How a Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law prepared Sandeep Sandhu for practice

Sandeep Sandhu has filled almost every role in the legal office at one time or other. Long before her 2018 call to the bar, Sandhu – a graduate of Osgoode’s full-time Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law – got her start in the legal sector as a receptionist at a Vancouver law firm, a short time after her arrival from India in 1999.

“Becoming a lawyer was always the plan, but I had to take it slowly,” says Sandhu, who is now a family and civil litigation lawyer at Parker Dubrule Szaszkiewicz LLP in Edmonton.

While her husband retrained as a CPA in Canada, Sandhu prioritized her family responsibilities, looking after the couple’s two young children, while progressing through a series of roles at law firms and legal departments of various sizes, including work as a legal assistant, law clerk, paralegal and certified immigration consultant.

Although Sandhu had always harboured a desire to study law while growing up in India, her practical experience in Canada only confirmed her desire to enter a profession where she could make a difference to people’s lives.

“I got to see the constant challenges that people of colour – and women in particular – endure trying to navigate the legal system,” she says. “Canada is obviously a very diverse country, but there are still times when that lack of knowledge and guidance become apparent. There are so many people who need assistance and I thought this was an area where I could make a real contribution to society.”

By 2011, it was Sandhu’s turn to engage in some career development and she attended law school at the University of London.

“We had to compromise our social lives: it was just children, work and school. It was a sacrifice for sure, but at the end of the day, you gain a lot,” she says. “You literally forget about all of those challenges when you find that you get the reward in the end.”

When she decided to practice law in North America, Sandhu considered LLM options at a number of U.S. universities, before deciding that Osgoode’s Canadian Common Law LLM would be a better fit – partly because of the way its core courses are specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s National Committee on Accreditation.

“Given my experience in the legal field in Canada, it made a lot of sense to practice in Canada,” she says. “But I think it was Osgoode’s reputation that was the biggest factor. I was sure that it would increase the number of opportunities open to me, while also developing my legal writing and oral communication skills.”

Sandhu’s predictions were borne out by her experience at Osgoode, where she embraced the rigour of the Canadian Common Law LLM.

“At Osgoode, all the staff and faculty set the bar really high, which got me out of my comfort zone and prepared me very well for the practice of law,” she says.

Even after her graduation in 2016, Sandhu says she still felt the weight of her Canadian Common Law LLM out in the wider legal market as she interviewed for new roles.

“When I was seeking opportunities for articling and even later, when I was applying for associate lawyer, everyone looked on the Osgoode LLM with a great deal of respect,” she says.

Building on her past experience as a legal assistant in Alberta’s Justice and Solicitor General department, Sandhu landed an articling position with a criminal law firm in the province, before gradually broadening her practice to include more civil and family litigation work.

In her current role at Parker Dubrule Szaszkiewicz, Sandhu regularly appears in Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, assisting clients with family law matters, with a particular focus on high-conflict cases.

“When I first started my masters, I never thought I would be practicing litigation,” she says. “I’m really grateful for all the training that I got at Osgoode in terms of my written and oral communication skills, because it boosted my confidence and became very natural.”

Sandhu would not hesitate to recommend the Osgoode Canadian Common Law LLM program to internationally trained lawyers hoping to establish themselves in Canada.

“For anyone who wants to practice law in Canada, there is no better program to supply you with the tools you need. For international students especially, the quality of Osgoode’s program and their expectations of candidates is all geared towards ensuring your success,” she says.

Sandeep Sandhu – Associate Lawyer
Parker Dubrule Szaszkiewicz LLP