First-year law students with prior careers approach legal studies with confidence

Many law students go straight from kindergarten through to their JD without a break, but University of Alberta Faculty of Law students who had different careers before turning to law studies bring unique experiences to the classroom.

“I want to operate a boutique tax-law firm after I graduate,” said Mark Stevens, ‘23 JD, who had his own accountancy practice before law school and is still running his firm while handling a full academic course load.

After working alongside other tax lawyers on various client projects, Stevens was drawn to the complexity of legal tax work and its complementary relationship with accountancy.

Raj Oberoi, ‘23 JD, is a former Parliamentary relations officer for the Correctional Service of Canada, who was involved with anything relating to Parliament and corrections. That included writing speeches for ministers, researching incidents, and speaking to people all over the country. For his exemplary service, he received a Commissioner’s Commendation.

“It was hard to leave; they really wanted me to stay,” said Oberoi. “But I’m happy to be here and the Faculty did a good job [with distanced learning].”

Sarah Johnson, ‘23 JD, a former youth co-ordinator for the Métis Nation of Alberta, always wanted to be a lawyer and after success in a career organizing community events and connecting youth, made the leap to law school.

“Being surrounded by youth and cultural teachers really empowered me to branch out and try law school,” said Johnson. “It gave me a little push to just try.”

With discussions around systemic racism and anti-discrimination happening globally, Johnson believes that by being a representative of her community inside the justice system she can help usher in change.

Life lessons

In addition to arming them with time-management skills, professional working lives before law school gave these students self-confidence.

“Working exposed me to lots of different people across Alberta,” said Johnson. “I’m from a small Alberta town up north, so being exposed to different people helped me overcome some hurdles.”

Since reading and digesting clients’ cases was a major component of obtaining a Chartered Professional Accountant designation, Stevens was prepared for the volume of cases he needs to read while studying law. “That helps make law school feel a bit more like familiar territory.”

Studying primarily online this semester has also been relatively easier for these students who’ve been employed in other careers. Stevens feels no issues at all because his CPA was done almost completely online. Johnson, who worked out of Bonnyville while her co-workers were in Edmonton, is familiar with working remotely and independently from supervisors.

Why law

A common theme among these three is their strong appreciation for the everyday importance of the law and the overarching effects it has on everyone.

“I realized how important the law is to the function of society from working with the Correctional Service,” said Oberoi. “It impacts so many people; (that) helps my drive.”

After working with Elders, youth, and other Indigenous groups that were all directly affected by the law in dramatic ways, Johnson now wants to be a part of the positive changes in the Canadian legal system for the betterment of the BIPOC community.

“Watching youth in the community grow, and knowing how important the law is for their life, it motivates me,” said Johnson.