Media and the Law

Last night I was invited to be a guest speaker University of King’s College Media and the Law course.

As a personal injury lawyer in Halifax, my practice involves representing victims of childhood sexual abuse, medical malpractice claims and catastrophic injury claims, but I have also had the good fortune of assisting clients in some groundbreaking claims. There was a good discussion about why these types of claims are of interest to the public.

My presentation involved a review of the ethical rules that govern when lawyers can (or should) talk to the media, tips for budding journalists on how to develop better relationships with lawyers, and finally a review of some of the cases I have been involved in that have been in the news.

I can candidly say it was one of the more enjoyable evenings I have had in a long time. The class was engaged and there were lot’s of probing, relevant questions (as you would expect from journalism students).

I look forward to the opportunity to meet next year’s class.

Update

I just received a very kind note from the professor of the class that I thought I would share:

Dear John:

You should teach. My students at Kings loved your presentation – you really brought your work to life for them. I can’t thank you enough for coming to the class and sharing your clear passion for the law with the students.

I am very fortunate to have a job where I get to meet and help some wonderful people. I am passionate about what I do and I hope the students I met in class that night find a career they can be equally passionate about.