By Eloïse Gratton, Partner and National Co-leader, Privacy and Data Protection, BLG
If you are in the privacy field in Canada, you may recognize my name — but I didn’t start out as the national co-leader of the privacy and data protection group at Canada’s largest law firm. Instead, my career began as a technology lawyer at a Montréal start-up.
Over the last few years, I have led BLG’s recruiting blitz for this exploding area of law and I’m often asked for advice on how to become a privacy lawyer. These 10 tips will help get you in the door — and on the path to success — whether you’re looking to join a large privacy team at a big-name firm, become the go-to at a boutique office or take an in-house privacy role.
Final thoughts
In closing, I wouldn’t expect an associate with three years of experience to tick all these boxes from the get-go. Use these tips to evaluate your next step. Look for opportunities that will give you business experience, make you more tech savvy, train your academic mind, expose you to other practice areas, cultivate your passion for privacy, make you a more creative problem solver, strengthen your communication skills and give you global experience.
You’ll be in good company. After all, very few privacy leaders in Canada have walked a straight path, including myself. Of course, if you already have what it takes to be a great privacy lawyer, keep an eye out for our next privacy associate posting on blg.com! We are always looking for talented lawyers to join BLG’s growing, national privacy team.
