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RURAL ROUTES
U of M lawyers extol country practice
By Margaret Anne Fehr
Rural legal practice is far from a one-size-fits-all scenario. It’s
subject to the local colour that’s part of small town community
life from its geography, its industry, and its unique mix of
cultural groups and memorable individuals that call it home.
Four University of Manitoba law school alumni weigh
in on their decisions to plant roots in diverse rural
communities and how they and their practices have
thrived in their preferred locations.
John E. Neufeld is lavish in his praise of Steinbach,
where he practices law at Smith Neufeld Jodoin,
a local firm of 14 lawyers. “Because it’s a smaller
community, you come to know most of the lawyers
right away. It’s an easier and gentler lifestyle here.
We still work very hard, just like our Winnipeg
counterparts, but I think it’s simply more pleasant
overall,” says Neufeld.
Flexibility in hours is one aspect that Neufeld cites.
“In some of the larger Winnipeg firms there’s more
pressure on you to work longer hours, but in a smaller
community, you can work as long as you want.”
Smith Neufeld Jodoin handles mainly corporate
and commercial transactions, but specialization is
also part of its service package. “I do commercial
transactions, real estate, small businesses,
contracts, and financing documents related to
bank loans and the representation of lenders and
borrowers,” says Neufeld.
After a career of 40 years, Neufeld says that the most
gratifying part of his practice is the people he’s met
along the way, from business people to ordinary
working folk and— Neufeld’s personal favorite—
farmers. “I was a town boy and had been on only one
farm in my life before I came to Steinbach. Now, I’ve
met tons of farmers. They are fantastic people! They
are the salt of the earth and really help each other out.”
Originally from Thunder Bay in Ontario, Jodi Wyman
practices family law, collaborative family law, and child
protection law at Paterson Patterson Wyman and Abel
in Brandon, Manitoba’s second largest city.
Business is great according to Wyman. “There is a lot of
work in Brandon and the Westman area and that lets
us pick and choose our areas of practice and files.”
53 ROBSON HALL ALUMNI REPORT