Hitting the books is good for business

In 2012, Paula Trattner signed up for the Osgoode Professional LLM — a two-year graduate program that working lawyers can complete part-time — hoping to fine-tune her expertise so she could better serve clients. And, without a doubt, that happened. But the program also connected her to a new set of industry contacts and helped her land business.

Trattner, a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, completed the program’s health-law specialization in order to bolster her practice, which focusses on the health-care industry. In class, she studied alongside doctors, nurses and health-care administrators. “I really connected with some of my classmates,” she says. “These were people with the ability to hire legal counsel and they got to see me in action first-hand throughout the course. I actually gained clients.”

Having an LLM on her resumé has also strengthened her reputation. “When clients introduce me, they always mention it so I know it impresses them,” says Trattner. “It’s a confirmation that I’ve kept current. Clients appreciate that.”

Other professionals who took the program have also become lasting connections. “We still reach out to each other for advice on work-related questions more than three years later.”