Name: Alex Norris
Year: 2L
Age: 23
Hometown: Wainwright, AB
What did you do before law school?
I used to enjoy “Law & Order: SVU” for its high comedic value, but since beginning law school all I seem to do is yell at the TV when I watch it. I almost miss those days. Before law school I spent four years in Nova Scotia studying for a BBA at St. Francis Xavier University. There I completed an Honours project exploring the internationalization of small and medium-sized women-owned firms, and it was really an amazing experience. When the East Coast chapter of my life closed I hopped across Canada to work at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where I rode an elevator with Wayne Gretzky and saw the Men’s gold medal game. After that I travelled Australia for the summer and then plunked down in Vancouver to start law school at UBC.
What area of law are you interested in?
I haven’t 100% decided what type of law I’d like to practice, but I’m thinking more and more that a small firm setting might be a better fit for me in the long-term. I hope to find articles in a mid-size to large firm so that I can gain exposure to a variety of practice areas, but ultimately I believe I’ll open my own practice one day.
A fun fact about yourself…
For this question I took the liberty of surveying my family. I’m publishing the results but you have to promise not to lose respect for me, OKAY GUYS?!?
Year: 2L
Age: 23
Hometown: Wainwright, AB
What did you do before law school?
I used to enjoy “Law & Order: SVU” for its high comedic value, but since beginning law school all I seem to do is yell at the TV when I watch it. I almost miss those days. Before law school I spent four years in Nova Scotia studying for a BBA at St. Francis Xavier University. There I completed an Honours project exploring the internationalization of small and medium-sized women-owned firms, and it was really an amazing experience. When the East Coast chapter of my life closed I hopped across Canada to work at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where I rode an elevator with Wayne Gretzky and saw the Men’s gold medal game. After that I travelled Australia for the summer and then plunked down in Vancouver to start law school at UBC.
What area of law are you interested in?
I haven’t 100% decided what type of law I’d like to practice, but I’m thinking more and more that a small firm setting might be a better fit for me in the long-term. I hope to find articles in a mid-size to large firm so that I can gain exposure to a variety of practice areas, but ultimately I believe I’ll open my own practice one day.
A fun fact about yourself…
For this question I took the liberty of surveying my family. I’m publishing the results but you have to promise not to lose respect for me, OKAY GUYS?!?
Brother: “You were born a ginger.”
Sister 1: “You like Justin Bieber. You’re very clumsy and fall down a lot.”
Sister 2: “Your favourite food is McDonalds”
Parents: “Everyone thought you were a boy until you were 4.”
What was your favourite part of Orientation Week?
Apart from showing up late and having to awkwardly find a seat near the front of the room? I think I really just liked the week as a whole. Orientation Week was a great mix of fun, “get to know each other” activities and more serious, “this is what you can expect” information sessions. I remember liking the “Paths Taken Panel” because I got to see firsthand all the wonderful things one can do with a law degree. It was a nice reminder that we all came here for different reasons, we will all go do different things after graduation, but for the next three years we get to share the amazing experience that is UBC Law.
What was the best advice an upper year gave you when school started?
I got lots of conflicting advice during Orientation Week, which actually turned out to be rather helpful in the end. For every person who told me to use a computer to take notes, there was another telling me that hand-written notes worked well too. I heard that CAN-ning in a group worked for some people, while others preferred to CAN on their own. Some people took weekends off and did class prep at night, while others spent their (class-free) Mondays doing that week’s readings. The moral of the story? Do what works for you. Have confidence in your abilities and everything will fall into place. Oh – and DO NOT wait until classes end to begin your CAN.
What was the worst advice an upper year gave you when school started?
Honestly, I took every piece of advice offered to me. Some tips I knew I would find useful, while others I knew probably wouldn’t work well for me, but I appreciated the advice nonetheless.
What was your favourite part of first year?
I think the spontaneous small group get-togethers were my favourite. On Fridays after class we often liked to meet up at a campus bar for nachos, etc and we’d usually invite a prof to join us. My small group was full of really fun and interesting people and it was great to spend time together outside of the classroom environment. Plus, they were the only people who appreciated my legal humor.
