SR Vol 27 No 3, July 2009 - Nova Scotia Barristers' Society

Thoughts from a new lawyer
Without sounding
Jacqueline Twohig
like a law school
Blois, Nickerson & Bryson admissions essay,
I always knew I would end up
practising law in Nova Scotia. On June 12, 2009, I, along with 58
other admittees, became a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Nova
Scotia. Truth be told, I could never truly put my finger on why I
wanted to practise law, which made those admissions essays very
difficult, but now that I am (finally) a lawyer, I cannot picture myself
doing anything else.
As a practising member of the Nova Scotia Bar, I hope that I
can somehow make a difference and leave my mark on the legal
community and on this province. How I will go about doing that
is something I have yet to figure out. I am interested in diverse areas
of law and am somewhat unwilling to rule anything out this early in
my career. At least once a week, some issue or problem arises that I
have not encountered before and my interest is immediately piqued.
I find that, right now, this constant challenge is most exciting about
practising law. Nothing is static; the practice of law is very dynamic
and constantly changing and evolving. I have been privileged to
article and begin my practice with a law firm that has allowed me to
gain experience in a wide range of practice areas. I also am enjoying
the autonomy of being able to start “my own” practice in whatever
areas I choose.
It is a very interesting time to be embarking on a legal career. With the
global recession on everyone’s mind, it is a time when access to justice
and delivery of effective, yet affordable, legal services are becoming
more and more important. I believe that my fellow admittees and I
are keenly aware of the need for accessible legal services. I also believe
that the breakneck speed at which we can now communicate and do
business because of ever-advancing technology is forcing us, as legal
service providers, to keep up with the times. The Barristers’ Society
“tweets” on Twitter.com and Facebook is now being used as a source
of evidence in some courts in this country. This is demonstrative
of the way in which technology is changing the practice of law and
the delivery of legal services. Keeping up with these technological
changes is also an opportunity for young lawyers to be ahead of the
game in their practices.
One thing that I am certain of right now is that I want to be known
for the quality of my practice. Everything we do, even as newlycalled
lawyers, affects people and those people employ us to use our
knowledge for their benefit. This is a privilege and I intend to live
up to the expectations that I know my clients will have for my work.
So, good luck to my fellow admittees. Given the size of the Nova
Scotia Bar, I am certain we will be seeing each other often as our
careers progress. I hope that the collegial spirit of our June 12 th
admission ceremony does not wane anytime soon and I look forward
to working with you in the future.
20 The Society Record