Chukwuebuka Stanley Ndibe
Today, I officially ended my articles at the Crown Law Office – Civil, Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General (“CLOC”). In the next few days, I will be resuming as Counsel at CLOC.
2 years and 10 months ago when I arrived Canada, being a lawyer and practicing in Ontario was just a dream. Between then and now, I concluded an LLM at Western University, completed the National Committee on Accreditation exams, completed the Ontario bar exams and lastly, concluded articling. My journey is a tale of fear, resilience, hope, optimism, and more. As a foreign trained lawyer, I experienced many challenges and obstacles and I am glad I did because they made me stronger and better. Here are a few lessons I learnt from my journey:
(1) Dare to dream – if you can picture it in your mind’s eyes, you can achieve it.
(2) Be flexible – recognize that different routes can take you to the same destination. Don’t fixate on a specific process.
(3) Be resilient and patient – if you want something, keep working at it and it will come to you. You lose only when you stop.
(4) Embrace your journey – we all have different paths. Trust your own process and follow it through. Try not to get distracted by another person’s process or timelines.
I will like to use this opportunity to thank every employer out there who is taking, has taken or plans to take a chance on a foreign trained lawyer. To those who are still reluctant, I encourage you to give a foreign trained lawyer a chance. You just might be pleasantly surprised.
Source: Linkedin