freelancing for many, many reasons. I think the number one reason why I continue to freelance though is that I really enjoy working with other legal professionals but not in the traditional law firm setting. It’s more project based verse targeting billable hours, and I get to tackle cases in different ways, depending on who I am working with. No two days are the same and I love that! Q2. What is your top tip for remote workers? Create a community of your own and network with people outside of your industry. Remote working includes a lot of communication with your fellow team members, but being able to chat with people that don't work in the same field as you is so beneficial. I quickly learned that all freelancers, regardless of industry, come across the same barriers and can have unique tips and tricks that are easily customizable to my work habits and industry. Q3. What is 1 fun fact about yourself? I was a server at the same restaurant for 10 years before I started my career in law. The skills I learned in hospitality (such as being able to thrive in a face-pace environment, flexibility to work overtime, ability to navigate difficult situations) are the same skills needed to be successful in the legal industry. I don’t think I would be where I am today without my background in hospitality and I am very grateful for that. Do you think Rebecca (or another one of our freelancers) could help your practice? Get in touch today! The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained. While the upcoming events may not be as we expected (aka. in-person) I supposed we should be grateful for the internet and the ability to network with fellow lawyers despite restrictions. Back to Zoom we go! Find below our list of networking events for lawyers for January. Check back as we will continue to add to it as new events come out. January 13, 2022 (VIRTUAL): The Ontario Bar Association, Mock Trial Mocktails, 7-8:00pm. Registration fee $25.00 + Tax.
January 20, 2022 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates' Society, An Evening With the Commercial Bench, 7:30pm. TAS Members: Complimentary, Non-Members: $25.00 + Tax. POSTPONED: January 20, 2022 (VIRTUAL): The Hamilton Law Association, New Lawyer's Winter Social, 8:00pm. January 25, 2022 (VIRTUAL): Women's Law Association of Ontario, Amicus Curiae Book Club, 8-10:00pm. This FREE event is open to members only. January 31, 2022 (VIRTUAL): Women's Law Association of Ontario, 2022 Check-in – Starting a New Role Virtually, 12:00pm. This FREE event is open to members only. Know of any other upcoming virtual social or networking events for lawyers? Let us know! And we hope to "see" you at some of these events soon. (Please double check dates/times/prices directly on the associations’ websites as this information may change). Have you ever dreamed of a four-day work week? You are not the only one. Several countries have tested a shortened work week with mixed, but mostly positive, results (including Iceland, Spain, Sweden, and Germany). Individual companies have also tried reducing their work week (Microsoft Japan, Kickstarter, Unilever and Shake Shack). And, most recently, the Ontario Liberals proposed a four day work week pilot project if they are elected in June 2022.
What about Law Firms? We know what you are thinking: a four-day work week might be possible in a “regular” business setting, but how can it work in law firms where lawyers often work up to six or seven days a week? Well, we did a little research and found a few law firms making the four-day work week work for them: YLAW: Leena R. Yousefi, the founder of the family law firm YLaw in British Columbia documented her firm’s approach to implementing a successful shortened work week on her firm’s blog. The four-day work week started in early 2021. Everyone’s pay remained the same, but employees were working only four instead of five days. Through trial and error, they landed on Wednesday as the day off as taking three days off in a row resulted in more emails, work to catch up on, and stress for the firm members. Also, the firm does not close their office completely on Wednesdays; at least one staff member monitors emails and phone calls and then they take their day off on another day. Ms. Yousefi made it clear that the shortened work week was not mandatory. If a lawyer wants to work a full week, they can. What the lawyers and staff appreciate is having the autonomy to choose not to work on Wednesdays, without any pressure. The four-day work week also benefited the firm as a business. After a three-month trial period, Ms. Yousefi reported that profits were up 30%. And, through an anonymous survey, everyone voted to keep the four-day work week and advised that they were “happier” than working 5 days. (You can read more about YLaw’s four day work week on their blog.) THE ROSS FIRM: When The Ross Firm, located in Ontario, first implemented a four-day work week, they kept the number of hours worked per week the same, but reduced the days worked. In other words, they started with 10-hour days worked over four days instead of five. The staff found it to be stressful compressing those hours into four days. The firm then decided to reduce the workload to eight hour days over four days. But the firm kept the pay the same, offering 100% salary for 80% of the time worked. Like YLaw, profitability and growth were not negatively impacted. One month into the four-day work week the firm was exceeding revenue targets. The firm members were also happier and more efficient. (You can learn more about The Ross Firm’s four day work week in this OBA Podcast episode featuring Quinn Ross). BENENATI LAW: Florida lawyer Walter Benenati decided to shorten his firm’s work week to four days in 2019. His approach, however, was to keep the same number of hours worked per week, meaning the firm’s lawyers and staff members work 10 hour days over four days. The firm also chose Fridays as their day off with lawyers rotating to cover client consultations and to field incoming files. Once again, like YLaw and The Ross Firm, Mr. Benenati noticed positive results, seeing an increase in both morale and productivity. A FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK REALITY? MAYBE
What are your thoughts on a four-day work week for lawyers?
