The Law School Show

Join Amos Vang as he interviews Professor Joseph Magnet on his career and the evolution of Canada’s constitutionalism.

From clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada under Chief Justice Brian Dickson to becoming the lead counsel of over 200 constitutional cases at the Supreme Court of Canada and other appeal courts, Professor Magnet has become one of the most important contributors to Canada’s constitutional evolution.  Professor Magnet talks about how Canada has changed, how the constitutional legal practice has changed, and how classical music can be an extremely helpful background.

You can read more about Professor Magnet’s work on his website: http://www.constitutional-law.net/

Host Ashley Bains sits down with Dr. Jennifer Schulz, a practicing mediator and torts professor at the University of Manitoba. They discuss Dr. Schulz's law school experience, obtaining an MPhil and SJD, and how to start a career in mediation. Plus, Dr. Schulz provides some tips for law school success!

Jacob Stilman, a practicing criminal defence lawyer with 30 years of experience, discusses the day-to-day life of a defence attorney. Host William Lundy asks for Jacob's response to that common question for criminal defence lawyers: "How could you live with defending that person?" They also discuss the charge that defence lawyers take advantage of "technicalities" to keep accused persons out of prison.

In this broad look at criminal defence, Jacob discusses plea bargains, the questions involved in going to trial, the art of cross-examination, and preparing an accused to take the stand. The conversation also touches on recent changes to criminal law — including marijuana legalization and impaired driving, the latter of which is the subject of Jacob's chapter in the recently published book, "High Time" — the abolition of peremptory challenges in jury selection, and the so-called 'Jian Ghomeshi' rules in sexual assault trials.

Carolyn Ayre joins host Sabrina Dueck to discuss her journey through law, first as a defence lawyer for 18 years in Ontario and then as a Crown prosecutor for the Specialized Prosecutions Branch in Calgary.

Carolyn reflects on her experiences on both sides of the adversarial system, as well as the importance of the duties of the Crown prosecutor in the criminal justice system. Carolyn also talks about her experience as a law student, and shares advice for students looking to practice criminal law on either side of the system.

In this episode, Dr. Beth Van Schaack of Stanford Law School provides listeners with insight into how to start and maintain a career in international law. With host Peter Shyba, this interview focuses on lessons from Dr. Van Schaack's career in international humanitarian, criminal, and human rights law, and her new book, Imagining Justice for Syria.

What does it mean to be an entertainment lawyer in Canada? Host and LLM candidate Lucie Zhang speaks to Susan Abramovitch, one of the world's leading entertainment lawyers, about what it means to her. Now practicing at Gowling WLG and licensed in Ontario, Québec, and New York, Susan shares her day-to-day experience as an entertainment lawyer, discusses the entertainment law landscape in Canada, and reflects on what led her to practice law in the creative industries.

Systemic racism and racial profiling in law enforcement both exist in Canada. Lawyer Sunil Gurmukh has partnered with Western University Faculty of Law on the Hidden Racial Profiling Project, aimed at uncovering racial profiling in law enforcement across the country. Join Becca Orsini, host and 2L student at Western Law, as Gurmukh discusses his career as a human rights lawyer as well as his work on this project.

In the second of two related episodes, host Nurulayn Noor sits with Annie Tayyab to discuss diversity within the legal field. As a South Asian lawyer, Annie discusses how to show up as your authentic self, in law school and while working as a lawyer. She also talks about the power of networking to help find your calling, how to battle imposter syndrome, and the importance of mentorship. 

In this episode, host Nurulayn Noor has a discussion with Maneesha Gupta, the founder of Mindful Lawyer Canada, a yoga and meditation initiative. As a South Asian lawyer, Maneesha talks about cultivating one’s personality and the power of learning who you are throughout your journey in law. She discusses self-compassion and mindfulness while manoeuvring through the legal field and the importance of finding not one, but several mentors.