The award-winning podcast featuring the foot soldiers of the Constitution
"Court is now in session, all rise!" (accompanied by a crescendo)
No, it’s not a scene from your favourite legal drama. Welcome to an episode of the Of Counsel podcast.
Of Counsel is an award-winning legal podcast that features the hidden gems within the justice system covering a wide range of topics, from trial strategy to current legal affairs, but never veering away from its sole purpose- highlight the “remarkability" of the guest.
Without further ado, meet your host: Sean Robichaud
Mr. Robichaud is a Toronto criminal defence lawyer with an extensive legal career that has led him to successfully defend and obtain acquittal verdicts for individuals charged with various offences.
He found himself particularly drawn to the interactions he had with fellow lawyers throughout his years of practice. He started to become acutely aware though of the “iceberg in the room” -
there was so much more to each person than met the eye.
A craving to shed a light on these untold stories got a hold of Mr. Robichaud.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou
Mr. Robichaud reflects,
“I was interacting with lawyers on a daily basis and as I got to know them, I realized that everyone had a unique background and a story to share on how they became a lawyer. Whether they came from another country and had to integrate into the Canadian legal system or the barriers they had to overcome to pursue a legal career, these were all such engaging journeys that no one was featuring.”
The idea of having a legal podcast entirely focused on the individual, a “Lawyers on Lawyers” if you would, finally quenched Mr. Robichaud’s insatiable thirst.
With already 1, 2… 47 episodes released, listeners have had the honour of getting to know the brightest Canadian legal minds, all the while being reminded that they’re human after all.
For Mr. Robichaud, the takeaways have been profound:
“When we hear diverse perspectives, we’re reminded of how little we actually know. It’s very easy to consider yourself an expert on a matter, but when you encounter a vast breadth of knowledge, you realize how much more you have yet to attain. The conversations I’ve had thus far on Of Counsel have really instilled in me a lot of humility, but also brought me back to the original definition of wisdom – appreciating the fact that we really don’t know much, and that there’s room for others to contribute.”
“There’s room for others to contribute” is most likely the greatest lesson the stubborn pest, also known as COVID-19, has reminded all.
Defence lawyers along with legal innovators have been calling for change long before a pandemic was even in play. They waited on the sidelines for an opportunity to be heard, and now they’re the key players in the justice system’s main line of defence.
As legal innovation begins to address the modern (or ancient) woes of legal practice, Mr. Robichaud is well aware of how little it takes to spark change,
“What fascinated me was how little effort it took to create something of innovative value and understand the technical aspects. Legal innovation is so within our reach. Lawyers are intelligent and confident, we just need to have the desire to learn.”
As times change and the number of episodes slowly approaches 50, Of Counsel has big plans to live up to.
Mr. Robichaud remarks,
“I want to include more judges in our conversations. Often times people have this view of the bench as being 'secretive', leading to an erosion of trust between the judiciary and society. The more the bench can engage with the public and the wider profession, a greater understanding of the justice system will persist, ultimately fostering trust.”
To learn more, you can listen to episodes of Of Counsel here: Apple Podcasts
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