Remember the name Gabrielle Giroday; you will be hearing a lot from her. That’s because Gabe, as she likes to be known, is the new editor of
Law Times.
She comes from good stock. Toronto-born, Giroday is a former
Winnipeg Free Press reporter, which included a three-year stint covering justice issues.
Recently, she worked in communications and media relations for the Manitoba provincial government, advising on a range of portfolios, touching on everything from the economy to municipal affairs and women’s issues. She joins
Law Times’ talented writing and editing staff at a time of great change facing the media business, and I am sure she is up for the job.
I know that the legal community will welcome her warmly and encouragingly, as it did me in 1990, when we launched this upstart paper.
Giroday’s appointment brings my six-week stint as interim editor to an end. They say you can never go home, but apparently that’s not the case. You can.
What’s interesting is how little — yet how much — home has changed. Lawyer advertising, which was once taboo and subject to much discussion in the late ’80s and early ’90s, is again in the news. It’s concern over content that has some people up in arms, not much different from two decades ago.
Other issues, such as modernizing the justice system — a mantra when I was press secretary to the attorney general in the 1990s— is still a primary concern. Law firms continue to grow and professionalism remains paramount.
But there have also been big changes. The law firm business model where associates work hard for seven years to make partner or be shown the door is, thankfully, changing. The billable hour, once the law firm staple, is falling by the wayside, yielding to alternative fee arrangements.
One thing, for sure, that hasn’t changed over all this time is the passion, dedication, and commitment that lawyers show to their clients and society.
Few professions commit the hours and resources that the legal industry does to
pro bono and charitable efforts. Governments benefit from countless hours of mostly unbillable time that lawyers spend researching and commenting on new laws and regulations in an effort to improve them.
Whether it’s helping Syrian refugees or assisting the wrongfully accused, you can bet there’s a lawyer somewhere willing to step up.
Then there’s time spent volunteering on boards and fundraising for community organizations. It’s a side of the legal business that, unfortunately, the public seldom sees, but it is central to building a strong and healthy community and a free and democratic society.
Sure, we have our bad apples, but what profession doesn’t? I’m proud to be part of this profession.
Thanks for listening, and Gabe, welcome aboard.
