Candid Conversations with Supreme Court of Canada Judges

On February 6, I had the honour to attend the program “Candid Conversations on the Challenges and Seizing Opportunities in the Practice of Law Today”, held by the Ontario Bar Association. It was an honour to hear from Justice Moldaver, Justice Cote, and Justice Wagner of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Program participants were divided into three groups, and the judges rotated through each group. A multitude of topics were discussed, including career insights and the role of the judiciary. Below are a few interesting comments I heard:

Think outside the box when arguing for a change in the law. Judgments have a shelf life.
Be resilient.
Preparation is key. You can never be too prepared when arguing a case.
To attract business, it is important to be seen in the business community.
Don’t feel stuck in a practice area or firm. There is flexibility. The path of life is filled with the improbable. When one door closes another one opens. It just might be an unexpected door.
There is no certainty in the courtroom.
There are no small cases. Only small lawyers. (reference to the quote – no small parts, only small actors). Every case is important.
You don’t have to have your name in lights to help people get through the morass of laws.
To keep the public’s faith in the judicial system, we have to explain to the public what the courts do, who the judges are, where they come from, and why we do things a certain way. The court needs to communicate with the public. Courts need to be transparent.
The essential ingredient in the judicial system is faith. Without faith in the judicial system, there will be anarchy.
People take news from social media now. We have to update the judicial system’s communication with the public to reflect that.
Lawyers need to be more creative with their fee structures. We are starting see self-represented litigants trickle up to the appellate levels at higher rates.