What was the most challenging part of first year?
Honestly, I found my final exams to be quite challenging. I had planned to be very diligent with my CANning throughout the term but I ended up spending most of my time on assignments. When April came around I felt like I was really scrambling to get all my studying done and there were some moments of genuine panic. Talking to some of my small group friends definitely helped, though, because I realized we were all in the same boat. Exams are intense but you just have to power through and study efficiently.
What was your favourite social event in first year?
Picking one would be like having to pick a favourite child, so obviously I pick the firstborn. Jokes, I think you’re supposed to say, “I love them all equally.” From the Boat Cruise to the Law Revue to the Trike Race to spilling green beer on myself on St. Patrick’s Day, I had a fantastic year. Our small group mentor had us all over to his house for an Indian feast, there were some amazing costumes at the Halloween party, and the 80’s prom was truly magical. You guys have a lot to look forward to.
What would you do differently in 1L?
I definitely did NOT do all of the assigned readings – not even close. Would I change that strategy? Not necessarily. I don’t even know if it’s physically possible to finish all the readings but I decided early on that I wouldn’t let law school take up 100% of my time. It’s important for me to have time for my friends, for my extra-curriculars, and for myself, and so I certainly had to sacrifice some reading time. I tried to be smart about it, though. Sometimes you can skim through a 40 page case pretty quickly, or you can google a summary of the ICJ Kosovo decision rather than read all 30 pages. Unfortunately, sometimes there aren’t any substitutes for actually doing the readings. So yes, if I could do 1L again I might spend a *tad* more time reading the assigned material.
What extracurriculars would you recommend to 1Ls?
During the first few weeks you’ll be bombarded with opportunities to join tons of amazing extracurriculars. I recommend being cautious with what you sign up for. Think carefully about what your interests are and how you want to spend your limited free time. Some people absolutely love LSLAP, others have a ball playing volleyball, and then there’s me, who likes asking for money. I became involved with the Women’s Caucus and offered to help find sponsors for the annual Women & the Law dinner. The dinner was a success and I got to meet a number of amazing women lawyers because I sought out an opportunity to do something I like for an organization I care about. Think about your interests and find an extracurricular that aligns with them. I will also take this chance to plug the Law yoga club and the CFLS lunchtime lectures – they are excellent for your body and mind, respectively.
What was your favourite class? Favourite professor?
My favourite classes were definitely the ones taught by professors who genuinely cared about their students. Case law and legal concepts can be difficult to understand and I really appreciated any effort to make the material engaging, clear, and memorable. Dennis Pavlich added some great colour commentary to our property cases, Janine Benedet clearly articulated how to break down the elements of a criminal offence, Ben Goold crafted diagrams and handouts for Torts, Christie Ford’s passion for admin law was infectious, and Robin Elliot is just absolutely brilliant.
Any words of wisdom for the incoming 1Ls?
As I alluded to earlier, do what works for YOU! It’s easy to get caught up with what everyone else is doing – “everyone is going to ______ Wine and Cheese,” “everyone is signing up for ______,” everyone is applying for ______ jobs” – but don’t lose sight of what’s important to you. Forge your own path through the dense forest that is law school, and be sure to find some awesome people to take along for the ride.
Sister 1: “You like Justin Bieber. You’re very clumsy and fall down a lot.”
Sister 2: “Your favourite food is McDonalds”
Parents: “Everyone thought you were a boy until you were 4.”
What was your favourite part of Orientation Week?
Apart from showing up late and having to awkwardly find a seat near the front of the room? I think I really just liked the week as a whole. Orientation Week was a great mix of fun, “get to know each other” activities and more serious, “this is what you can expect” information sessions. I remember liking the “Paths Taken Panel” because I got to see firsthand all the wonderful things one can do with a law degree. It was a nice reminder that we all came here for different reasons, we will all go do different things after graduation, but for the next three years we get to share the amazing experience that is UBC Law.
What was the best advice an upper year gave you when school started?
