Top 10 Reasons: UNB Law Library Ain't Your Average Library

          With exams beginning this week and a mass migration of students to the library, I figured it’s time I make our library the subject of a post. Since arriving at UNB, the importance of the law library was impressed upon me. I have logged countless hours there and have even studied at other law libraries – Dalhousie’s and U of T’s – while travelling this semester. At the risk of sounding geeky, the appeal of UNB’s law library has made me a bit of a law library enthusiast.  

          Head Law Librarian Janet Moss is equal parts hostess and curator given the library’s functions. “The law library is a very important part of the law school,” she tells me from her corner office overlooking Dineen Drive. “On the one hand, there is the collection and the service we provide a librarians. And also, there is the library as a place to study.”

          Apparently my regular library residency is typical of a mature student. Since joining the library in 1991, Moss says, “I tend to see a lot of mature students making use of the library. Without generalizing, they often approach law school as they would work and will come to the library early in the morning and stay until 5 o’clock or thereabouts. Some also have children and families so have to be very productive in the daytime, Monday to Friday.”

          The team at the library solicit feedback both formally and informally from students and Faculty to ensure the library meets the needs of its users. Moments before we spoke, Moss was investigating the installation of anti-septic wipes and hand sanitizer for the computer lab given a student’s suggestion earlier that day. An advisory committee and regular survey provides Moss with formal input from Faculty and students.

          Moss also possesses a measured dose of law library envy which motivates her to keep improving her library. “UBC, U of A, York and U of T probably have the most complete collections,” she says with a smile.

Top Ten Reasons the UNB Law Library Ain't Your Average Library:

1. The McKay Reading Room

Decorated with wood panelling, photos of Supreme Court of Canada justices and an impressive grand window overlooking Fredericton, this space oozes academia; almost making studying sophisticated!

2. Ear Plugs

For the seriously noise sensitive. Fun fact: in the 2012-13 academic year, UNB law students used 1,800 ear plugs in the library!

3. Dedicated Study Carrels

For students preparing for moots and writing major papers, dedicated study carrels are available to them for specified extended periods of time.

4. Seat Cushions

One or more chairs in the reading room have seat cushions. Janet Moss wasn’t aware. “We don’t provide those – students must have brought them with them!” Apparently there’s a princess and the pea among UNB’s law student body.

5. Blanket and Pillow

For the uncomfortable, tired, chilly or sick, these comforts are available for sign out!

6. Plush Toys

To take the edge off, a petting zoo of beanie babies and stuffed animals scatter the first floor. Students are welcome to take one or more with them into the library as a fun stress reliever. “They have become a fixture here,” says Moss. 

7. Five Mandatory Tours and 101 Software Orientation Sessions for 1Ls

8. In-House IT

Law student-dedicated IT service and computer lab

9. Friendly Competition

Last week, the school hosted a “Citation Race” sponsored by Atlantic Canadian law firm Cox & Palmer where teams of students and Faculty members challenged each to find sources based on citations (legal references) against the clock. Enthusiastic students cheered on the teams from the upper circle.

10. Conference Room Sign Out

Conference rooms with varying A/V equipment are available for study group meetings and moot court preparations.

Being Gay in the Maritimes

One of my loudest fears in accepting the University of New Brunswick’s admission offer was the thought of moving to Fredericton, away from the comforts that Toronto provides to its gay citizens. A dedicated village, large annual pride festival, community centre, network and widespread diversity and progressive attitudes combine to make me feel safe and supported every time I step out my door.

My notion of Atlantic Canada’s gay friendliness was formed by a few prominent personalities and events. I recall years of family value statements by long-serving Saint John Tory MP Elsie Wayne. I also vividly recall the discrimination case of a gay couple who were refused a room by a homophobic B&B owner in Prince Edward Island. I also didn’t lose sight that Scott Brison, Canada’s first openly gay federal cabinet minister was a Nova Scotian.

A quick Google search I undertook to assess Fredericton’s gay friendliness revealed a few things.

• The city’s long-serving mayor, Brad Woodside, has apoor gay rights track record which raised the ire of professors upon hisreceipt of an honorary degree from St Thomas University
• The nearby city of Saint John lost its only gay barearlier in the year due to lack of business
• There is commentary about Fredericton’s apparent highproportion of gay residents

            But I knew it would be short shrift to regard Atlantic Canada as homophobic. Heck, these isolated observations don’t discount that homophobia certainly exists in Ontario. Growing up and spending many years working in Hamilton taught me this. But my time in Steeltown also proved there is a community of support. And even Toronto isn’t a gay Utopia necessarily. The reflection left me fairly convinced New Brunswick’s capital city with two universities would be adequately gay friendly. In fact, “safe space” stickers with the rainbow triangle appear on the office doors of many law professors.

