Profile of a President

“Your legal education is never complete, the law is constantly evolving and as lawyers, our education will never be complete. We will be constantly learning new things, which is one of the exciting aspects of the profession we are about to enter,” say D.J. Lynde, President of the Law Students’ Association (LSA) and third year student at the Faculty of Law.

D.J., originally from Toronto, notes that it was actually his father who encouraged him to consider studying law outside of his home province so that he could experience personal and professional growth. “He told me that if I wanted to live in another part of the country, this was the time to consider doing so. If I waited too long, I might have obligations to my career and family, and geographic mobility would not be feasible,” says D.J. He took his father’s advice and made the move out west to Edmonton—a decision that he says has led to a rewarding experience.

“I’m extremely happy that I chose to attend the University of Alberta for law school,” remarks D.J. “The daily interactions I have with fellow students, professors and administrators on campus has made my experience at the University of Alberta enriching. The school has a lot to offer students in the way of opportunities. I’ve also picked up rugby and skiing again, while also getting involved with student governance—all of which were interests throughout my adolescence.”

In his first few weeks of law school, D.J. found the LSA—an elected executive that promotes and fosters academic, athletic, social and professional activities within the Faculty of Law—to be a fundamental part of the law school experience at the University of Alberta. He became involved with the LSA because it provided a way for him to give back to the university and allowed him to get to know the students and faculty better. In addition, “There are a lot of different ways to get involved with the LSA, which I found extremely attractive,” says D.J.

He observed that there are also a lot of opportunities for students to become involved in the Faculty of Law and represent the school nationally. “Through sports, conferences, mooting and Law Games, I’ve been able to travel all over Canada. Attending the University of Alberta has really been a national experience,” notes D.J.

In addition to law school and his role as President of the LSA, both of which keep him quite busy, D.J. is also very active in the Faculty of Law community. He is a member of a number of student organizations within the Faculty of Law; a member of the Corporate Securities Moot team; editor of three publications (Alberta Law Review, Review of Constitutional Studies and Canons of Construction); as well as a peer mentor to first year law students.

How does D.J. manage to balance school, Faculty of Law community commitments and his personal life? With a laugh he holds up his BlackBerry and says, “You need to have a good calendar and organization system, but also know your limits and make boundaries to allow you to balance everything.”

 After nearly three years of law school, does D.J. have any words of wisdom to share? One of the biggest misconceptions he thinks that first year and prospective students have about law school is that their professors aren’t approachable. “Not true,” says D.J. “Even though the professors may be very well recognized in a particular area of the law and have written the textbooks that students use, the faculty here are very approachable.” As well, many students believe that they only have time for school and nothing else. They need to realize that, “They do have time to be involved in clubs and social activities,” says D.J. “The practice of law is not about working the whole time, you need outside interests to create balance in your life.”

D.J. and his BlackBerry will be heading back to Toronto after graduation, where he will article with McCarthy Tétrault LLP and continue to balance work with his personal life.