I got lots of conflicting advice during Orientation Week, which actually turned out to be rather helpful in the end. For every person who told me to use a computer to take notes, there was another telling me that hand-written notes worked well too. I heard that CAN-ning in a group worked for some people, while others preferred to CAN on their own. Some people took weekends off and did class prep at night, while others spent their (class-free) Mondays doing that week’s readings. The moral of the story? Do what works for you. Have confidence in your abilities and everything will fall into place. Oh – and DO NOT wait until classes end to begin your CAN.
What was the worst advice an upper year gave you when school started?
Honestly, I took every piece of advice offered to me. Some tips I knew I would find useful, while others I knew probably wouldn’t work well for me, but I appreciated the advice nonetheless.
What was your favourite part of first year?
I think the spontaneous small group get-togethers were my favourite. On Fridays after class we often liked to meet up at a campus bar for nachos, etc and we’d usually invite a prof to join us. My small group was full of really fun and interesting people and it was great to spend time together outside of the classroom environment. Plus, they were the only people who appreciated my legal humor.
What was the most challenging part of first year?
Honestly, I found my final exams to be quite challenging. I had planned to be very diligent with my CANning throughout the term but I ended up spending most of my time on assignments. When April came around I felt like I was really scrambling to get all my studying done and there were some moments of genuine panic. Talking to some of my small group friends definitely helped, though, because I realized we were all in the same boat. Exams are intense but you just have to power through and study efficiently.
What was your favourite social event in first year?
Picking one would be like having to pick a favourite child, so obviously I pick the firstborn. Jokes, I think you’re supposed to say, “I love them all equally.” From the Boat Cruise to the Law Revue to the Trike Race to spilling green beer on myself on St. Patrick’s Day, I had a fantastic year. Our small group mentor had us all over to his house for an Indian feast, there were some amazing costumes at the Halloween party, and the 80’s prom was truly magical. You guys have a lot to look forward to.
What would you do differently in 1L?
I definitely did NOT do all of the assigned readings – not even close. Would I change that strategy? Not necessarily. I don’t even know if it’s physically possible to finish all the readings but I decided early on that I wouldn’t let law school take up 100% of my time. It’s important for me to have time for my friends, for my extra-curriculars, and for myself, and so I certainly had to sacrifice some reading time. I tried to be smart about it, though. Sometimes you can skim through a 40 page case pretty quickly, or you can google a summary of the ICJ Kosovo decision rather than read all 30 pages. Unfortunately, sometimes there aren’t any substitutes for actually doing the readings. So yes, if I could do 1L again I might spend a *tad* more time reading the assigned material.
What extracurriculars would you recommend to 1Ls?
During the first few weeks you’ll be bombarded with opportunities to join tons of amazing extracurriculars. I recommend being cautious with what you sign up for. Think carefully about what your interests are and how you want to spend your limited free time. Some people absolutely love LSLAP, others have a ball playing volleyball, and then there’s me, who likes asking for money. I became involved with the Women’s Caucus and offered to help find sponsors for the annual Women & the Law dinner. The dinner was a success and I got to meet a number of amazing women lawyers because I sought out an opportunity to do something I like for an organization I care about. Think about your interests and find an extracurricular that aligns with them. I will also take this chance to plug the Law yoga club and the CFLS lunchtime lectures – they are excellent for your body and mind, respectively.
What was your favourite class? Favourite professor?
My favourite classes were definitely the ones taught by professors who genuinely cared about their students. Case law and legal concepts can be difficult to understand and I really appreciated any effort to make the material engaging, clear, and memorable. Dennis Pavlich added some great colour commentary to our property cases, Janine Benedet clearly articulated how to break down the elements of a criminal offence, Ben Goold crafted diagrams and handouts for Torts, Christie Ford’s passion for admin law was infectious, and Robin Elliot is just absolutely brilliant.
Any words of wisdom for the incoming 1Ls?
As I alluded to earlier, do what works for YOU! It’s easy to get caught up with what everyone else is doing – “everyone is going to ______ Wine and Cheese,” “everyone is signing up for ______,” everyone is applying for ______ jobs” – but don’t lose sight of what’s important to you. Forge your own path through the dense forest that is law school, and be sure to find some awesome people to take along for the ride.
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