            During my law school application process, I also learned about OUTLaw, the gay law school students’ society with chapters across Canada and USA, including UNB. I planned to join when I came to UNB. The second week of school, the law students society hosted a meeting to inform 1Ls of the school’s clubs and societies. One by one, chairpersons introduced their cause or club, from social events to aboriginal law to chess (yes, the game). Through the entire rundown, there was no mention of OUTLaw so I approached the LSS.

            Apparently, OUTLaw had existed at UNB since 2009 but want dormant last year. Given my interest, they encouraged me to resurrect the society through an approval and funding application. With the paperwork in hand, I contemplated the application. I was willing and interested to join the society, but lead its revival!? Easing into the adjustment of student life in the Maritimes, I was weary of taking this on.

            It occurred to me that this was the first LGBT student group I was either willing or able to be part of. At my highschool in the 90s, there wasn’t the gay straight alliance that is commonplace today. In university, at both McMaster and Ryerson, I was in the closet.

            Two shocking examples of homophobia occurred in September and October that finalized my decision to initiate OUTLaw.

• In Fredericton, St Thomas University student Colin Briggs was asked not to volunteer for his church, Crosspoint Wesleyan, because he is gay.
• On Thanksgiving weekend in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Scott Jones was knifed down in a grisly attack that friends and family suspect was a hate crime given Jones is gay.

Spurred by an interest to condemn these crimes and extinguish homophobia, I submitted the necessary society paperwork to start OUTLaw and wrote this letter to the editor in Wayves, an Atlantic Canada LGBTQ magazine.

It feels right.

Profs Say the Darnedest Things

          Today, the Richard Currie Centre (UNB’s gym) hosted fall convocation. From the third floor, overlooking the parking lot, while exercising on the elliptical, I watched as well-dressed graduates and families trickled in; many with cameras and flowers in tow.

          Since the start of school, my professors have been peppering their lectures with advice on how to survive law school in pursuit of our own graduation in 2016. Here are just a few.

“Failing law school is very unusual. You have to really work at it.”

“By throwing yourself into the deep end, you will learn to swim.”

“Everybody breaks the law. Everybody. 

Everybody in this room has broken the law. 

I broke the law this morning!”

“If you want to Google your way to graduation, that is up to you.”

“Law school can be very disorienting at first. 

It is like learning ten words of German and it’s like we plop you in Germany and say ‘Go for it!’”

“Dante had a guide to get though the inferno: Virgil. 

I am your Virgil."

“You need to be prepared for this. 

Lawyers hit on ambiguous words like a hammer and just hit on them and hit on them until you just want to cry and go to bed and watch video games. Not even play them, just watch them.”

          Upper year students with announcements in class also say the darnedest things…

“Be yourself. Don’t be weird. 

There are enough weirdoes around this place already so let’s not double up.”

          And my classmates brave enough to ask a question can throw down some rippers.

“So, what’s the deal with the chief justice?”

* I have opted not to attribute remarks to anyone specifically as I’m still not certain of laws around libel and I'm exercising caution since based on 8 weeks of law school, I'm pretty sure they'd sting hard! We haven’t yet covered blog law.

My First Day and Lesson at Law School

Nervous conversation sporadically surfaced amongst the 90+ 1Ls – that’s the term for first year law students - in a lineup that snaked up and down Ludlow Hall’s stairwells. While waiting in line for our schedules, and other orientation information, our photographs were taken to compile a class composite which staff and professors could consult to know who’s who in class. Being the sweaty mess I was, I opted for a retake at a future point in time though not entirely certain there would be one. There was, fortunately!

In the basement of Ludlow Hall, I collected a bag of swag from the Law Student Society and a t-shirt in my size to wear on the Friday night. The white t-shirt simply read “Pub Crawl” and was intended to be graffitied by upper year students. Two thoughts came to mind. Firstly, that the last time I participated in anything resembling a pub crawl was in the nineties during Mac undergrad. Secondly, how can I jazz up a boxy, white tee? Cripes.

Next up was a welcome lunch sponsored by an Atlantic Canadian law firm: Stewart McKelvey. Sponsored functions were common during orientation week, particularly by Atlantic Canadian firms keen to recruit from UNB, one of only three Maritime law schools (Halifax's Dalhousie University and Universite de Moncton the other two). The calibre of these sponsored events varied. Some were formal affairs at the local art gallery (swanky!). Others were more modest.

