I have been practicing law now for over 28 years and I have found that some of my most enjoyable and effective work has been in the area of public legal education. Whether it has been writing about the law, explaining it on radio and T.V., speaking engagements, teaching at law schools or visiting classrooms, I enjoy that flash of understanding on a person’s face when they finally get some aspect of Canadian law. I think of it as demystification.

Canadian law is so important to everything we do, it is essential that we understand how it affects us and how it protects us.

I am a partner in a midsize downtown Toronto law firm, with a practice focused on family law, divorce, civil litigation, estate litigation and public policy consultation. Check out our website to see what Ricketts, Harris LLP is all about (www.rickettsharris.com).

I certainly think of myself as more than just a family law lawyer. My work in the past has included; leading multi-party negotiations that led to the design and enactment of Ontario’s class action laws, the Environmental Bill of Rights and other legislative reform. I am trained as a mediator and have taken advanced negotiation at Harvard Law School. In particular, I enjoy leading multi-party public policy discussions.

From 2005 to 2008, I hosted a half-hour television program on Business News Network called “Strictly Legal”. In each program I looked at an area of law of importance to Canadians, explained it and then took calls and e-mails from across Canada about questions people may have, as well as general questions about Canadian law.

One feature on each program was something I call “LawyerSpeak”©, when I take a common legal term, define it, explain it and then show you how it can be used in a sentence. Res ipsa loquitur? Tune in to archived episodes on the Business News Network for answers. 

Although my schedule is pretty brisk, I am also able to squeeze in a number of public speaking engagements across Canada each year. Last year I was a part of the Financial Forums in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. The presentations were sponsored by TD Waterhouse. I speak on a wide range of topics, including family law, class actions, litigation issues and even, for the fun of it, golf course liability. If you need a speaker for your event, please feel free to contact me at mcochrane@rickettsharris.com.

At the root of it all, I think I am a writer and I continue to publish a number of articles for magazines and update my books each year. For a list of my publications, go to the publication section of this website. The 4th Edition of my book Surviving Your Divorce is now available and soon a couple of other new books that are not just about family law.

The response to my weekly TV program, “Strictly Legal”, has been so fantastic that I have published a book based on the hundreds of calls and emails that have flowed into the show. I have partnered with Insomniac Press (www.insomniacpress.com) and “Strictly Legal: 100 Things You Have to Know About Canadian Law” is now available at all major retailers and amazon.ca (www.amazon.ca). It is clear that Canadians want accessible understandable practical information about the law. Stay tuned for some interesting new reading.

In the past, I have taught at the University of Ottawa Common Law Law School Faculty, Carleton University, Osgoode Hall Law School and Ryerson University. Subjects I have taught there range from Legal Institutions and the History of the English Common Law to Wills, to Public Law and even Environmental Law.

So, what do I do? Lawyer, mediator, writer, T.V./radio host, public speaker and who knows what else in 2007 - 2008. Stay tuned for lots of interesting news and some exciting developments that are just around the corner.