Sometimes a fulfilling legal career is right on your doorstep, and for James Grange that is in his hometown of Langley, BC. James appreciates the work-life balance afforded to him at First West Credit Union, though at times it can be challenging to ‘sign out’ because he really loves the work he is doing. The flexibility James has in his days is about more than just the hours. Long before the pandemic hit in 2020, First West was well positioned, technologically, for employees to work in a hybrid arrangement. This works well for James, a self-described homebody, and gives him the perfect mix of connection with colleagues at the corporate headquarters, and work from his hometown home office.
James did not always want to be a lawyer. After several knee injuries halted his plans of being an RCMP officer, he was forced to consider other career paths. James attended Kwantlen University, near Langley of course, and was encouraged by his professors to apply for law school. James ventured to U of A to start his JD and finished it a bit closer to home at UBC.
After graduating, James joined a firm in, you guessed it – Langley! Seeking new legal experiences, James moved to an in-house role for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). He loved his time at ICBC, but after it was announced that the province would be making massive changes to the way car insurance works in BC, James knew his job would be impacted. He also knew at that point that in-house was for him and so made the move to First West.
Every day at work is different for James. In his role, he appreciates being a valued business partner and not just a legal advisor. Dealing with many different aspects of the business, James likes that his work keeps him on his toes. There is always something new to learn and be involved in and not all of it is strictly legal.
At the moment, he is working on a community promotion where customers can nominate charities in their local area to receive donations from First West. James helped with the legal aspects of this initiative, like drafting the terms and conditions, but he also worked with the business team to figure out the logistics of how the program would work and how to ensure it supported the organization’s strategic plans.
You spend almost as much time with the people you work with as you do your family, so you’d better hope you like them. James works with awesome people. His mentor at the credit union is not only an amazing lawyer, he is an amazing person. James’ performance leader truly leads by example. James has liked his past jobs, but he has never worked in a place with such an outstanding culture of excellence and support. First West’s leaders also work hard to promote and maintain an equitable, inclusive and diverse work environment where James and other employees feel valued.
It can be challenging for junior lawyers to gain experience in new areas of law, which makes it hard to figure out what they are really interested in doing. James suggests taking every opportunity you can to gain experience in new areas that pique your interest. If, for example, you are at a small firm that primarily does litigation but you are interested in solicitor work, make it known that you would like solicitor files if they come along.
James also appreciates how easy it can be to feel locked into working in a job or area of law that you don’t really enjoy. Remember that there are a lot of opportunities out there and ways to gain skillsets that make you attractive for those roles.
If you are interested in in-house work, reach out to people you know working in-house for tips. If an in-house job comes up that you are interested in, try to learn as much as you can about the company to see if your values align with theirs and find out what you like about them before applying.
A law degree is anything but limiting and James is proof of that. He now uses his law degree to do two different jobs, as he is an adjunct professor teaching at Kwantlen. If you want to try in-house but don’t know anyone working in it to reach out to, you do now! James is happy to talk to anyone looking for advice or encouragement.