Are you thinking of implementing it at your law firm? Do you need occasional freelance lawyer assistance to help you cover your day off? Let us know. We are here to help! The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained. Microsoft Office and Google Workspace (previously known as G Suite) are the primary two systems available for lawyers and law firms. While most lawyers are familiar with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace offers a competitive option that should not be overlooked. If you and your firm use Office, below are the top five reasons you should pay more attention to Google Workspace. If you are already using Google Workspace, read on to learn about the features that you are missing out on. 1) Calendar I will be honest, I was reluctant to leave behind my physical calendar. However, once I saw that my Zoom meetings were automatically added to my Google Calendar (with the link) I could no longer resist. The Basics: When you create a block in your Google calendar, you can label it as an event, out of office, task, reminder, or appointment slot. Use these to block off time in your day both so you are notified when meetings, tasks, or reminders are approaching and so that others trying to schedule time with you are aware of your schedule. What you may not know: If you work in a team, next time you are trying to schedule a meeting with a coworker, try seeing your team's availability by using the “meet with…” function on the left-hand sidebar. This will overlay your coworker's calendar with yours so that you can find an agreeable time. No more messaging back and forth about when you can both meet.  2) Tasks Another manual ritual I used to enjoy was making and checking off my to-do list, but yet again, Google Workplace offered an appealing alternative. The Basics: From your Gmail, you can click on the Task icon on the right-hand sidebar to create a personal to-do list. Calendar and Tasks are nicely integrated; you can add tasks to your calendar, which will appear on your list, or add tasks to your list, which will be added to your calendar. What you may not know: More interesting to lawyers is the ability to create a task based on an email with the click of one button. When you get an email you need to act on, click the Task icon at the top of the email and it will immediately be added to your task list. Also interesting to law firms is the ability to assign tasks to team members from the Chat application. Go to the Chat application, create a space for your team, and assign tasks from there!  3) Security When choosing what to use, security is always the top priority for lawyers. Luckily, since rebranding, Google Workspace has enhanced its security features. The Basics: Google Workspace operates 100% on the Cloud and encrypts all information, including emails, chats, and documents. Before Google Workspace, G Suite would scan emails for the purpose of ad targeting. They have now done away with this and made security a top-selling point. If you are already using Google Workspace, you can use this checklist to ensure it is as secure as possible for your practice.
If you are the admin of a Business Plus Plan, then you will also have access to Vault, which stores your firm's data, including emails, messages, and documents. Data stored in Vault can be protected from deletion even if someone in your organization deletes it from their account. On the other hand, if you need to delete data, you can remove it from all Google accounts in your organization. As the admin, you can assign permissions to other members to access aspects of Vault and access an audit log of everyone who accesses it. 4) Chat A lesser-used Google communication tool is the Chat function, which is particularly useful for internal communication. The Basics: Within your Gmail, chats will appear on the left-hand sidebar, keeping your inbox clean of unnecessary emails from colleagues while keeping all communication in one place. Like other messaging apps, you will be notified of new messages and have a searchable history. What you may not know: The Chat application, both available as a web-based app or as a desktop app, is where you can create Spaces for yourself and your team. Within Spaces, you can assign your colleagues tasks, schedule video meetings, and share and create documents. Rather than leaving Chat to go to your doc, it will open within the app, where everyone can collaborate. 5) Google Docs Microsoft Word is currently the go-to word processing platform for lawyers, and while Google Docs is similar, it may take some lawyers a little time to make the switch. Despite this, Google Docs offers a good option for lawyers, especially when work requires collaboration. If you are starting to use Google Docs more in your practice, here is what you should know. The Basics: Google Docs is similar to any word processor you may have used in the past only it is cloud-based, meaning you can share it with team members and collaborate on the document in real-time. While working on the doc, you and your team members can leave suggested edits, comments and use the chat function for anything else. What you may not know: Google Docs has many templates available for lawyers like contracts and invoices. However, if you cannot find the template you need, you can create your own and save it for future use. If you are doing legal research, you may also want to try the “explore” option. If you are referencing another case, person, or document, you can highlight it and use the explore option to easily cite web pages or insert links to other files in your drive.
