My journey in the Ontario legal scene began in 1991 as a law clerk. Three years later, I crushed my LSATs with exceptional scores. The path to law school was wide open, but I made a choice that many found confusing at the time: I walked away.
Even back then, I could see that the profession was becoming an anxiety-inducing pathology. I chose my sanity over a bar card. Instead, my career evolved organically from a law clerk into overseeing administration for major firms, and eventually flowing into the world of Human Resources.
In 2014, after nearly 25 years in the trenches of various law firms, I launched TSERGAS Human Capital. Ironically, my former lawyer-bosses became my primary clients. I spent years helping them navigate the very organizational chaos I had once managed from the inside. But a few years ago, I hit my limit. I made the conscious business decision to stop taking work from lawyers altogether.
Why I Walked Away Again
I had finally had enough of the “legal” way of doing business. I was done with the constant nickel-and-diming, the classless pontificating, and an arrogance that blinded too many to their own professional rot. Don’t get me wrong. I still have a few lawyer friends who are brilliant, ethical, and true to their word. But they are the exception in a system that has increasingly eclipsed ethical brilliance with a focus on reputation management over public accountability.
The Problem with Self-Regulation
The Law Society of Ontario (LSO) is a watchdog that has effectively become a sanitization service. When serious allegations of harassment or professional misconduct arise in high-pressure firms, the current system allows them to be buried under 100-plus page mediation briefs and “confidential” settlements. We see partners suddenly depart to launch “fearless” new solo practices, while the truth of their exit is locked behind a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
The Human Cost
This isn’t just about “lawyers being lawyers.” It’s about a culture that rewards aggression and punishes transparency. The LSO’s reliance on private “rehabilitation” and confidential cautions means the public, and the junior staff working in these environments, are left completely in the dark.
When workplace concerns are too serious or sensitive to be handled internally, TSERGAS Human Capital provides third-party workplace investigations to help organizations address harassment, bullying, discrimination, retaliation, and misconduct through an impartial process.
It’s Time for a New Model
The “Old Boys’ Club” model is no longer fit for purpose. If we want to fix the anxiety-inducing pathology of this profession, we need to stop letting the fox guard the henhouse.
- Independent Oversight: We need a board led by non-lawyers who have zero skin in the game.
- Transparency: No more using the “mediation” shield to hide systemic professional failures.
- Accountability: Self-regulation has proven it is incapable of policing its own most “prestigious” members.
I’ve spent over 30 years watching this industry from every possible angle. It doesn’t need another “bencher” in a silk robe. It needs to be dismantled and rebuilt with oversight that actually serves the public interest.
To my fellow non-lawyer professionals who have worked in or around this industry: Have you seen the same shift? Is it time we demanded a system that values ethics over optics?