LESA greatly values the contributions of its volunteers. Recently, we spoke with Michelle Gallagher of Patriot Law in Onoway, Alberta. Michelle is a board member of LESA, a CPLED Evaluator, and has presented at several LESA programs.
Before pursuing law as a career, Michelle was an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her background with the military has significantly contributed to her career. On a daily basis, she draws from this experience in 2 ways: through her highly developed planning skills, and through her diligence and attention to detail.
These skills have helped Michelle achieve success in the legal profession. Michelle notes, “We had a saying in the military, time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted.”
Michelle practices law at her small-town general practice with her husband. She enjoys practicing law in a rural community for many reasons, including the more relaxed office atmosphere and the friendly environment. As Michelle put it, “We get really well-embedded into our community out here.”
Community involvement is very important to Michelle, as evidenced by the fact that she is a director on several not-for-profit boards within her region. Currently, she sits on the local Chamber of Commerce Board, the Commissionaires, and is the Chair of the West Parkland Gas Co-Op. She enjoys her work with these organizations because it helps her stay connected to her communities and because it has given her, as she states, “Opportunities and opened doors that may or may not have existed if [she] hadn’t tried to make the leap and tried to find something to be involved in.”
Michelle first became involved with LESA by attending a seminar. Since that time, Michelle has been involved with LESA in several capacities: as a presenter, as a participant in seminars and on-line programs, as an evaluator for the CPLED program, and as a member of the Board of Directors.
Michelle’s involvement with LESA has enriched her practice in different ways. Presenting in seminars has provided an opportunity for Michelle to advance her oral advocacy skills, build her professional network, and ensure that she is adapting her practice to be in-line with best practices. According to Michelle,
[Presenting helps to] get some professional development for yourself at a deeper level, because I think you have to know the subject better than just a basic level in order to be able to stand in front of a group and talk about it.”
Michelle also attends many of LESA’s seminars and participates in online LESA training throughout the year to direct her own personal development as a lawyer. She also enjoys her work as a CPLED Evaluator with LESA, not only because it serves as a refresher for her own skills, but because it also provides gratification.
It’s nice to see that between law school and CPLED, you are bringing some really good people to the profession.”
As a member of the board, Michelle enjoys working with people from many areas of the legal profession and she appreciates that this position affords her the opportunity to take a look at bigger-picture issues facing the legal profession.
Part of what I enjoy about being involved with LESA is having the opportunity to step back and look at lawyer and legal issues on a much larger scale with a view to where things are going in the future.”
It is through the hard work and dedication of volunteers like Michelle Gallagher that LESA is able to provide such a diverse variety of programs to serve the educational and professional development needs of the legal profession throughout the province. Thank you for being our partner in continuing legal excellence.
