Professional / Scientific / Technical Services

• about 250 lawyers work on PEI
• 24% work in small firms of two to four lawyers; 60% work in larger firms
• 70% of lawyers are under 45 years of age
• almost half of law school graduates are women.

For more information, contact The Law Society of PEI: www.lawsocietypei.ca.

Brandon Forbes of Campbell Lea law firm in Charlottetown spoke at a three-day Community Youth Justice Camp in August for youth ages 12 to 15.

Community Legal Information Association of PEI (CLIA) hosted the event, where 20 campers gathered in Charlottetown to play games, go on tours, and hear presentations from lawyers, the MCPEI Indigenous Justice Program, and the PEI Human Rights Commission.

Brandon has been a lawyer for 10 years. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from UPEI. Then he made a career decision. “My roommate was studying for the LSAT (the standard law school entrance exam) and I was inspired by him to consider law as a career,” he says. “Also, several people who I looked up to told me I should go to law school.”

He earned his law degree at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Brandon’s specialties are civil litigation, criminal law, and property law.

Choosing a career in law

“This camp was an excellent opportunity for youth to learn about the law profession,” says Brandon. “Anyone interested in a career in law should go to court and sit in the public gallery. By watching a trial in progress, you’ll see if law is a good fit for you.”

Hands-on experience

The camp included participation in a mock Indigenous sentencing circle and tours of the police station and the courthouse in Charlottetown. The youth even held a mock trial at the courthouse.

“The mock trial went really well. The participants prepared for it throughout the camp,” says Eliza MacLauchlan of CLIA. “Everyone took on a role in the court as theCrown and defence lawyers, witnesses, court services officer, member of the press or the court clerk.”

The law profession on PEI

Lawyers begin by earning an undergraduate university degree, followed by attendance at a school of law to earn a law degree.

This is followed by 12 months as an Articled Clerk for an established lawyer (much like an apprenticeship).

After the student has passed the Bar Admissions examination, they are admitted to the Bar as a Practicing Member of the Law Society and can work as a lawyer in the province.

For more information about The Law Society of PEI, visit www.lawsocietypei.ca. For more information about Community Legal Information Association of PEI (CLIA), visit www.cliapei.ca.

October Issue
Page 7
by Stacy Dunn

The Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation emerged from the belief that Canada needs a single, unified accounting profession. All 40 of the accounting bodies in Canada have now either unified or are participating in discussions to unite under the CPA banner.

For more information on Chartered Professional Accountants of Prince Edward Island, call 902-894-4290. Visit www.cpapei.ca.

• About 26 Architects are employed at about eight PEI architectural firms on PEI.
• Jobs at architectural businesses: Architects, Interior Designers, Architectural Technologists, Student Interns, Receptionists.
• The closest school is Dalhousie University School of Architecture. Students need at least two years of university in any discipline before applying to a school of architecture. After completing the four-year program, graduates work under the supervision of a registered architect for three years, and then write professional exams.

For more information, visit the Architects Association of PEI: www.aapei.com.

• About 475 Professional Engineers and about 75 Engineers in Training are registered with Engineers PEI. Half of those Professional Engineers do not live on PEI.
• Engineering specializations: Mechanical Engineers, Chemical Engineers, Civil Engineers, Electrical Engineers.
• Most demand is for senior positions with five to 10 years of experience who can jump right into a project without a lot of mentoring or additional training.
• Women hold eight to 10 percent of engineering jobs in Canada.

Engineers PEI is the governing body for Engineers in the province. For more information, visit www.engineerspei.com.