Mistake at Work

[easttowest]

Lot of weird pseudo legal advice going around, @CleanHands is correct, this is not an issue for this forum. Consider contacting the Law Society. 

[Diplock]

@Peace3000 General support from this forum is great, but the limiting factor in terms of real world problems is that we don't actually know everything about the situation. It would also never be a good idea to advise the OP to share all details. So my basic advice is this. Between law school, networking generally, and any prior experiences, I would hope you have at least one contact who is a lawyer you feel comfortable confiding in in real life, who is outside your employer. Do that. Don't only look for help online. It has inherent limitations, as evidenced here.

You may be at the point where drastic steps are appropriate. That could include approaching the Law Society, going on leave from work, taking steps against your employer, etc. None of those things should be done without due consideration and proper advice. That's why you approach someone and have a real conversation. Ideally it would be a lawyer not only because a lawyer gets the profession, but also because some of what may arise would be best approached in a solicitor-client relationship.

Note, when I say "approaching the Law Society" isn't a step to take lightly, I mean in terms of filing a complaint. You have and you should access resources to help you there, personally. That's different, and always appropriate.

This last part I do not offer lightly, and it's on the edge of forum policy. If you know absolutely no real lawyers who you are willing to approach as described, PM me and we'll start a conversation if you want to. I will not do this entirely online. It's not responsible. But I'll find out enough about your situation to suggest someone who could help you, which is likely not to be me personally but could be. At that point, you'll have to be willing to have that conversation in person. The profession never wants to orphan someone in your situation. Even a lawyer you don't know will step up if that's what it takes. But you need to be willing to engage with them in the real world, because this is a real issue that's going far beyond teh Internetz at this point.

In all events, all the best, and take care of yourself.

[Peace3000]

Another update: My principal suddenly called me today. I don't know what came over him but he seemed very sheepish and apologetic. I have never seen him liked that. He said he didn't mean it when he said I should just quit and that he has been having a bad time. 

He told me to take the day off and come in on Monday and see how we can better things. He said that all the other partners agreed they would like to keep me on as I have been improving everyday and am liked around the office. He even commented on my ability to always say yes to challenging files. 

 I tried contacting an old prof for a LLM reference today and told him what was going on. He basically stated this: the law society doesn't give a shit about student mistakes......what it does care about is dispensing with principals who do anything but facilitate student training. 

I don't know what I am going to do..I think I will have to think long and hard before going back. 

[OntheVerge]

You have a few options. It's up to you to decide if it's worth sticking it out for the sake of completing articling there, OR, if you'd rather quit and find articling elsewhere. That's a personal decision on how your current placement is affecting your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, in my experience, the LSO is useless in providing advice in this situation.

You can also contact the LSO about the possibility of an abridgement, to shorten the length of your term, if you decide to remain where you are. I know people who have been in toxic articling placements who were successful in doing so, and didn't have to stick out the last 6 weeks -  https://lso.ca/Becoming-Licensed/Lawyer-Licensing-Process/Articling-Candidates/Reducing-the-length-of-a-Placement#an-abridgement-based-on-compassionate-grounds-6

I do want to bring to your attention that it is an option to leave your current placement and find a placement elsewhere. Quitting your current position does not mean that you'll never be licensed and working as a lawyer. Quitting reflects badly on your principal, NOT on you. And quitting doesn't mean that no other placements will be available for the remaining term. If you know any lawyers personally, you can always explain the situation and ask if they're willing to take you on the rest of your articling term and fill out the necessary paperwork at the LSO to complete it. 

 

 

[Zarathustra]

This sounds like a pretty toxic environment, talk to an employment lawyer?

[Hegdis]

OP, I have known Diplock personally for many years. If you are in Ontario I highly recommend connecting with him. If you are in BC you can PM me. 

This is the kind of situation where knowing another lawyer who can at least hear you out in a safe space and support you in your next steps is critical.

I also hope you can reach out to family or close friends. Whatever is going on, your initial reaction is not ok. It’s not normal, and it’s not something you should ever accept. This is not what the profession is, and it’s not how you should ever be treated. Having these thoughts is serious and you need to address that, and you need to be supported while you do it.

Do not feel that just because you’re in a tough job you need to “toughen up” when some dickhead decides to vent his spleen on you. I don’t give a shit what you did. You ‘fessed up to it like a responsible adult learning a new job - like a professional - and that’s the arena where all the fallout should have occurred. None of this bullying crap. 
 

If you feel comfortable please let us know how it goes. And as with any of these kinds of topics, the mods will have a freer hand with deleting your posts later should you wish. 

[GGrievous]

I’m grateful that people like diplock and hegdis exist among people like OP’s boss. Makes me feel less anxious for what I’ll go through in a couple years, and hope to follow their example if I make it to their seniority. Also not surprised that both are crim lawyers based on what I’ve learned about that bar. 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Barry

[CleanHands]

12 hours ago, Barry said:

Also not surprised that both are crim lawyers based on what I’ve learned about that bar. 

Eh, it's a small and tight-knit world and there are a lot of fantastic and amazing people and mentors there but just to be clear there are definitely some shithead criminal lawyers out there who are terrible, terrible articling principles...

[GGrievous]

9 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

Eh, it's a small and tight-knit world and there are a lot of fantastic and amazing people and mentors there but just to be clear there are definitely some shithead criminal lawyers out there who are terrible, terrible articling principles...

Shit… has that been your experience? 

[CleanHands]

Just now, Barry said:

Shit… has that been your experience? 

No, I've personally been very fortunate to have had nothing but amazing mentors at multiple different defence firms and clinics and with the Crown. But I am privy to situations involving people who were not so fortunate (who had experiences comparable to, if not worse than, any articling horror story I've read on the forums).

Crim law in particular attracts a lot of people who are incredibly passionate about what they do and love nurturing similar passions in students, as well as a lot of people who are quite dysfunctional and don't do well in institutional settings having to work for or with other people and who treat their own little firms as their own little fiefdoms. I think it's fair to say that student experiences in this field tend to fall at extreme ends of the spectrum compared to other areas of law.

[GGrievous]

Just now, CleanHands said:

 people who were not so fortunate (who had experiences comparable to, if not worse than, any articling horror story I've read 

Obviously I would never ask for names but I do wonder who. Hopefully I can always ask previous articling students about their experience and they’ll be upfront if they were one of these unlucky bastards. 

[CleanHands]

9 minutes ago, Barry said:

Obviously I would never ask for names but I do wonder who. Hopefully I can always ask previous articling students about their experience and they’ll be upfront if they were one of these unlucky bastards. 

This is yet another reason why mentorship is important. Even if an experienced lawyer in your practice area and geographical area is unable to hire you, they probably have a good idea about who is good to work for and who one should avoid (word gets around about who abuses students or is just a bellend in general) and can point you in the right directions. Whereas generally people are going to be reluctant to talk shit about other lawyers to people they don't really know or trust.