Paying it forward: Practitioner-led class helps students prepare for private practice
March 10, 2025
Heatshot photos: Lerners LLP - Left: Mark McAuley, Right: Mitch Brown
When Mark McAuley (JD’18) and Mitch Brown (BA Hons ’11), both partners at Lerners LLP, think back to their early days as associates on Bay Street, they feel fortunate for the mentors who helped them translate their knowledge into practice. To pay it forward, they have teamed up as instructors for The Private Practice of Law, a new class offering a crash course on the realities of private practice and how to build a successful, sustainable career in a law firm.
“The reality of the practice of law is that you learn very little about it when studying or reading law – the knowledge gap is often acknowledged by practitioners,” explained McAuley. “The course is intended to bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical reality of private practice and to prepare junior lawyers for some of the common and pervasive challenges faced in the early years of practice.”
While McAuley, a corporate and commercial solicitor, and Brown, a commercial litigator, both benefitted from the guidance of mentors who imparted practical lessons about the practice of law and developing good habits, they acknowledge that their experience was far from standard.
“The unfortunate reality is that great mentorship is often a result of fortunate pairings or a senior taking particular interest in a junior’s success – it is hardly the norm in an industry where captured and billed time is paramount. In private practice, mentorship is not standardized or necessarily quantified and rewarded,” said McAuley.
“One of the challenges to receiving great mentorship in the early years of practice is having the confidence to admit when guidance and mentorship is needed, and our aim was to create space for these questions. We wanted to normalize and demystify the challenges in the iterative process of learning ‘how to law.’”
The course, which will be offered for the second time in September 2025, teaches students about the rules of practice and practical frameworks for managing clients, finances, billing, time management, mental health, business development and marketing. Ultimately, students who complete the course will gain a greater understanding of core rules of professional conduct, learn to build sustainable practice-management strategies and learn the skills essential to non-substantive work.
“We cover each topic with a ‘show don’t tell’ approach – instead of only explaining the data, concepts, and Law Society of Ontario rules on any given topic, we also shared stories of what those dynamics looked like in our daily practices and talk about concrete strategies we have developed to better manage those aspects of the job,” explained Brown.
“This sort of demonstrative pedagogy is something practitioners are uniquely equipped to offer, and it can be invaluable to help students better understand these potentially less concrete or ‘non-substantive’ topics.”
The class enhances Western Law’s commitment to providing opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom for our students to develop the skills they need to thrive in their practice, including supports through our career and professional development office, and a variety of clinical and experiential learning opportunities.
“When Mark and Mitch proposed this course initially, I was intrigued. Now I’m sold,” said Acting Dean, Andrew Botterell. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from our students and I know from talking with Mark and Mitch that they have benefitted from the course as well. It really is a win-win.”
Beyond the learning outcomes, the instructors hope that students will walk away with an “each one, teach one mentality” and feel a sense of responsibility to support their peers and mentor the next generation.
“We reminded our students to pay it forward all the time in class. We ran this course to give back to the profession and to help reduce some of the pretty awful attrition and burnout rates affecting our peers under 10 years of call,” said Brown.
“We didn’t take time off from our regular practices to do this, and so we encouraged our students to be similarly generous with their time and openly share everything they learned from our course as they go forward. Rising tides lift all ships.”
Acting Dean Andrew Botterell recently appeared on Lerners Anything But Law podcast. In this episode Mark McAuley switches gears and talks 'Everything On Law', diving into the realities of legal practice, mentorship gaps, and the hidden curriculum of law school. Whether you are a law student, a young lawyer, or just curious about the legal world, this conversation offers valuable insights. Tune in now.
