Law’12 grads return paths to ca At Queen’s Law, students past and present are part of a strong community of peers and mentors that begins at school and carries on after graduation. On February 2, six Law’12 alumni – Sonia Beauchamp, Jonah Goldberg, Brooke MacKenzie, Caity O’Connor, Husein Panju and Brittany Sargent – returned to their alma mater to discuss the diverse ways in which their careers have unfolded. “Queen’s Law Five Years Out” began with a panel discussion with the six alumni. Afterwards the panelists met with current students for oneon-one ‘coffee chats.’ The Law Students’ Society Alumni Relations Committee and the Career Development Office partnered for the event. “A career in law can go in so many different directions,” Goldberg reminded the students at the panel. Likewise, students come into law school and enter into legal careers from a variety of backgrounds. “I didn’t come to law school with a grand plan to become a particular type of lawyer,” Goldberg said, telling students about his career. He studied history before coming to Queen’s Law and began his professional career at Torys in Toronto. He is now counsel for Strategy & Innovation at the Royal Bank of Canada. Paul Kenney, Law’19, a committee member, said he enjoyed learning about “so many interesting and successful career paths that emerged from opportunities outside the official recruitment processes.” Beauchamp had a career as an accountant before coming to Queen’s. She knew she wanted to be a criminal lawyer because “you get to give a voice to a lot of people who don’t have voices.” Today, she does exactly that as a Crown attorney in Toronto, where she specializes in prosecuting child abuse, Internet child exploitation, and child pornography offences. 36 QUEEN’S LAW REPORTS ONLINE
Law’12 panelists (back row, 2nd –4th and 6th–8th left) Husein Panju, Brooke MacKe the faculty lounge with Dean Bill Flanagan (back row, 5th left) and Alumni Relation
“Sonia gave me a lot of insight into what working as a Crown is really like,” Kenney said, appreciative of the chance to have had a conversation with Beauchamp. MacKenzie studied theatre as an undergraduate and initially planned to be a teacher. Coming to law school, she knew she wanted to be a civil litigator, but she did not expect to start her own firm. After beginning her career at McCarthy Tétrault, she co-founded MacKenzie Barristers, a practice focusing on civil appeals and professional responsibility and liability issues. “The benefits of being in a small firm are that you can choose your clients and build your practice.” MacKenzie encouraged students to think about their career path on an ongoing basis. “I’m glad I
