It is often said that the path to success is not a straight line. Although Sophie Virji thought her career path would be straight forward, she temporarily left the practice of law altogether before returning to it and rising to the ranks of Partner at Bennett Jones LLP. Sometimes, it is the time spent away from the thing you are meant to do that shows you that you are meant to do it.
The child of two accountant parents, Sophie grew up with tax talk around the dinner table. She knew from a young age she would work in business, so was not surprised that she was drawn to the corporate courses in law school. Many lawyers talk about how finding their area of law was serendipitous. This was not the case for Sophie, who surprised no-one when she chose to work in tax law right out of school.
Sophie values mentorship and found it easily as a tax lawyer. People say it takes seven to ten years to become competent in tax law. Sophie feels tremendously lucky that the mentor she found at the start of her career, working at Dentons in Calgary, guided her through those years.
During Sophie’s third year of practice, she began to feel like she wanted to try to utilize her skills in a different way. She knew that she was a skilled lawyer and wanted to expand her impact beyond the corporate law realm. In 2014, Sophie gained admission into a fellowship program funded by the Government of Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation.
She left her law practice and spent two years working first as a Consultant for the University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan and then as a Policy Analyst for the Aga Khan Development Networkin Afghanistan.
She left her law practice and spent two years working first as a Consultant for the University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan and then as a Policy Analyst for the Aga Khan Development Networkin Afghanistan.
Sophie had amazing experiences during her time away, but had to come home when it became too unsafe for her to stay in Afghanistan. Planning her next move, Sophie thought – “How can I continue contributing to the world?”. The answer was - through her legal skillset.
Although finding tax law was not serendipitous for Sophie, other parts of her career have been. When Sophie arrived back in Canada, she got in touch with her tax law mentor at Dentons, who informed her that the associate hired as her replacement was about to leave. The position was open, and Sophie took it. Although the same kind work that had previously daunted Sophie fell on her desk when she returned, her perspective on it had dramatically changed. She gained a new appreciation for her skillset and the ways that she could use it for good. Sophie is now able to focus on being a good tax lawyer, doing pro bono and volunteer work and taking on speaking engagements to encourage diversity in the legal profession.
Serendipitously, again, Sophie’s mentor at Dentons moved firms, and Sophie moved with him. Even though Sophie did not take the direct route to partnership, she had always known it was her goal and she was able to achieve it in 2021 at Bennett Jones.
Sophie sees a lot of women self-exclude from tax law, even though it is an area of law that offers a lot of opportunity. Many women are raised in a culture that teaches them that they are not naturally good at math and finance, but this is simply not true. Sophie often speaks publicly about the need for women in tax, and about diversity in the legal profession more generally.
Sophie also realizes that big firms like Bennett Jones get a reputation as lacking diversity. She now understands that this perception is incorrect and that if we want to improve diversity in the profession, we need minorities in powerful positions. Sophie hopes she can be a role model and show other women like her that there is room for them at every level.
Being good at what you do is something no one can take from you, regardless of who you are or where you come from. Becoming an expert in your line of work, whether that is with a big corporate firm or in a public interest job, takes time and effort. For Sophie, putting the hours in is worth it not only for the financial reward, but for the benefit of being surrounded by big thinkers. If you stick with your career through the hard times, you will reap the benefits eventually.
Sophie owes a lot of her success to her mentor. She also owes a lot to everyone around her who have loved and supported her through good and bad. Success is not individual and she is always mindful of that. When Sophie celebrates a milestone, like making partner, she thanks everyone who helped her get there. The journey through your legal career may not be straight forward, and that is what makes it interesting. Just remember to stay connected to the people who helped you along it.