At the lunch, we sat among members of our peer mentor groups which were given to us as part of our orientation packages. The purpose of the group: matching a few 1Ls with upper year students to provide advice and tips. I was immediately impressed by the members of my group. It was an eye opener. It is known that one’s strengths shine brighter amidst mediocrity and having worked for years, there is always someone at the office whose competence is questioned and who makes the rest of us look better. My first impressions of my fellow peer mentor group members signalled that I am among bright people. The rigour of law school admissions seemed to be working. They appeared educated, well versed, socially aware, inquisitive and confident. As conversation ensued before the afternoon’s program began, I could feel myself sitting up straighter, a physical reaction to a feeling of uncertainty I belonged.

The first speaker to welcome the ILs was Will Russell, the Law Students Society president. Equal parts well-dressed and well-spoken, Will welcomed the group, summarized the events of orientation week, introduced the faculty and offered some direct insights and advice.

          Something which is important is the sense of community at Ludlow. It is a small school. There are 92 of you. It is small and close knit. It will become even smaller when you are split into your sections and realize you will be spending most of your time with 41 other individuals over the next eight months. Take responsibility for your education here. The pressures of law school are real. The pressures of the job hunt are real. Your classmates are your colleagues, not your competition. When you leave here, these will be your best references. These will be the people you rely on when you have problems and when you find work. Be generous. Be courteous. Be kind. 

          There will be a lot of pressure here. There are some sleepless nights but there will be opportunities to sleep. At Christmas break. Law school is not impossible but it’s easier if you can rely on your classmates beside you. Support each other. Get each other through.

          You were admitted to UNB because of your accomplishments but also because of your personality and who you are. Remember that. Always be yourself. There isn’t one mold of what a lawyer should be.

Next, Clarence Bennett, a partner at Stewart McKelvey’s Fredericton office and UNB Law alumnus gave sponsor greetings. Among his humorous comments:

          I enjoyed my time at Ludlow. My first couple days where you are now, I looked around and thought man there are a lot of geeks here! I discovered that by finding myself asking one too many people where they are from and where they did their undergrad and getting into a conversation I didn’t really care about. 

          As time went on, the people I got to know at UNB proved that size does matter at UNB because you can get to know everyone, and I encourage everyone to get to know their classmates, it was a valuable part of my learning as a human being. If nothing else I could split the reading with people. 

          If I had any advice, I’d say take your studies seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s kind of like real estate, there is already a lot of lawyers doing that.

            Next, Will introduced Justice Kathleen Quigg of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal who spoke about law school and community service. Highlights of Justice Quigg’s remarks included:

          It’s a privilege to be accepted to any law school and it should not be taken for granted. The practice of law enables us to make a living but the practice of law provides us any opportunity to serve others. It is this tradition of service that ensures that the legal profession is truly a profession. It our duty as members of this profession to ensure that everyone who requires justice whether or not that are financially able can access the justice the system. 

          I believe you should keep your options open. You might over these three years change your minds completely. Not everyone has to practice in a big firm in a big city. People in every community, large or small, need your assistance.
Be true to yourself, wherever the profession of law takes you, please remember to give back. You will be rewarded with the satisfaction of helping people obtain justice while you make a living.

         The luncheon of wraps wrapped and then we schlepped from the Wu Conference centre back down to Ludlow Hall. During the walk downhill, I noted the campus’s attractiveness, from the architecture to well-manicured lawns and gardens. At Ludlow, Dean John Williamson offered an official welcome to Ludlow Hall. Among his thoughtful address, the dean remarked:

          UNB law school can provide a unique learning experience and that’s due largely to its small size. As a result of that small size, Ludlow is a very close knit community and a very supportive community. 

          You will meet the staff and faculty but this week will be about meeting your classmates. It is important to know that it is in fact a case that the people that you will meet today and over your next three years at Ludlow Hall will become not just your classmates but your colleagues over the course of your career and many will become lifelong friends. 

          I want to give a few words of advice and this is general advice. Firstly, this is a legal education and you want to distinguish a legal education from the practice of law; there are many other options and I raise this now…some of you may be wondering if you made the right decision to come to law school. Coming to law school is not a decision to practice law, you will have time to discover the law over the next three years and discover what you really want to do with your legal education. There is opportunity for you to decide what you want to do and take the time to discover those options. 

          Secondly, Law school will require some adjustments. The study of law is somewhat different than what you experienced in other disciplines. Be patient and give yourself time to make those adjustments. 

