Helping Foreign law graduates and lawyers beoming licensed in Canada.
Exam preparation, tutoring, counseling, motivation and anything else that is needed for foreign lawyers and law graduates to nagivate the requirements of:
- the Law Society Act and Regulations (Ontario and other provinces)
- the requirements of the NCA (National Committee on Accreditation)
- FARPA (Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act - Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba)
12/18/2022
Possible alternative or complement to twitter
Home / Post. Noam Bardin1 month agoChief PosterMeet Post: A Social Platform for Real People, Real News, and Civil ConversationsRemember when social media was fun, introduced you to big ideas and cool people, and actually made you smarter? Remember when it didn't waste your time and make you angry or sad? When yo...
03/15/2022
Why an investigation into cheating on Ontario bar exams may point to a $15 billion online industry Hundreds of prospective Ontario lawyers have had their futures put on hold amid an investigation into cheating on the online bar admission exams — no surprise in the lucrative world of “contract cheating,” experts say.
Wisdom From 65 Years Of Practising Law In Ontario - Holiday Edition:
A. Sixty-five years of practising law ...
November 30, 2020 was a memorable day for me. The office, where I met clients closed for the last time. (I have since found a new office.) The office closed because the primary lawyer in the office retired. I spent the last few days of November in the office, helping save what needed to be saved, helping her get her files transferred to the lawyer taking them over and helping her dispose of what needed to be disposed of. At about 3:00 p.m. on Saturday November 30, 2020, the office doors closed for the last time. The retiring lawyer left, walked to her car and drove off for the last time.
B. Not just any lawyer ...
Lawyers retire every day. But, this particular lawyer was special. In fact her retirement marked not only the end of her legal career, but the end of a generation of lawyers who were:
- lawyers as opposed to legal technicians
- practised in and understood more than one area of law
- understood legal history and its significance
- came of age well before administrative tribunals came into existence.
Her unmatched knowledge of law was her tool. But, her moral compass and humanity were driven by the principles of equity.
C. On humility ...
She doesn't want me to disclose her real name. So, I will refer to her as Jane Doe. You see, when she retired Jane Doe was 89 years old. She graduated from law school in 1955 (apparently - similar to Ruth Bader Ginsburg - there were only four women in her class). But, Jane had actually practiced law (in private practice) since 1955 - in other words for 65 years! After 65 years I can guarantee that she knew more law, had more experience and had better judgment than any lawyer I have ever known. She was a "Lawyer's Lawyer".
D. After 65 years of practising law ...
Just before leaving, I asked her what advice she would give to a young lawyer. What advice would she give to a pre-law student, a law student, someone prepping for the LSAT or somebody navigating the NCA process. She inscribed her answer in a book. It was remarkably short and had little to do with law but a lot to do with life.
She wrote (and signed):
1. Be kind and generous to all; and
2. Not everyone is as fortunate as you are.
This advice has nothing to do with law. It has everything to do with what she learned through her legal career.
Thanking Jane Doe ...
In my parting words to her, I told her how grateful I am to have known her. But, especially how much I appreciated the kindness and generosity she had shown towards me. It was important to me that she know how much I appreciated her.
E. The importance of appreciation ...
So, yes the theme of this post (especially during this holiday season) is the importance of appreciation. The greatest gift that you can give to the people in your life is not monetary. It's letting them know that you appreciate them. Pre-law students are under tremendous stress. When people experience stress it becomes harder in life to appreciate those who are part of your life. It becomes hard to let people know how much you appreciate them. (Even/especially those who are closest to you.) Never assume that people (1) know that you appreciate them and (2) how much you appreciate them. Let them know. Take the time to thank those who have been kind to you, have shown an interest in you, who have shared your joy in your successes, who have supported you in your failures.
The importance of teachers ...
Teachers can have an enormous impact on your life. Yet, they suffer from an "appreciation deficit". Great teachers/tutors always care about their students more than their students care about them. It's an unfair exchange, but that's what it's about. Good teachers are the exception rather then the rule. Good teachers do not get enough appreciation. When they are appreciated, that appreciation is rarely conveyed to them.
You are invited to ...
I invite you to think of a teacher who has made a difference in your life. It doesn't have to be a current teacher. It can be any teacher who you know has made an impact on your life.
An experience conveying appreciation ...
About 15 years ago, I woke up one morning and for some reason I started thinking about a first year course in Philosophy/Logic that I had taken (30 years earlier). (By the way logic has not changed over the years.) It was a fantastic course. The course taught me the essentials that I used teaching LSAT courses for many years. The prof had even written me references for law school. But, on that day, I thought: I really didn't thank that teacher properly. Sure, I had thanked him for the references. But, I had never conveyed to him how much I appreciated him. So, (yes this is true) 30 years later, I contacted him to tell him how much I appreciated him (even took him to lunch). Amazingly, he really did remember me. So, it's true that teachers do remember some of their students. I am certain that I made a difference in his life by contacting him to convey my appreciation.
Yesterday, I was purging an old email account. Here is an email old email that I didn't purge:
"This is just a message to thank John,
I took the mastering the LSAT course at the beginning of the spring and the June LSAT, and I don't think I would have been able to get 179 without the prep course.
Thanks again,"
Well, thank you for that appreciation. Years later it was like a nice "message in a bottle".
Your mission, should you choose to accept it ...
I suggest that each of you, during this holiday season, identify at least one person in your life, who has (to use Jane's words) been "kind and generous" to you. Give that person the gift of appreciation!
The master of logotherapy and psychiatrist Victor Frankl (of "Man's Search For Meaning" fame) is rumoured to have said:
“When I was younger, I admired cleverness; now that I am older, I admire kindness”.
There are many people who are clever enough to go through the NCA process. There are fewer people who are wise enough to give the gift of appreciation!
Happy Holiday Season!
John - Your NCA Exam Prep Group admin
11/05/2020
A man of good character: Law society answers whether a tiger can change his stripes 'Everything about him is positive, but for his involvement in this activity' said a judge at Suresh Sriskandarajah's trial on terrorism charges, to which he…
07/29/2020
Opportunity for Canadian law schools in India?
India opens door for foreign universities under new education policy India on Wednesday approved a plan to allow foreign universities to open campuses in the country as part of efforts to boost education to strengthen the economy as it struggles with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
07/27/2020
Racism pushed me to become a lawyer, so I wouldn’t be victimized again I've been mistreated by the police most of my life. It drove me to pursue law so that I could defend myself, writes Tony Wong
07/18/2020
Why are there still so few Black lawyers on Bay Street? It's been more than two years since The Globe published a bombshell essay on the microagressions one lawyer endured at work. But at a critical time when employers are talking about diversity more openly, many racialized people say the insular legal community is as unequal as ever
06/03/2020
https://www.quora.com/Is-law-school-a-mistake-right-now
Is law school a mistake right now? Answer (1 of 31): So I’m not going to say law school is a mistake for you right now. I firmly believe it is for a lot of people, but only you can determine if it’s for you. Here’s my tale: I went to a middling state school from a southern state that’s not known for much other than it’s foo...
05/07/2020
Supreme Court agrees to review Ontario ruling that jeopardized multiple verdicts Canada’s highest court has given the green light for an appeal and counter-appeal in the case, which centres on the constitutionality of sweeping legal reforms brought in under Bill C-75
