Off The Tracks

In this episode, we sit down with Amy Grubb as part of a continuation of Off the Tracks’ series, Going Solo. Amy is a lawyer, legal consultant, and Clio Certified Consultant. She is the Founder of Grubb Legal Consulting, a company that helps lawyers build more profitable practices. In this episode, Amy shares the story of how at ten years of practicing law she left the business law group at a national law firm to figure out what she wanted to do next in her career. Amy tells us how opening an online gift shop launched her into the world of entrepreneurship and led her to start her own practice and later, her consulting business. In this conversation we also explore the difference between a coach and a consultant, how Amy sets fun quarterly goals to celebrate her success, and the unsuspecting place kiwis are grown.

Work with Amy / Follow Amy on LinkedIn

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services.

In this episode, we sit down with Thijiba Sinnathamby as part of a continuation of Off the Tracks’ series, Going Solo. Thijiba is the principal lawyer of TSJ Law, a boutique family law and estate firm in Oakville. Thijiba works extensively with women who have experienced gender based violence. She is also a part-time Staff Lawyer at Luke’s Place and volunteers regularly with the Women’s Centre of Halton. In this conversation, Thijiba tells us about her process of seeking out advice from other female identifying lawyers prior to starting her own firm and how she pays this mentorship forward, the importance of becoming choosier when taking on clients as your practice grows, and her strong belief that there’s room in the legal profession for every solo lawyer to take up space and win.

Work with Thijiba / Follow TSJ Law on Instagram / Follow Thijiba on Twitter 

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services.

In this episode, we sit down with Ashley Syer as part of a continuation of Off the Tracks’ series, Going Solo. Ashley is a lawyer, mediator, and founder of Syer Law, Gastown Mediation, and The Lawyer Incubator. The Lawyer Incubator is the first project of its kind in Canada, where Ashley provides mentorship and support to lawyers starting their solo practices. In this conversation Ashley tells us about how she landed her articling job while waitressing, why she doesn’t always take monetary retainers from her clients, and her experience spending a week disconnected from work while on a river boat in the Amazon.

Work with Ashley: Syer Law / Gastown Mediation / The Lawyer Incubator

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services.

In this episode we are launching a brand new series, Going Solo. In this series of episodes, we will speak with lawyers who have made the leap and opened their own law firm.

In this episode we are joined by Jennifer Chan. Jennifer is a workplace litigator who represents employees, small to medium-sized businesses, and non-profit organizations in employment disputes. She also practices workers’ compensation law. In this conversation, Jennifer explains how there is increased job security as a solo practitioner, how she is currently growing her practice, the mental cost of paying off student debt, and her love of poker and the Toronto Raptors.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter. / Work with Jennifer. / Learn from Jennifer’s student debt journey.

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services.

We are so excited to be celebrating one year of the podcast! In this solo episode, we discuss what the past year has taught us, how creating the podcast together has helped us feel less alone, the importance of celebrating your wins, and what we are each working on this year.

A big thank you to you (yes, you!) for tuning into the podcast this year. We are so grateful for each and every download, subscriber, and review. Stay tuned for our next series, Going Solo, premiering next week!

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services.

In this episode we are joined by our friend and law school classmate, Micah Pirk O’Connell. After articling at a litigation firm in Toronto, Micah transitioned to a non-practicing privacy role within Nova Scotia’s provincial public service. Prior to law school, Micah and his partner traveled across Canada performing folk music professionally. In this episode, Micah shares his thoughts on the doors a law degree can open for you, his challenging experience not being hired back after articling, the importance of showing up as your full self throughout law school and recruitment processes, and his experience playing a gig at a tiny Bavarian Schnitzel Haus in Kimberly, British Columbia.

Find Micah’s music here: http://micahoconnell.weebly.com/

Find Micah’s rare books and comic Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/rare_books_and_comics/

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services: https://www.cba.org/Sections/Wellness-Subcommittee/Wellness-Programs

In this episode we are joined by JP Rodrigues. JP is the Paralegal Program Coordinator at a number of the TriOS College campuses, a legal instructor, and a criminal defence lawyer. JP is the creator and host of Justice in Pieces, a live podcast where guests from the legal profession offer their advice to JP’s students. After guesting on Justice in Pieces, it was our turn to put JP in the hot seat! In this episode we discuss how not initially securing an articling position changed the trajectory of JP’s career, the role of overnight telephone duty counsel, and his experience becoming a viral sensation and celebrity in China.

Follow JP on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/justiceinpieces

Find Justice in Pieces episodes here: https://www.justiceinpieces.ca/

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services: https://www.cba.org/Sections/Wellness-Subcommittee/Wellness-Programs

In this episode we are joined by Vanessa Locicero. Vanessa is a lawyer and mentor who helps entrepreneurs energetically align with the legal side of their business through her signature legal empowerment and education program, Legally Lit. Vanessa’s mission is to promote access to justice for entrepreneurs and small businesses so people can reclaim their economic sovereignty and pursue their soul’s purpose on a secure legal foundation. In this episode we discuss why Vanessa left downtown Toronto to practice in Collingwood, how she weaves mentorship and empowerment coaching into her business, why she values relationships over transactions, and how her previous career as a chef fuels her long standing dream of opening a restaurant.

Follow Vanessa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soul.attorney/

Learn more about Vanessa’s legal education and empowerment program, Legally Lit, by booking a discovery call here: https://calendly.com/thesoulattorney/discoverycall

Download Vanessa’s free e-book, “The 7 Steps you need to take to get Legally Lit in 2022” here: https://www.subscribepage.com/7-steps-to-legally-lit

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services: https://www.cba.org/Sections/Wellness-Subcommittee/Wellness-Programs

In this episode we are joined by Vanshika Dhawan. Vanshika is a 3L student at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Outside of law, Vanshika is a writer and designer. We were curious about how the pandemic has impacted law school experiences and once we read Vanshika’s recent article, “An Open Letter to the Law Students Barely Holding it Together,” we really wanted to have her on the podcast. In this conversation we discuss how the pandemic has led to a loss of casual law school acquaintances, Vanshika’s experiences working throughout law school, and her love of young adult fiction.

Follow Vanshika on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vdhwn

Read Vanshika’s piece “An Open Letter to the Law Students Barely Holding it Together”: https://ultravires.ca/2021/10/an-open-letter-to-the-students-barely-holding-it-together/

Learn more about Vanshika’s work: https://vanshikadhawan.com/

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services: https://www.cba.org/Sections/Wellness-Subcommittee/Wellness-Programs

In this episode we are joined by Samantha Peters. Samantha is a lawyer, LLM candidate at Queen’s University Faculty of Law, and the current Director of Legal Initiatives and Public Interest at Black Femme Legal. Samantha is also a frequent commentator and writer on workers’ rights, sexual and gender-based violence, social policy and critical race theory in Canada. In this episode Samantha asks the important question: who does the law protect and serve? We also discuss how Samantha has found empowering and soul nourishing work, the need for ongoing support for Black law students, why abolishing the bar exam is so important, and the power of a delicious mushroom quinoa risotto.

You can find and follow Samantha’s work and writing in many cool spaces online:

Follow Samantha on Twitter: ​​https://twitter.com/SamPetersTO

Follow Black Femme Legal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackfemmelegal/

www.SamanthaPeters.ca

www.BlackFemmeLegal.com

Follow us on Instagram @offthetrackspodcast, check out our website offthetrackspodcast.com, or connect with us by emailing [email protected].

Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

- Erin & Piper

Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? Click here to learn more and access services: https://www.cba.org/Sections/Wellness-Subcommittee/Wellness-Programs