Studying Law Around the World

This week on the podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Aaron Baer. Aaron is a Partner at Renno & Co. and a co-founder of 4L Academy. On paper, Aaron began his career on the ultimate traditional track, making partner at a Canadian Big Law firm before turning 30. Along the way, however, he became one of the few practicing lawyers exploring legal tech, knowledge management, and structured mentorship. When traditional firm leadership told him to stop innovating and just bill hours, he walked away to help build a modern, innovative law firm that actually trains its people and embraces how different brains work. We got into why law schools and traditional firms are failing junior lawyers, how to master business development without bragging about your awards, and why management best practices are the secret to supporting neurodivergent talent. Zooming out from the 1-foot view. Junior lawyers are often thrown onto the field with terrible instructions and tight Friday deadlines, which creates anxiety and stops real learning. Aaron explains how to pause, zoom out to the 30,000-foot view, and ask what success actually looks like to the client before you ever touch a precedent. Replacing "yapping" with real sales methodology. Most lawyers think pitching means reciting their awards and telling a prospective client how lucky they are to hire the firm. Learn why real business development relies on established frameworks like SPIN Selling and The Challenger Sale, where you spend far less time talking and far more time asking questions about the client's problems. What is the unspoken rule here? Neither law school nor your firm's senior partners are going to save your career. The legal industry suffers from a massive training deficit, and with artificial intelligence making it faster for senior lawyers to do baseline work themselves rather than delegating to an untrained junior, the traditional entry-level value proposition is shrinking. There are no shortcuts to competence. You have to read voraciously, self-teach, and use AI to analyze your own blind spots. Most importantly, you have to get over the psychological fear of rejection. Creating your own luck is simply math: if you put yourself out there and try a hundred new things, ninety might fail, but the ten that hit will transform your career. Ask "why" before you draft. Never start drafting a contract or memo without understanding the client's business goal, what they are worried about going wrong, and what success looks like to them. Clients hate paying for over-lawyered paperwork that misses the commercial point. Study sales to control your destiny. Sales is the most transferable skill in the world and gives you true independence in the legal profession. Put yourself in the shoes of a buyer, read books on sales psychology, and build a replicable system for following up. Treat luck as a numbers game. Cold-applying to job postings is rarely enough in a crowded junior market. Build something of value, experiment when the opportunity cost is low, and get comfortable with rejection so you can create your own breaks. Guest: Aaron Baer, Partner at Renno & Co., Co-Founder of 4L Academy, and Founder of the upcoming Legal Neurodiversity Association. Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC).For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/

This week on the podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Daniel Waldman. Daniel is a partner at Dickinson Wright in Toronto, where he leads a high-stakes commercial and real estate litigation practice representing prominent commercial landlords, international developers, REITs, and financial institutions. Long before arguing precedent-setting cases at the Ontario Court of Appeal, Daniel began his career as a journalist, working for the CBC in London and the Associated Press in Jerusalem. After transitioning into law and prosecuting white-collar crime at the Ontario Securities Commission, he pivoted into private practice, reinvented his focus, and established himself as one of Canada's leading voices in real property litigation.We got into how journalistic curiosity translates into courtroom advocacy, the complex business realities behind real estate disputes, and why building a public reputation outside your daily files is essential for career longevity.Why "put your head down and work" is a trap. Senior lawyers often tell juniors to focus strictly on assigned tasks. Daniel explains why waiting years to start writing, speaking, and networking hurts your trajectory, and how publishing industry columns (like his regular Property Law Hub column on RENX.ca) leads directly to organic client referrals and even AI search recommendations.The art of professional reinvention. Starting your career in one area does not lock you in forever. Daniel shares how he transitioned from regulatory prosecutions at the Ontario Securities Commission to securities litigation at a national firm, and later to a real estate boutique where he carved out a specialized niche.Inside commercial real estate disputes. Real estate litigation is never as simple as reading a standard contract. With financing shifts, zoning hurdles, construction liens, and complex lease renewals, when a deal goes sideways, a great litigator has to understand the underlying financial statements and commercial mechanics just as well as the case law.What is the unspoken rule here? If you ask a question and a senior lawyer gets annoyed, they will forget all about it the moment you hand in a great piece of work. If you stay quiet to protect your ego and make a costly mistake on the file, everyone will remember. Law school does not teach you how to practice, and every new lawyer feels lost at the beginning. Furthermore, you cannot rely solely on lawyer-to-lawyer networking. By showing up at industry conferences where very few lawyers are in the room, and by sending clients proactive updates on new cases that affect their bottom line, you transform yourself from a billable technician into an indispensable business partner.Guest: Daniel Waldman, Partner at Dickinson Wright LLP, commercial and real estate litigator, legal columnist, and Board Member of the Peel Law Association.Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC).For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/