 ...or cite a source from the web In Conclusion
Google Workspace is a hub for your team to collaborate, discuss, and schedule. It now offers the security features needed to be a viable choice for law firms, putting it in direct competition with Microsoft Word. Let us know in the comments if you use any of these tools or have any other Google Workspace secrets to share. By Maggie Piper, Client Services Manager The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.  LinkedIn is a large professional online platform full of resources and, when used correctly, has lots of opportunities for lawyers wanting to expand their network and get new clients. If you only use one of the many social media options out there, it should be LinkedIn.
Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn is curated for professionals and businesses looking to connect, and in the legal profession, these connections often mean more paying clients. Have I convinced you yet? If so, here’s a three-step process for expanding your network, and reaching potential new clients, using LinkedIn. 1) Make a Personal Profile and a Law Firm Page Your first step is to make a personal profile and a company page if you have your own law firm. If you work at a firm, your firm may already have a page that you can link to your personal profile. Why have both? A company page for your law firm is less personal and has fewer options for interacting with fellow LinkedIn users. However, having the firm page is still important because it will be one of the first links to show up when people search your firm. Furthermore, when employees list your firm, your logo and a link to the firm page will be visible on their profile. While having a firm page is useful for these reasons, you will also need a great personal profile too, as people are more likely to interact with another human, rather than just a firm/company. When making your profile, keep in mind personal branding, and use the profile picture and header options to represent who you are as a lawyer. Be specific with your title (What law do you practice? Who do you help? How do you help)? This is where you want to include searchable keywords so that when someone searches for lawyers like yourself on Google, your profile will show up. Use the “about” section to expand on why you are the best lawyer for the job; what makes you unique? Make sure you fill out all these sections to have a complete and polished profile and remember to keep this information up to date. 2) Connect with other LinkedIn users LinkedIn is good for professional networking because, unlike other social media platforms, following and messaging people you do not know personally, is not only acceptable but invited. When following someone who you may not know, try sending a message with your request, explaining who you are, and why you are interested in connecting Look for both potential clients and other lawyers or legal professionals to connect with, because lawyers are great referral sources. You can use these connections to increase the visibility of your profile and expand your network by engaging with their content. Engagement can include “liking” and commenting on their posts or sharing their content. Doing so will bring new followers to your page and increase the likelihood of reciprocal engagement. 3) Publish Content This brings us to our final step: create content! This is a place to post interesting and relevant content that people will want to engage with. Think about your potential clients and what they will want to read, such as helpful tips in your area of law. You can use the post option for short content pieces or write a blog post using the article function. You may not even have to make new content, but just reuse past content (perhaps a firm blog post) that you never thought to put on LinkedIn. (Or if you would like one of our freelance lawyers to assist with writing content for you, please let us know!) Like everything on LinkedIn, your content is searchable, so remember to use keywords. To increase the visibility of your posts, use hashtags at the end of every post. For example, we include the hashtags like #freelance or #lawyerlife in our posts, so that anyone interested in freelancing or the life of a lawyer, can easily find our content. You can also encourage your employees to share your content for further reach. Final Thoughts LinkedIn is useful for selling your legal services and growing your legal network, but it also can be just a fun place to learn and share. This is the spot to keep up to date with what your colleagues are doing and to share your accomplishments. We love connecting with lawyers on LinkedIn, so feel free to follow us there and keep up with what we are up to. Looking for more information on how to use LinkedIn in your legal career? Consider reaching out to lawyer turned social media consultant, Eva Chan. Other helpful sources for marketing yourself on LinkedIn: Sophisticated Marketers Guide to LinkedIn The LinkedIn Pages Playbook By Maggie Piper, Client Services Manager
November 1, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates' Society, Trends in Construction Arbitrations: Networking Meet-Up. 12-1:15pm. TAS Members: Complimentary. Non-members: $25.00 + Tax.
