– Life as a Government Lawyer –
Katherine (Kat) Reilly is an experienced litigator and a skilled advocate. She has appeared at all levels of court in Canada.
She has been practicing law for 17 years, and is currently Legal Counsel with the Canadian Province of British Columbia’s Ministry of Attorney General.
Current Initiatives
As the lead of her office’s Injunctions Group, she often advises on high profile and complex litigation matters that involve court injunctions and pressing matters of public concern.
Past Experiences
Before joining Government, Katherine worked in private practice in Vancouver. For over 14 years, she was a corporate commercial litigator with a national business law firm; there, she acted for businesses large and small, including financial institutions, technology companies, and construction companies (among others).
She handled disputes in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Katherine started at the firm in 2006 as an articled student, progressed to an associate position and then became partner in 2014.
Career Transition
Katherine eventually decided to dip her toe in the world of public and constitutional law.
Working as a lawyer for the government did not come with the same gruelling hours as private practice, and the change of pace has given Katherine the freedom to explore other areas of interest and live life in a different, and extremely fulfilling way than the typical private practice gig allows.
Reasons to Listen
This will be a talk worth listening to for:
- those interested in learning some of the differences between between being a lawyer for private enterprise versus government work
- those looking for unique insights on the challenges and rewards associated with being a government lawyer
- those who are searching out helpful tips and strategies towards finding success within the profession of law
Listeners will come away with insights on:
- a day in the life of a government lawyer for the Canadian province of British Columbia
- what her work is like heading up legal injunctions
- litigation strategy and how big of a role it plays in her work
- working for a private practice as opposed to working for government
- the types of challenges one can encounter while working for big law firms
- what initially attracted Kat to the field of law
- what it takes to succeed as a government lawyer
- the impact and degree to which gender equality issues impact career progression within this field
- advice to those who are interested in practicing law
- what a career in law personally means to Kat
- an engaging story
- how technology is impacting the profession of law
- much more!
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“When I’m in court it takes all of my attention, especially running a trial. You really need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s the big game. You’ve got live witnesses that are going to say things you didn’t expect, you’ve got the judge, you’ve got all of these various pieces and it can be all consuming.”
Katherine Reilly
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view video highlights from this conversation can do so via Youtube.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Katherine and her work, you can find and follow her on the following platform:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
