PrecedentJD’s editor-in-chief Melissa Kluger

When contemplating your dream job, there are a lot of big questions to consider. What kind of law do you want to practise? What city do you want to live in? Do you want to work in private practice or government or go in-house? Do you even want to practise law or do you want to use your legal skills to do something else? Big questions indeed.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by these big questions as the school year begins, take a step back and ask yourself a different set of questions — the ones that often get overlooked (or at least that I overlooked when I was in law school). What kind of environment do you want to work in? Do you want to wear a suit and take an elevator to an office in a tall building? Or would you rather dress casual and work someplace where the windows open? And how do you want to get to work? Do you want to live somewhere that’s accessible by transit or would you rather drive? What if you could walk, bike or maybe even fly to your job?

Thunder Bay lawyer Brennan Sacevich often hops on a plane to fly into remote communities. Our news editor, Daniel Fish, met Sacevich on a trip to Thunder Bay for our feature story on the soon-to-boom city. And while not all of us will be stowing our briefcases in the overhead compartment, Sacevich’s experience practising law in the North will give you a taste of what law can offer outside the skyscraper. We also look to other cities that, like Thunder Bay, are enjoying considerable growth and offering great opportunities for young lawyers. The point is, you’ve got options. Whether you’re donning rain boots, fur hats or more classic business attire, the law will be challenging wherever you go, so be sure to find a place that suits you.

Speaking of suits, if your dream job is indeed at a formal office, be sure to check out “Fashion advice for young lawyers,” where three well-dressed Bay Street lawyers offer counsel on how to dress for the job. And no matter where you want to work, don’t forget to consider how you look online — our guide to using social media professionally is a good place to start.

Let this magazine be your guide as you begin to chart the course of your career. You might not be ready to answer the big questions yet, but if you start thinking about them now, you’ll be better prepared to build a career that you love.

Melissa Kluger
Publisher & Editor

Post Script: Whatever works

When I worked as a lawyer, my dress code was business attire and my office was high up in a Bay Street office tower. Now that I own my own business as publisher of PrecedentJD, I’m a lot more casual. Our HQ is on the second floor of an old house in downtown Toronto. When the weather’s nice, we bike or walk to work and use the backyard for meetings or summer barbecues. When figuring out my own career, I didn’t realize how much this matters to me. But now that I’ve found my ideal work environment, I know how much it does. And I save a lot on dry cleaning.

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