F. FEATURE – “DIARY OF AN ARTICLING STUDENT” – THE CALL TO THE BAR
The Call To The
Bar
When articling started to wind down, talk of the "the Call"
began to wind up. As I've written in the past, for many of us, the Call to
the Bar marks the beginning of a long job search. For others, it's the
beginning of a new job, perhaps the best job one has ever had. And for yet
others, it can mark the beginning of one's own practice.
A bit about the ceremony itself: for those us scheduled to finish
articling at the end of June, there is a so-called "Big Call"; that
is, a Call to the Bar ceremony designed for a lot of graduates that occurs in
July. There are smaller ceremonies that occur more frequently. Our Call took
place at Roy Thomson Hall.
At the Call, one is not only addressed by the Law Society of Upper
Canada, but also the Court itself. When we walked across the stage, we were
introduced to the audience (comprised of guests that you can invite), and then
presented by the Treasurer of the Law Society with the documents that confer
on you the rights, privileges, and obligations of a lawyer. After that, we
were addressed by the Court for the taking of the necessary oaths.
People now ask me if I feel any different. The answer is yes, though
not because I am now immortal. Rather, it is because I am now held to a
higher standard by the rest of society. Lawyers are not only subject to the
law at large, but also what are called the Rules of Professional Conduct.
These involve our relationships with clients, our handling of clients'
property, and the like.
A bit about running one's own practice. If you decide to hang out your
own shingle as is oft-said, a few things that I can tell you from my own
investigations of this possibility are as follows:
1) Learn about accounting! One entire module of the Bar Admission
Course is a course on accounting. A big part of our obligations as lawyers,
though especially as sole practitioners, is based in how we handle and keep
track of clients' property. We largely have to do this through the use of a
Trust Account where such money is held "in trust" (you may take a
very useful course in law school called "Trusts"). This ensures
that client money is isolated and treated accordingly.
2) Know your rights and obligations! It is all-too-easy to allow a
prospective client to define what is acceptable and what is not. Many times,
people will ask lawyers to do unscrupulous things. While there is an
uncomfortable level of fraud out there, some people unwittingly ask for
things that cannot be done. I have found that one has to be well aware of
what is permissible and what is not, and be able to relay this to a client at
the outset.
3) Develop sources for everything! If you find a good source of
information, stationary, printing services, office equipment, temporary help,
or anything that you need to run your business, remember and cultivate these
sources. No matter how small and unimportant you may think some of these
things are, there will be times when you are in dire need of one of these
things, ASAP.
4) You can't operate alone! No matter how good you are, there will be
times in which you'll be out of your depth. It is not only desirable but also
rewarding to develop a community of people with whom you can exchange
information. Ours is a career that is constantly changing. That means that
there is no way that we can know everything.
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