As we approach the final LSUC exam before the substantive changes in August I have been thinking about my own personal experience in writing the Ethics exam as a grand-parented paralegal. I had been practicing for approximately 15 years prior, without any formal education in the area of law. I observed the behaviour of my colleagues both paralegals and lawyers and made notes to myself as to what I believed was the correct way to conduct oneself in the profession. As I reflect back, those who modeled high ethical standards, stayed the course and today are amongst the leaders of the profession. Those who did not conduct themselves with integrity have for the most part faded into the past and are no longer practicing. When exam time came I was in the midst of deep personal crises. My father had had a massive stroke and much of my time was spent at the hospital witnessing him on the delicate perch between life and death, all the while trying to study. My father had been one of the great lawyers of his time, a pioneering force in the insolvency world. As I studied by his bedside, when he was lucid I would read the material to him and ask him ethical questions. Though he could no longer speak he was able to communicate with hand gestures and signal to me if I was on the right track. As you can imagine it was extremely difficult to retain any of the information that I was reading. Not only was it boring, but the thought of sitting in an exam with 600 other people was over-whelming. When I expressed this to Sandee Sharpe my now partner at PREP Network, she challenged me to look at the material through a different lens. She listened to my fear, cleared away my confusion and set me on a path of mindful and efficient studying. Some of the techniques around collating and retention of vast amounts of material I still use every day in my practice, and is one of the secrets of my success as a paralegal. I have heard the same fears echoed in the hundreds of students that have come through the doors of PREP Network. I have witnessed them move from panic and fear, to growth and comfort in the space of a few hours. It is glorious to observe, and to all of you who have joined us in our exam prep course you know exactly what I am talking about. Each one of you has your own story as to why you made the leap to join the profession, but it is invariably because you have a passion for the law and a deep desire to be of service to the public. In this coming year – remember that passion, and with it approach everything that you do as it pertains to the profession. My father died several months after his stroke. The last document that he ever commissioned after 55 years of practicing was my license.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 16:41:42 +0000
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