Heather Latter
Grade 8 graduation, high school graduation, and now law school graduation—Doug Judson and Allison Williams have been together for them all.
The pair attended Donald Young School in Emo and then Fort Frances High School, but went their separate ways as they began their post-secondary education at different institutions.
Judson completed two bachelor degrees—one in political science and one in commerce—at the University of Ottawa.
Williams, meanwhile, studied political science at Queen’s University in Kingston before completing a master’s degree in political science at the University of Toronto.
But ultimately, each were drawn to law and both ended up at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, graduating together last month.
“I realized I wanted to have a career where I could have an impact on people, so it seemed like kind of a natural fit to go in that direction,” Williams said about why she decided to apply to law school.
“I’ve also always had a passion for advocacy so it was a natural flowing progression for me,” she added.
“For me, my interest is more in our public institutions and so law was a natural fit for me to improve my understanding of how they operate and what the balance of power is between our different branches of government, the judiciary, cabinet, and the legislature,” noted Judson.
Williams explained the JD (Juris Doctor) program is three years. But Judson completed the JD/MBA (Master of Business Administration) program—a four-year program—so he began at Osgoode a year before Williams.
“It’s one of the larger schools so you get exposed to a lot of different areas of law,” Williams said.
“It’s definitely got something for everyone.
“So if you have social justice focus, or a business focus, or if you are like me, I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I arrived at law school,” she added.
“It was great because I had an opportunity to try out lots of different things.”
Judson echoed those sentiments.
“Some people are really certain when they first come in [to law school],” he remarked. “People come from different places, have different role models and exposure to different fields.
“I think Allison and I are both alike in that we started trying to figure out what to devote your time to, what activities to get involved in,” Judson said.
“A lot of it can have a role in shaping where you end up at the other end and how you market yourself to certain employers.
“But there’s definitely a lot to do and I think there’s a lot of opportunity to take an interdisciplinary approach to what you decided to study and what you decide to do after that,” he stressed.
Williams said she also had some interesting summer experiences while attending Osgoode.
“Last summer I was in Kenora and I worked for Treaty #3, for their women’s council doing a legal project for them,” she noted.
“And this summer I’ve been working for an immigration and refugee lawyer.
“I been really fortunate to have a lot of diverse experiences at Osgoode, which at a smaller school you don’t necessarily get those opportunities,” she reasoned.
At graduation, Judson and Williams also both earned the Legal and Literary Student Honour Award for leadership and the Dean’s Gold Key—awarded to students “who have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the law school, either to the academic program of the school or other activities that are integral to the community.”
“We both were involved in a lot of similar things,” Williams said, noting they participated in student government and an annual sketch comedy night called “Mock Trial” together.
“It was like a high school reunion all the time,” she added since the pair were in musicals together, as well as on student council, back at Fort High.
“Here we are, 27-, 28-, 29-year-olds reliving all the extra-curricular activities we did in our youth,” Williams said.
“It’s sort of like going to high school again but everyone is 10 years older,” echoed Judson.
Both said they enjoyed their time at Osgoode but added it also was a lot of work.
“The rumours are true,” Judson chuckled about the amount of book work required.
“It’s a very competitive environment,” he noted.
Judson said he still has his admissions letter from four years ago that stated the school let in one-in-10 applicants the year he was accepted.
“When you are looking at odds like that, you are already feeling it’s a small group of people that are exemplary in their own field, in their own right, in how they got there,” he remarked.
“It’s something that’s hard to get used to,” he admitted, noting even if you get amazing marks, you might not necessarily be the one who comes out on top in law school.
“It’s a very different adventure, for sure.
“And it’s a big time commitment,” Judson added. “You learn a lot about how to work smart and how to [determine] what’s important.
“I think that’s a big part of what lawyers do.
“Often their calling is to weed through a lot of material, identify issues, and figure out what’s important in what’s in front of them,” Judson said.
“I think law [school] teaches you work skills sometimes more than it actually teaches you content.”
“The way you are graded is on a curve . . . so you are competing against your classmates basically to get the ‘A,’” explained Williams.
“It was busy and challenging, but ultimately it was an intellectually-rewarding experience.”
Williams said what she found special about the school was that the student body at Osgoode is really diverse.
“It is one of the first law schools to do what they call their holistic admissions process,” she noted.
The policy “identifies a diverse and exceptional group of students with a commitment to excellence, demonstrated through academic and other contributions to society.”
“So you have students from every province, all sorts of socio-economic backgrounds, and ethnic backgrounds,” Williams noted. “So it was really cool to be in this really diverse environment and then to also have Doug there.
“It was like the best of both worlds—having someone who is familiar and comes from the same place as you, and also be surrounded by all of these really, really bright and different people.”
“It’s been fun for Allison and I because we’re from the same place so we have the same humour and realness,” Judson reasoned.
“I think where we come from, there’s a lot of push in getting young people involved in different community initiatives and opportunities for people to take leadership, so we’ve kind of carried that forward.
“And I think we’ve been able to inject some of the passion and confidence into what we did here at law school.”
Since graduation on June 19, both Judson and Williams have taken the bar exam and now have a few weeks off before they will begin their articling positions in August.
Articling positions typically last about 10 months.
“After that is when you actually become a lawyer,” Williams explained. “Doug and I would be called a student at law.
“We’re not quite lawyers yet; kind of like an apprentice lawyer.”
Judson will be completing his articles with the Bay Street firm McCarthy Tétrault LLP while Williams will be joining the Office of the Children’s Lawyer at the Ministry of the Attorney General.
“It’s funded by the Government of Ontario but it’s an independent office and they do lots of different types of law,” Williams said about her position.
“But the common denominator there is all of your clients are children,” she added. “So, basically, when the court believes a child would benefit from having a lawyer, our office comes in.”
Judson, meanwhile, is looking forward to his stint.
“It’s a really wonderful place to be,” he remarked, adding there are lots of opportunities there, especially because it’s such a large firm with many areas of expertise.
“I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running on Aug. 4,” Judson added. “The glory of articling is you get to go through rotations and see what sticks.
“I’m going in with a pretty open mind,” he stressed. “Some people are more certain about what they want to do but I like a little bit of everything.”
Both Judson and Williams are unsure where their law degrees will lead them down the road.
“Whether or not I practise law for a living forever, law itself is an important thing to do and will always be a part of what I am and what I’ll be involved with,” Judson reasoned.
“I’m grateful to have that underpinning that law has provided me in that field.”
“I’ll see how articling goes; see if I like working for the government,” said Williams.
“In this job market, it’s a little touch and go,” she admitted. “It’s not as certain as it once was.
“I’ll see when happens but I’m very excited.”
