Space travel! I’m an avid follower of Elon Musk’s various ventures and can’t wait until he opens up his first orbital or lunar hotel – I’ll be an early guest. He’s one of the few people today who’s simply oblivious to the status quo and makes his dreams and imagination real.
Never say “no.” There’s always a way of getting to where you need to go - you sometimes just have to think harder and more creatively to get there. I think it’s tremendous advice for young lawyers – clients are seeking solutions, not limitations. It’s sometimes too easy to describe where the box is, rather than figuring a way out of it.
Richard McLaren. His Case Studies in Business Law course illustrated the nexus of business and law more than any other course I took at Western. I remember learning about securitization and sub prime loans long before they were topical. I also spent two great summers working for him on research on sports law and the PPSA (when I wasn’t playing Gaelic football…).
My wife’s engagement ring. Gentlemen, if that’s not an automatic answer - I suggest it should be. Unless you’re not married, then I guess a Porsche 911 Turbo would be pretty cool.
I’m in the mining industry, so the list is long. But the reality is that mining is the cornerstone of every industry on the planet, and none of our ideas can become tangible without it – not even Facebook. The search for resources, rightly or wrongly, is the driver of all of human history. We still search for new resources – wind or solar, perhaps, but even those need basic materials. And if we go further afield, any exploration beyond Earth will rely on ready access to minerals if it’s to be sustainable. Today, mining companies go where no other industry dares, the still truly wild places, but bring with them roads, education, healthcare and opportunity where governments often fear to tread.
I left Davies in 2007 and went backpacking for the best part of a year through China, Laos, Thailand and India. Incredible and gritty trip, with dodgy bus rides to nowhere; the 20th anniversary full moon party; a blown eardrum in the middle of Laos; and two weeks of intensive Muai Thai training. Perhaps the most interesting aspect though, was driving through the rice paddies of Yunnan on a comfortable bus with wealthy Beijing and Shanghai Chinese. As the sun set, the blue flicker of televisions lit up every hut and made me wonder whether the next generation would be content in the paddies.
It’s probably too late to say rock star or professional soccer player … I’m actually quite happy with the industry I’m in, despite the currently difficult market. There are few industries, if any, that are as global, exotic and multi-dimensional as mining.
I’m part owner of a Mexican restaurant, Los Colibris, and tequila bar, El Caballito, on King Street West. Over the past couple years, I’ve really enjoyed changing friends’ perspectives on Mexican food and, more importantly, tequila! Rajas Poblanas or Pulpo a la Parilla at Los Colibris with a nice sipping tequila like Clase Azul Reposado is a great way to round out a relaxing evening. Or just dig into the best guacamole north of Ciudad Juarez.
The most important thing you’ll learn is how to think rigorously, which will be useful in any pursuit you choose after law school, whether you stay in law, pursue a business or do something completely different (and there’s a long list of other things to do!). In the case of Western law particularly: have fun with the great class of students around you. Denning til dawn.
© 1878 - Western University