          Balance. While I strongly suggest you focus on your academics, there is much more to being in law school than just academics. Balance life beyond academics and become involved in the non-academic life of law school. 

          Lastly, First year of law is not impossible. You may question that at times, but law school is not impossible. If you hear that from an upper year student say “well, law school cannot be impossible because he or she is a second or third year student.” 

          It does require some adjustments but can be very exciting and very rewarding so take the opportunity to enjoy the experience. 

Justice Richard Bell of the New Brunswick court of appeal spoke next. Though His scripted remarks were delivered with confidence and persuasion.

          In less than ten minutes, I plan to talk a bit about your brain, the law and professionalism. It is my hope that some of what I saw will you prepare for a better understand the profession in which you are about to embark.

          In law, your brain is your most important asset. The brain is constantly changes and the good news is that those changes can be for the better. The best ways to rejuvenate your brain…are the following three: physical exercise, getting out into nature and challenging mental activities. I am certain your professors will provide you with lots of opportunities for the last way of rejuvenating your brain. It is up to you to tend to the first two. 

           I want to say a word about your reputation and the profession. You will soon join the profession of law. You will probably get called to the bar. Your profession, as you will learn, is self-regulated. It behooves each of you to always conduct yourself with integrity and professionalism. Be civil to one another. Be civil to opposing parties. And be civil to the judges before whom you appear. It might come as a surprise to you that not everyone is civil to judges before whom they appear. Integrity, professionalism and civility are the building blocks of your reputation. And yes, reputation counts. Make it your goal to have a reputation that is not measured by the size of your bank account but by your commitment to the trinity of integrity, professionalism and civility. 

           And now, a word about lawyer jokes. It happens to be a pet peeve of mine. You have heard them all. Well maybe not all. You may have had siblings or parents tell a few lawyer jokes upon learning you were entering law school. You certainly have had friends tell a few. And you have heard late night talk show hosts produce a litany of them. 

          My response is lawyer jokes are no joke. Who does one call when their marriage is unravelling? A lawyer. Who does one call when their son or daughter is the victim of a drunk driver, after the doctor or the hospital? A lawyer. Who does the drunk driver call knowing that he might never work again or might spend a few years in jail or both? A lawyer. Who do heartbroken parents call when their newborn dies because of hospital medical negligence? A lawyer. I could continue for the sake of brevity I will not. I hope you get the point. Lawyers are integral to our society as we know it. You have chosen an honourable and much-valued profession. Do not let others desecrate it. Most importantly, don’t be tempted to join the crowd by telling a few lawyer jokes of your own. 

           I expect you will hear more about these and other themes over the next three years. I thank you for choosing the law and I close with this. Wherever your career takes you whether in private practice, crown counsel or in house counsel, law teaching, the diplomatic core, or elsewhere, as you gain experience in life and your profession you will realize that perhaps you didn’t really choose the law, it chose you. I look forward to seeing some of you at the Court of Appeal. Wherever you end up, good luck and god speed over the next three years of your life’s journey.

          John Malone, president of the New Brunswick law society spoke next about the work of the law society and commitments members make upon joining. As a former UNB Law student, his opening remarks were particularly poignant.

          When I first heard that the president of the law society spoke to the first year law school student, I experienced feelings of excitement and one of being proud and yet dumbfounded. I was excited because it’s a privilege to speak to a people as accomplished and driven as you guys. I was proud because I was sitting at that very desk 26 years ago and to come back to the very school that taught me the law makes me proud. And I was dumbfounded because I thought “how did I get here?” 

           When I look back to when I sat in those seats in the first days of law school I had the same feelings. I was excited. I was proud. But I also questioned whether I belonged in law school and whether I could do this law thing. And I could probably throw one more feeling in there and that was being nervous. You could even categorize that as being scared. The difference today is I’m probably a little nervous giving this speech but I’m not scared to be here.

            After these and a few other speeches, I was jacked. Few conference keynotes had me as inspired about the studies I was soon to embark on and profession I will eventually enter. My poli sci and journalism degrees never kicked off in this way. The speakers reaffirmed my choice in law and primed me to open a can of whoop ass on my classes.

            Leaving my seat, I made eye contact with a fellow class mate as we approached the door at the end of the lecture hall. “Ugh, that was lame,” she said. I paused for a moment. “Ya, totally,” I responded. The insincere words tumbled from my mouth like a reflex. My first lesson in law school: seems my age, experience and “wisdom” do not make me immune to peer pressure.

