The New Normal – Young advocates views on work arrangements “post-pandemic”

Friends Who Argue

From fall 2021 to early 2022, three members of the Young Advocates Standing Committee’s Future of the Profession working group, Brendan McArthur-Stevens, Sara McGregor, and Zac Thiffault, conducted a survey of young advocates asking what they hoped for and expected from their workplaces as people started to return to the office. The survey – The future of advocacy and work arrangements ‘post’-pandemic: Perspectives of young advocates – provides insight into what young advocates are looking for in respect of remote and on-site work, mental health, and mentorship. In this episode, Brendan, Sara, and Zac discuss the results of this survey.
The results of their survey can also be found here: https://www.advocates.ca/Upload/Files/PDF/Community_Events/YASC/The-Future-of-Advocacy-Post-Pandemic-Perspectives-of-Young-Advocates.pdf
Brendan Mcarthur-Stevens is an associate at Blakes in Calgary. He specializes in complex commercial disputes and advising clients in the areas of constitutional and administrative law. Brendan also teaches administration law at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law.
Sara McGregor is a senior associate at Borden Ladner Gervais. She lives and works in Toronto but began her career in Calgary. Sara is currently on maternity leave but she maintains a broad disputes practice with a focus on complex commercial and civil litigation matters involving private and public companies, as well as individuals.
Zac Thiffault is an in-house legal advisor with the Métis Nation of Ontario, a role which focuses on Indigenous governance and Aboriginal rights. Before working with the MNO, Zac practised at a small full-service firm in Midland, Ontario, primarily practicing in the areas of civil litigation and estate planning.
The interviewer, Karen Bernofsky, is an associate at Stockwoods LLP in Toronto. Karen’s practice encompasses a range of complex corporate commercial civil litigation, administrative law, and criminal law with a focus on complex civil fraud claims. Karen is currently a member of the Young Advocates Standing Committee.
Land Acknowledgement
The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.
While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.
We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.