Business Law Concentration & Business Law Clinic Student Profile: Jennifer Horton

Jennifer Horton graduated in 2017 from Peter A. Allard School of Law, where she participated in the Business Law Concentration and the Business Law Clinic. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012.  Jennifer is currently a Tax Associate in Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLP's Toronto office.

Why did you decide to pursue the Business Law Concentration?
I decided to pursue the Business Law Concentration for both personal and professional reasons. Since the required courses aligned closely with the subjects that I was already interested in, I considered the Concentration to be a great way to focus on those interests. Additionally, the Capstone appealed to me as a way to gain some hands-on exposure to practicing business law before I start my articling year. Finally, I have found that pursuing the Concentration has been a concrete way to demonstrate to potential employers my commitment to developing a career in business law.

What has your experience in the Business Law Capstone been like?
My exposure to the Business Law Capstone has been a great learning experience since it focuses on a simulated mining transaction and my knowledge of mining law is minimal (at best). The Capstone focuses on bringing in professionals from various aspects of the mining industry to teach us about how an M&A deal in this industry works. So far we have heard from McCarthy's lawyers, in-house counsel and corporate development personnel from Silver Wheaton, a top tax practitioner from Thorsteinssons, and of course we have been working closely with GoldCorp and Teck Resources on our final project.

Why did you decide to enroll in the Business Law Clinic?
I decided to enrol in the Bobinski Business Law Clinic since I had heard positive feedback from my classmates who had participated in the Clinic during its first semester. I had been fortunate to summer at a firm before taking the Clinic and I wanted to continue to develop the "soft skills" that go into being a lawyer.

What was the most valuable part of the Clinic?
The most valuable part of the Clinic was being able to take the lead on client files. While my experience summering had been from the perspective of the most junior person on the file, at the Clinic I had the opportunity to meet with the clients, assess their legal needs and work closely with the supervising lawyers to meet those needs. It was invaluable experience in managing a file that I never expected to get at such an early stage in my career. 

Do you have any advice for future students considering enrolling in either the Business Law Concentration or the Business Law Clinic? 
My advice to any future students would be to pursue the Concentration if they are interested in this area of law and not be dissuaded by the fact that the required courses are considered to be quite rigorous. The workload is manageable and the instructors that you will cross paths with during the Concentration are both brilliant and inspiring. Finally, if you are considering enrolling in either I would advise you to reach out to the upper year students who have done the Concentration or Clinic. That feedback is the most helpful!

Published Spring 2017