CRIMES, COURTS, AND COMMENTARY
Interviews, current events, recommendations, and more --
all geared to the criminal law student community.
all geared to the criminal law student community.
Emma Davies (CLSA 1L Executive) On November 17, the CLSA invited four attorneys to talk about their careers in the criminal law.
The first panelist, Ryan Handlarski, is a defence lawyer who began his career on Bay Street. Caitlin Pakosh is an Associate Crown Attorney who also researches the intersection between forensic science and criminal law. Sarah Shaikh, General Counsel at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), focuses on drug and national security matters. Finally, Jennifer Epstein, Crown Counsel at the Crown Law Office – Criminal, specializes in criminal appellate work.
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11/15/2021 0 Comments Event Recap: Defence and Crown PanelChristine Wang (CLSA 1L Executive)
Interview by Anna Zhang
Q: Was your corporate training helpful?
Interview by Anna Zhang
Q: What was your mindset going into law school? Did you have a practice area you were interested in?
Interview by Anna Zhang
Q: Did you find that your experience/training in the corporate field was beneficial to your criminal law practice? If yes, how so?
Interview by Anna Zhang
Q: What was it about criminal law that intrigued you and why did you leave Bay Street?
Interviewed by Anna Zhang
Q: What was it about criminal law that intrigued you?
By Anna Zhang There is a well-known joke amongst students at the U of T Faculty of Law that everyone goes into law school wanting to become the next Amal Clooney, but everyone comes out of law school headed for Bay Street. All over the country, young law students fantasize over what a career on Bay Street promises: prestige, cutting-edge files, and of course, high pay. As a student facing substantial tuition debt and sky-rocketing rent, it’s difficult to imagine a better option. Why would anyone ever leave those benefits behind?
I spoke with five lawyers who excelled in law school, earned a position on Bay Street, and later abandoned the heart of the Financial District to practice criminal law. Each had their own reason for making the change. Some were always interested in criminal law; others wanted more opportunities to get on their feet. One lawyer made the switch after a Crown Attorney called him and said, “you have to try this, it’s the most fun you’ll ever have at a job!” Nevertheless, every lawyer’s reasons to enter criminal law seemed to center around two factors: greater litigation experience and a desire to help people. By Nicholas Buhite
By Cameron Cotton-O'Brien
Since he was called to the bar in 2005, Sean Robichaud has made a name for himself as a prominent criminal defence lawyer in Toronto. In addition to being lead counsel at Robichaud’s, a firm focused on criminal defence matters, Mr. Robichaud hosts the popular Of Counsel podcast, where he interviews prominent lawyers from across the province. Mr. Robichaud sat down with a writer from the Criminal Law Students’ Association to offer his perspective on criminal defence and how interested students can approach this field as a career. The interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. |
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