Make sure you’re not getting trapped in a path you’re not interested in. ~ Brandon Hastings
Brandon Hastings (@BHastingsLaw) is a Vancouver-based lawyer and mediator. He is also a co-founder of Vancouver Legal Hackers (@LegalHackersVAN), founder of The Justice Hack (@thejusticehack) and a director (& Young Lawyers’ Representative) with the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch (@CBA_BC).
Like many young lawyers, Brandon has to juggle the pressures of making a living and building a practice while also trying to manage the rest of his life. But he also makes big contributions to the profession in other ways like writing for trade publications and volunteering with professional organizations.
In addition, Brandon manages to find time for passion projects that focus on access to justice and building a community of legal technology enthusiasts.
In this episode, Brandon shares tips for balancing professionalism with a desire to be happy and live a good life.
Topics Covered
- Legal education
- Online education
- Computer programming / coding
- Legal hacking
- Access to justice
- Writing for trade publications
- Work-life balance for legal careers
- Mental health in the legal profession
Listen to “28 Brandon Hastings – Hacking, Access and the Young Lawyers’ Soapbox” on Spreaker.
Quiz
The Quiz for this episode is here.
Pre-approved by the Law Society of BC for 1.3 hours of CPD credits.
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Shownotes
Deciding to go to law school 4:50
Self-taught learning in disciplines outside the law 14:00
Law as a data management exercise 19:11
Legal hacking 11:20
Vancouver Legal Hackers 23:10
Legal hackathons 24:45
Law Foundation of BC 25:45
CLIO 26:00
Online Dispute Resolution simulations for law students 42:35
CBA BC Bar Talk 44:15
Travel Expenses: Overhead or Disbursement? 44:30
Trial by Ambush in BC: Just when you thought it was save to go back in the courtroom… 49:15
I Want Candy: the case against fructose 50:10
Voices of justice 57:00
Happiness is a Currency 1:02:45
A2JWeekBC 1:05:30
Rapid Fire Questions 1:08:00
Brandon’s Personal Website 1:16:13
CBA BC Agenda for Justice 1:18:50