November 2, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates' Society, Estates Litigation Bench & Bar Virtual Reception. 5-6pm. Members: Free. Non-Members: $25.00 +HST. November 3, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates' Society, BC Big Mingle. 12:30 - 2pm. Exclusively for law school students, articling students, judicial law clerks, and junior lawyers. November 4, 2021 (IN-PERSON): Canadian Bar Association, Young Lawyers-Victoria Section, Monthly Social Night, The Sticky Wicket at Strathcona Hotel, Victoria. 5-6pm. November 6, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, CABL's 25th anniversary Gala. 6-8pm. Members: $120. Non-Members: $170. November 17, 2021 (VIRTUAL): Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, Fall Membership Kickoff. 6:30-8pm. Register to get a ticket. November 18, 2021 (VIRTUAL): Class Actions, National Bench & Bar Virtual Reception. 6-7:30pm. Members: Free. Non-Members: $25.00 +HST. November 18, 2021 (IN-PERSON): Women Lawyers Forum-Vancouver Island, Monthly Social Night, Smiths Pub, Victoria. 5-6pm. November 18-19, 2021 (VIRTUAL): County of Carleton Law Association, 41st Civil Litigation Conference. 9am-4:45pm. Both Days: $350 + $45.40 HST = $395.50, 1 Day Only: $200 + $26.00 HST = $226.00. November 20, 2021 (IN-PERSON): Global Lawyers of Canada - BC Chapter, Pub Afternoon, Park Drive, Vancouver. 2-4pm. December 2, 2021 (IN-PERSON): Young Lawyers-Victoria Section, Monthly Social Night, The Sticky Wicket at Strathcona Hotel, Victoria. 5pm. December 8, 2021 (VIRTUAL): Women Lawyers Forum: Virtual Social, Ontario. 5:30pm - 7pm. December 9, 2021 (VIRTUAL): County of Carleton Law Association, Fireside Chat with Deputy Judge & Paralegal Virtual Festive Social. Details TBD. December 16, 2021 5-6pm (IN-PERSON): Women Lawyers Forum-Vancouver Island, Monthly Social Night, Smiths Pub, Victoria. 5pm. Know of any other upcoming virtual social or networking events for lawyers? Let us know! And we hope to "see" you at some of these events soon. (Please double check dates/times/prices directly on the associations’ websites as this information may change).
Find below our list of networking events for lawyers for September and October. Check back as we will continue to add to it as new events come out.
September 14, 2021 (IN-PERSON): Hamilton Law Association, End of Summer Social, The Hamilton Club Patio.5:00-7:00pm. Must RSVP. Limited Space. September 16, 2021 (VIRTUAL): Ontario Bar Association Entertainment, Media & Communication Law Section, TIFF Social. 6:30pm-7:30pm. FREE September 16, 2021 (IN-PERSON): BC-CBA Women Lawyers Forum, Vancouver Island’s Monthly Social Night, Smith’s Pub, Victoria. 5pm (PT) September 22, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates’ Society, Alberta Big Mingle, 4:30pm-6pm (MT). FREE September 23, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates’ Society, Young Advocate’s Social: Mixer & Mixology 8:00pm-9:30pm (ET). Members: FREE Non-Members: $10 + tax October 12, 2021 (VIRTUAL): The Advocates’ Society, Labour & Employment Quiz: Pop and Circumstance (quiz & networking event). 1:00pm-2:00pm (ET). Members: FREE Non-Members: $25 + tax. October 14, 2021 (IN-PERSON): Toronto Lawyers Association, Bench and Bar Social Steam Whistle Roundhouse (Pilsner Hall & Patio). 6:00pm-9:00pm Members: $25.00 + HST. Non-Members: $50 + HST October 16, 2021 (IN-PERSON): BC-CBA Women Lawyers Forum, Vancouver Island’s Monthly Social Night 5pm (PT) Know of any other upcoming virtual social or networking events for lawyers? Let us know! And we hope to "see" you at some of these events soon. (Please double check dates/times/prices directly on the associations’ websites as this information may change).  Flex Legal's Founder & CEO, Erin Cowling, was recently interviewed by Immigration Lawyer, Evelyn Ackah, for Evelyn's podcast "Ask". Erin and Evelyn discuss the story of Flex Legal, the opportunities and obstacles of entrepreneurship, and what is next for Erin and the Flex Legal Network.
Find the episode HERE Access more episodes of the "Ask Canadian Immigration Lawyer Evelyn Ackah" podcast HERE |
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