How Ashley Wagner got me through my First Day of Law School

          On September 3, I woke up at my usual 5:30am but with an unusual chutzpah: it was the first day of law school at UNB. The agenda provided in advance listed orientation-like activities including registration, a welcome lunch and greetings from the dean and members of the local legal community. Amidst the flurry of activity since arriving in Fredericton including moving into my apartment, buying pieces of furniture that we couldn’t shoehorn into the Flett-caravan and touring the city, I didn’t notice that it was also picture day. PICTURE DAY!? A shave and more meticulous clothing selection was quickly added to my morning To-Do list.

          But first, a run. UNB and my nearby apartment is situated close to the St. John River which curves through the city. Waterloo Row traces the shoreline, connecting the campus to downtown. I took in the impressive views along the river and from the Marysville bridge while the sun slowly rose upon Fredericton. Occasional raindrops reminded me of the typical Maritime weather. The jog was special as I anticipated the day. I imagined many more runs along this route, but none on a day with the same importance.

          

          Clean shaven and dressed – I opted for a jeans and a long-sleeved collared plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up; a little bit dressy, a little bit casual (this took considerable thought!) – I had time to spare before my walk to Ludlow Hall. Anyone who knows me knows of my obsession with figure skating, both as a participant and spectator. Without my TV cable installed, I flipped through some skating DVDs to fill the time and chose the 2012 US Nationals ladies final.

          Ashley Wagner won that year and I was both reminded of and motivated by her story. Wagner won bronze in 2008 with an impressive senior debut and fans next move. Botched performances in 2009, 2010 (Olympics) and 2011 kept her off the world team. Ashley put herself on a new path in 2012 with a new coach, new training centre, new artistic appreciation and more technical consistency. Given the changes in my life, I couldn’t help likening her path that season to the one I had chosen. I was desperately hopeful my choices would bring my own success: new friends, a sense of community in Fredericton and academic success in law school.

          My favourite split second in her long program was her mid-program landing of a triple loop (jump to 3:20). Provocatively, she attempted the jump directly in front of the judges, landing it with a fierce expression that oozed “look at me now, judges.” I committed that look of confidence to memory as I ventured to school.

          Climbing up the steep hillside campus on that rainy humid morning, I arrived at the law school breathless, flushed and sweaty. I wiped my face with my sleeve, took a deep breath and opened the front door of Ludlow Hall and stepped in, ready to take on the day.

Sunny Signs

          Given my knack for finding meaning in even the simplest of events, I clung to the significance of the suddenly changing sky as I crossed the border from Quebec into New Brunswick days before UNB’s law school orientation week. As I made the crossing, the overcast morning quickly faded to radiant sunlight, illuminating the forest and hills that sprawled on either side of the Trans-Canada highway.

          I interpreted the change in weather conditions as a validation of the changes to my life in recent months. I took a deep breath of assurance. I have quit my PR job and packed up my life into two cars and a trailer, leaving behind my partner, family and friends in Toronto to attend law school at the University of New Brunswick's Ludlow Hall in Fredericton. Putting on my sunglasses, I squeezed the steering wheel of my new car and happily accelerated towards Fredericton spurred by the zippier New Brunswick highway speed limit: 110km per hour! I think I’m gonna like it here.

          I’m launching Boardroom2Classroom for a few reasons:

• Filling the void. When I first began contemplating shifting gears in my professional life by applying to law school and becoming a lawyer, I couldn’t find much empirical research or anecdotal advice on a mature applicant’s considerations.

• Take note. I’ve always envied journal keepers but I’ve never been one. When I see bound journals at bookstores and gift shops, I peruse them with interest, caressing the impressive covers and binding; flipping through the hundreds of blank pages waiting to be filled with everything from profound observations of life to inane thoughts. Apart from a few short term stints, long-term journaling hasn't stuck. I intend that this blog will obligate me to frequent and regular posts.

• This is big! I’ve never thought of myself as someone who embraces change and yet I’m now in the process of the biggest change thus far in my life – and I’ve brought it all on myself! The observations and lessons I am likely to make and learn in my mid-thirties during this extraordinary lifestyle switch (leaving a successful PR management career to become a law school student; leaving the trappings of Toronto for charming-but-small Fredericton; leaving my diamond-precious support network of family and friends to a place with only five acquaintances – including four remote Facebook friends and the school’s admissions officer!) seem blog-worthy.

          Whatever sort of reader you are – from an aspiring or enrolled mature law student who purposefully found Boardroom2Classroom to an occasional reader that stumbled here – my commitment to you is the same: honesty (within reason - I'm not sabotaging my graduation by becoming the class gossip!). And be forewarned: there may be the occasional figure skating or Bold & the Beautiful soap opera analogy!