We like to periodically take time out to thank our volunteers by giving them the spotlight, and since it is National Volunteer Week (NVW), we can’t think of a better time to say thank you!
Our hundreds of volunteers are what keep LESA going, and we’re pleased to take the opportunity of National Volunteer Week to send our gratitude to each and every one of our volunteers. Thank you!
Though we would love to feature you all in today’s blog, this time around we’re sending a special shout out to James T. Swanson who has assisted LESA numerous times with organizing, chairing, and presenting at our seminars.
Here’s what James had to say in a recent interview. Happy reading!
How did you first become interested in law?
The first experience that interested me was when I was about 19 or 20. I had a part time job in a news warehouse. … I organized a union and became the shop steward, so I was the one involved in negotiating the collective agreement. That was my first exposure to lawyers, watching them work, and that sort of planted the seed. … It took until I was about 28 to really get serious about it, so I wrote the LSAT, I already had the degree, I applied, got in, and off I went!”
Can you tell me a little bit about your practice?
My practice focuses on technology of all types – not just information technology but general technological issues as they relate to the legal system – and on intellectual property, like copyrights, trademarks, patents and trades secrets, confidential information, design – those kinds of things. … I work both the solicitor side and … I also litigate. … I’ve been on some pretty complicated cases over the years.”
What would you say you like best about your job?
The fact that it’s always interesting because, as you know, technology is advancing increasingly more rapidly – it’s an exponential increase. … The way I looked at it was, if you take an Olympic swimming pool, which is 50m long, and you say it’s 2m deep, [and think] what if you add one drop per second – ignore the fact that it’s going to evaporate – how long would it take to fill the pool? And the answer is 567 years. But if you double the drops … a drop in the first second, 2 in the second, 4 the third, 8, then 16, 32, etc. the pool is half full in 23 seconds. … At 40 seconds you’re at the yearly supply of water for all of Toronto. You can’t get to 2 minutes because there is not enough water on earth to do it. That’s the power of doubling. That’s what’s happening [in terms of technology]. … Yogi Berra said it best, “the future ain’t what it used to be.”
What do you enjoy most about volunteering for LESA?
I really enjoy the people. I really enjoy working with you guys; I enjoy the lawyers I meet. Usually in the sessions I’ve been at, the audience is really engaged. … People come up to chat during the coffee break; … you meet some really good people. Also, I like the feeling of getting up and explaining something that somebody didn’t know before.”
What else motivates you to volunteer?
It’s kind of pay it forward, pay it back. … I’m getting older, and eventually I would like to retire. I want to make sure people know what’s going on in my area, and I think there is a lot of risk that can be better managed by other lawyers. … They should understand that.”
What advice would you give to some of your colleagues who may be considering volunteering?
I’d just say do it! It’s a really worthwhile experience; … it’s win-win for everybody. … You know what, I don’t think I’ve ever given a seminar to an audience where I didn’t learn something – either by what I had to do to prepare for it … or by what somebody in the audience said to me. I always learn something. Everybody out there has a story or a fact that they know that will improve your life when you hear it.”
