Rachel Sachs
2016-2017
When you talk to Rachel Sachs - you are instantly drawn to her values of integrity, vision and service. Her force of change and empowerment for seniors and carrying that responsibility with dignity and grace is truly remarkable.
About Rachel Sachs, BA, LLB, MSc
Seniors Lawyer and Founder Sachs Law Professional Corporation Toronto, ON, Canada
Rachel always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She is the youngest of three siblings and she is the first one of her siblings to go to university.
At the age of 12, she was affected by a serious accident that her eldest brother was in. The traumatic accident left her brother who was only 18-years-old at the time with quadriplegic injuries.“I witnessed first hand how my brother’s life changed in an instant and how difficult it was to settle the case,” says Sachs.It was a heartbreaking experience and it inspired her to help others.
These days Rachel is an advocate for seniors who runs her own practice that focuses on elder law, estate law and real estate law. Her enthusiasm to help seniors is contagious. Her sense of compassion and boundless empathy can be linked to her grandmother who had dementia. “I became one of the primary caretakers along with my dad and it opened up the conversation of autonomy for elders,” she says.When Rachel speaks about her personal experience with her grandmother - she is full of raw and authentic emotion. It’s clear that her passion lies with the laws affecting seniors and she is on a relentless mission to help this demographic.
Rachel always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She is the youngest of three siblings and she is the first one of her siblings to go to university.
At the age of 12, she was affected by a serious accident that her eldest brother was in. The traumatic accident left her brother who was only 18-years-old at the time with quadriplegic injuries.“I witnessed first hand how my brother’s life changed in an instant and how difficult it was to settle the case,” says Sachs.It was a heartbreaking experience and it inspired her to help others.
These days Rachel is an advocate for seniors who runs her own practice that focuses on elder law, estate law and real estate law. Her enthusiasm to help seniors is contagious. Her sense of compassion and boundless empathy can be linked to her grandmother who had dementia. “I became one of the primary caretakers along with my dad and it opened up the conversation of autonomy for elders,” she says.When Rachel speaks about her personal experience with her grandmother - she is full of raw and authentic emotion. It’s clear that her passion lies with the laws affecting seniors and she is on a relentless mission to help this demographic.
Law Degree
Sheffield Hallam University in the UK
LPP In One Word
Empowering
Favourite Book Of All Time
The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
Why law? What inspired your legal aspirations?
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a lawyer. This sounds a little silly but I read John Grisham’s The Rainmaker when I was in grade school and it, along with other John Grisham novels, imprinted on me the profound difference a lawyer could make in other people’s lives through sheer grit, determination and dedication to helping others.
What is a typical day at work/office like for you?
I don’t really have a typical day, but I’m working on getting there through structuring my schedule better by time blocking – a lesson I first learned from Andre Bacchus, the assistant director of the work placement office during my time in the LPP. I’ve been learning and exploring new ways to do it better both for my benefit and my clients.
What is the best part of your career?
Meeting people and working with my clients to achieve their goals. There is no better feeling than knowing you’ve helped someone with something really important to them and made their lives better as a result.
Describe a defining moment in your legal career
Attending my first Women Lawyers Forum meeting as a Member-at-Large. Ashley Waye was Chair. Bailey Duller asked me all about myself and what I wanted to do. She, and others, showed genuine interest and gave me much needed informal mentorship from that point on. My first day, I was welcomed into a community of lawyers who gave me a real opportunity to take part and to act instead of telling me what I should be doing. , I later became Chair until August 31, 2021 and am now Immediate Past Chair until August 31, 2022.
Describe a particularly memorable or significant experience during your time at the LPP
Having our first LPP firm meeting – we were one of the largest firms, with 5 candidates, all of us with very different backgrounds on very different journeys. There was some side-eyed assessment of each other- could we rely on each other? How would we work together? What were our various strengths and weaknesses? Would we ever get anything done?
The reality is the LPP training component teaches you a lot in a very short time, and I think we learned more than your average articling student, but we also learned as much from our peers in the LPP. Colin Stevenson led the mediation component. Ours was a construction law case and the assessment was a group assessment. Our firm walked into the group assessment and on the other side was a firm of 3, but only 2 were present. We felt like a team of insurance defence or Big Law lawyers in that moment.
In the first week, probably the first day, we were led through a typical game theory exercise in a negotiations workshop. Most teams did poorly. Chris Bentley used it as an example to unlearn all the bad habits of competitive one-upmanship people seem to acquire over the years in law school and for us to start being good lawyers from the outset. For us to focus on cooperation, negotiation and good business practices in all our dealings. “Your reputation is everything.”
The reality is the LPP training component teaches you a lot in a very short time, and I think we learned more than your average articling student, but we also learned as much from our peers in the LPP. Colin Stevenson led the mediation component. Ours was a construction law case and the assessment was a group assessment. Our firm walked into the group assessment and on the other side was a firm of 3, but only 2 were present. We felt like a team of insurance defence or Big Law lawyers in that moment.
In the first week, probably the first day, we were led through a typical game theory exercise in a negotiations workshop. Most teams did poorly. Chris Bentley used it as an example to unlearn all the bad habits of competitive one-upmanship people seem to acquire over the years in law school and for us to start being good lawyers from the outset. For us to focus on cooperation, negotiation and good business practices in all our dealings. “Your reputation is everything.”
Describe some of the more particularly helpful tools or skills you acquired during the LPP
Access to mentors and legal professionals across a spectrum of practice areas.
I never thought I would practice wills and estates but then I started to, and I went back to my notes from the LPP on Ian Hull’s lectures and resources. They provided an excellent starting point. Learning how to interview and speak to clients, and having the opportunity to practice it, made a huge difference for me, as well as getting a solid foundation in several areas of law.
Initially for me, the LPP was just a necessary step to get me to my call date a little sooner than articling would have. But it was so much more. I became part of a unique group of lawyers who were trained in the same way. I made amazing connections with other candidates. I learned a lot about myself, including that I enjoy litigation and putting myself out there. I began to understand law as a business and see the possibilities of what I could do and where I could go in this profession. Many of my experiences with entry into the legal profession in Canada prior to the doing the LPP were limiting. The LPP was the opposite.
Initially for me, the LPP was just a necessary step to get me to my call date a little sooner than articling would have. But it was so much more. I became part of a unique group of lawyers who were trained in the same way. I made amazing connections with other candidates. I learned a lot about myself, including that I enjoy litigation and putting myself out there. I began to understand law as a business and see the possibilities of what I could do and where I could go in this profession. Many of my experiences with entry into the legal profession in Canada prior to the doing the LPP were limiting. The LPP was the opposite.
