#31 - Pathways to Law with Lawyer, Shayna Beeksma
Channel: Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot
Date: 16/05/2023

I’m so excited to introduce this week’s guest, Shayna Beeksma! Shayna is an award winning lawyer and founder of Beeksma Law PC. She attended Osgoode Hall Law School - which is also my alma mater! - and was called to the bar in 2012. She completed her articling at Gowling WLG, and following her articling she continued to develop her skills and knowledge at a boutique commercial and estate litigation firm in Burlington, then subsequently moved to a prominent, mid-sized Hamilton firm before opening Beeksma Law in 2018. 

Shayna shares with us her journey and how she got to where she is today. She gets really honest with us this episode and describes her experiences and feelings of burnout after completing her articling and working at Bay Street firms. Shayna also tells us how she came to her decision to pursue law school and how her view of the field of law broadened, where she initially pursued International Human Rights law and now primarily does estate law, business law, and real estate law. 

Listen to the episode to learn more about: 

Shayna’s personal and professional backgrounds, and her undergraduate and law school experiences. (Like Shayna, Adrienne, and many others, you don’t have to take poli-sci, criminology, or anything like that in undergrad to get into law school - people from all sorts of educational backgrounds get into law schools each cycle. So do something you enjoy and make sure you do well!) 
Shayna’s journey through her law profession and entrepreneurship,
The importance of knowing what kind of work-life balance you want, specifically in the field of law where there are long working hours, in order to avoid burnout. A positive outcome that often comes from burnout is the self-reflection, and subsequent re-evaluation, that happens as a result, 
How it’s okay if your plans change depending on your own interests, financial considerations, priorities, and prospective work opportunities. You can be any kind of professional, any kind of lawyer, you want, 
How we don’t have to suffer through “the grind” and experience burnout. We don’t have to feel shame about putting our feelings, our health, and our personal responsibilities at the forefront, and
The importance of visualizing your future and the way this skill can catapult you forward. 

If you want to discuss your own application and advancement journey, and connect with us at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot, you can email me personally at hello@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal -  Let me know how you are maintaining your own health, well-being, and goals in your academic and/or professional journeys. We’re always here to support you!