This week on the podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mark Evans. Mark recently completed his historic term as President of the Law Society of England and Wales. Hailing from a small village in North Wales, Mark grew up with no legal connections, the son of a steelworker and a school volunteer. After a 1980s police height restriction closed one door, a work experience placement arranged by his history teacher opened another. Mark qualified as a solicitor in 1995, built a three-decade practice as a trusted community general practitioner, and eventually made history as only the third Welsh president in the Law Society's 201-year history, and the very first from North Wales.We got into the art of communicating so your own family understands your advice, why the law is fundamentally a human relationship business, and how lawyers around the globe can set strict boundaries to protect their personal diaries.The power of community practice. Long before leading 210,000 solicitors on the global stage, Mark spent decades as a local general practitioner. He explains why serving individuals across property transactions, succession planning, and family law builds multi-generational trust that no legal textbook can teach.Relatable, human communication. If you cannot explain a legal concept so that your parents understand it, you have not mastered the material. Mark shares his philosophy on stripping away legalistic jargon in favor of plain, empathetic communication that focuses on real-world impact and practical remedies.The reality of modern boundary setting. When Mark began practicing in 1993, work ended when you left the office. Today, emails, WhatsApp messages, and notifications follow lawyers everywhere. Mark discusses why junior lawyers must be just as disciplined with their private calendars as their work diaries to prevent burnout.What is the unspoken rule here? Lawyers are human beings first, not machines. Too many early-career lawyers believe they must surrender their entire identity to the profession to earn respect. Mark proves that staying true to your roots, speaking openly about mental health, and remaining an ordinary, approachable person in your community makes you a far stronger advocate. Furthermore, you cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of the profession. Whether by joining regional committees, responding to public consultations, or supporting colleagues through initiatives like LegalRunner, real institutional change only happens when practitioners step forward and voice their perspectives.Be as strict with your personal diary as your work calendar. Set clear expectations with clients and colleagues about your availability. 24/7 digital access is not a badge of honor; protecting your personal time with friends and family is essential for long-term survival in the law.Do not judge a practice area by its textbook. Subjects like land law, trusts, or tax can feel dry in a classroom lecture. Keep an open mind and test them in real-world practice, where helping clients buy their first home or start a business brings the law to life.Remember that the law is borderless. With over 12,000 English solicitors practicing abroad and the rise of dual qualification, legal practice is deeply interconnected. Engage with international colleagues, because questions of access to justice, regulation, and the rule of law affect lawyers in every jurisdiction.Guest: Mark Evans, past President of the Law Society of England and Wales (2025/26), solicitor, and founder of LegalRunner.Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC).For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/

This week on the podcast, I had the honour of sitting down with Rawan Dareer. Rawan is a Sudanese-Canadian lawyer, entrepreneur, and the co-founder and CEO of Hakimu, a pioneering startup building AI-powered legal infrastructure across the African continent. After studying at NYU Abu Dhabi and earning a master's degree in migration studies at the University of Oxford, Rawan completed her JD at Stanford Law School as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Along the way, she drafted parliamentary codes of conduct in Kuwait, conducted migration research for the United Nations, and clerked for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rwanda.We got into the realities of harmonizing civil and common law traditions in Rwandan courts, how to deploy artificial intelligence safely inside public judiciaries, and why some of the most fascinating careers belong to non-practicing lawyers who use their training to solve systemic problems.What is the unspoken rule here? Talent is equally distributed around the world, but opportunity is not. Law school trains you to think in rigid, structured ways, which often pushes graduates straight onto the safest, most conventional career conveyor belt. Rawan points out that at the very beginning of your career, virtually nothing is irredeemable. You have far more flexibility today than you will have ten years from now. Whether you want to build legal tech from scratch, work on constitutional reconstruction, or tackle climate and migration policy, you do not need to wait for a traditional job posting to give you permission. Find exceptional people you admire, leave room for serendipity, and build the solution yourself.Choose your people over the job title. Early in your career, who you work with often matters more than the specific tasks on your desk. Seek out brilliant leaders you respect who will act as both hands-on mentors and vocal advocates for your growth.Leave room for serendipity. Do not let rigid five-year plans blind you to unexpected opportunities. Halfway through her second year at Stanford Law, Rawan had no idea she would be founding a legal tech company upon graduation. Stay open to pivots.Take the leap early. If you feel called toward a project or a country that falls completely outside the conventional Big Law script, take the risk now while your personal flexibility is highest. Even if a venture fails, the lessons and institutional fluency you gain are yours forever.Guest: Rawan Dareer, co-founder and CEO of Hakimu, Knight-Hennessy Scholar, and Stanford Law School graduate.Where to listen and how to support the showSearch Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If you found value in this episode, please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC).For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, please visit: https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Josh Rosen, a corporate and securities lawyer and Toronto office lead at Pulse Law.Josh began his career with a unique articling experience that took him across three very different work environments in just ten months. He used those early lessons in adaptability to build a practice advising technology and life sciences companies from inception to exit.We discuss how he approaches his career in two to three year cycles, what it takes to build a modern legal practice in a new market, and why professional fulfillment starts with running your own race.Defining your own success. Stop measuring your career against your peers. Whether success means billing 2,000 hours on Bay Street or finding a better work life balance, Josh explains why your career should reflect your own goals, needs, and boundaries.The two year check in. Josh evaluates his career every two to three years by asking three simple questions: Are you happy? Are you growing? Are you compensated fairly? Learn how to assess your progress while making room for personal and professional fulfillment.Authentic networking. Not a fan of large networking events? You do not have to force it. Josh shares why building genuine connections, rather than transactional relationships, can lead to lasting professional opportunities.Learning the business of law. Junior lawyers often receive assignments without fully understanding their purpose. Josh explains why going beyond the checklist and understanding how legal work helps senior lawyers assess risk can make a real difference early in your career.Building a sustainable career. Law is a marathon, not a sprint. Taking every assignment and working endless hours without clear goals or boundaries can lead to burnout. Learn why developing your legal skills, understanding the business of law, and protecting your well being all matter for long term success.Define success based on your own values, not someone else's career path.Review your career regularly to make sure you are learning, growing, and being fairly compensated.Be intentional about your work, build authentic relationships, and set boundaries that support a sustainable career.Guest: Josh Rosen, corporate and securities lawyer and Toronto office lead at Pulse Law.Search for Studying Law Around the World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If you find value in the show, please follow the podcast and leave a rating. Your support helps more law students and lawyers discover these conversations.Selected episodes of Studying Law Around the World are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit with the Law Society of Ontario and Continuing Legal Education (CLE/CPD) credit with the Law Society of British Columbia. For approved episodes, accreditation details, and participation information, visit:https://studyinglawaroundtheworld.com/