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Sarah O’Connor is the Managing Partner at O’Conner Richardson. She graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School with an LL.B. in 2004 and obtained her LL.M. at the University of London in 2014. Sarah mainly practices civil and corporate litigation law, construction liens, and contract disputes.
I was interested in law from a very young age. It may have been all the hours watching Matlock after elementary school! I enjoyed history classes in high school, and that was my major in university. Becoming a lawyer was a way to help shape history, contribute to the betterment of society, and give people a voice that they may not have otherwise. Those reasons are what motivated me to become a lawyer.
I was surprised at how much more stressful it felt over writing university exams. You are in a room with so many other students who also want to be a lawyer and you realize how competitive the process actually is. You are essentially competing with not just this room but every other person writing the LSATs.
The time management for the test was always troublesome. Spending too much time trying to answer questions I either didn’t understand or couldn’t figure out the answer.
I didn’t have that much work experience relating to law. I had summer jobs in undergrad, but nothing in an office or law-related. Any job that holds you accountable, learning time management, and good communication skills is a good experience. Learning people skills and interacting with a wide range of people from different socio-economic backgrounds makes you a more well-rounded candidate from which to draw experience.
I didn’t have any setbacks or rejections. I was accepted by every school I applied to and had scholarship offers to many of the American law schools where I applied. Ultimately, I decided to stay in Ontario and go to Osgoode Hall.
Using AI to create a personal statement can take away the uniqueness of the individual applicant. AI can be helpful as a starting point, but you don’t want your personal statement to not sound like yourself or be a generic answer or read like it was automated. I see more facts or even pleadings that read like it was AI-generated, and they sound artificial.
I do a lot of corporate/commercial litigation, construction lien work, and commercial/contract disputes. I like being in court. These areas seem to have a lot of court appearances. These cases can be very similar in law but the facts are all different. Litigation is interesting as you have many different personalities and motives at play, [and] you meet a lot of interesting clients. If you want to be a litigator, watch motions, watch trials. See what it is like. The majority of court proceedings are open to the public to watch. Other opportunities could be a public speaking class or joining Toastmasters - any activity that helps you prep for public speaking and thinking on your feet. There is not much worse than a litigator who stumbles through their argument and uses filler words.
I think litigation/barrister work is one of the areas where AI would be slow to eliminate. AI can’t replace courtroom advocacy. Intellectual Property and Health law are areas that would be good options as well.
Personal relationships suffer. Work can overwhelm and take over your life. I’ve had to miss family dinners or special events because I’m under court deadlines or in a trial. You have to schedule events around court appearances. I’ve had to either cancel or cut short holidays. I can’t remember the last time I went on vacation and didn’t work.
Not enough… taking the LSAT once was sufficient for me. I would probably pay you not to have to take it again.
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