Keeping-Tabs-Fall-2023

Dedicated Office Space Enables
Social Connection and Allows
Separation of Work and Home Life
James Hardy – Commercial Litigator
I spent the first few years of my legal career
like most of us did before 2020: five days a
week in the office, with the occasional weekend
appearance. I’m glad for the benefits that
flexible working offers, but for me, working
in the office is the best way to connect with
colleagues, disconnect at home, and develop
as a professional.
Law is a tough but rewarding profession
and success depends upon building a strong
community of peers. That community is built
on the small chance interactions that happen
when you share a space. Your examination
finishes early, so you grab lunch with a colleague
and discuss your litigation strategy.
You overhear colleagues discussing a case
that you recently used in a factum, so you offer
to share notes. Or you see a colleague repeatedly
at their desk late at night and offer
to cover for them. It is much harder to build
a supportive community when all you have
to go on is the colour of a Microsoft Teams
status icon.
The rise of working from home also means
the rise of the home office. Young lawyers
place enormous pressure on themselves to
always be available, so when we work from
home, the separation of our personal and
professional lives gets blurred – and if expensive
property markets mean our home
office might be a kitchen table with a laptop
on it, there is always a reminder of the work
we still have to complete. There are mental
health benefits to leaving the work at work,
so that we can truly switch off when we get
home.
Hybrid arrangements offer many advantages,
but you will still find me most mornings
on my bike heading downtown.
*The views expressed in this article are the personal views of Mr. Leung and should not be taken as the views of either the
Attorney General of Ontario or the Government of Ontario.
12 13