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Kootnekoff: A Lawyer’s Christmas wish

—By Susan Kootnekoff
Kelowna News Staff
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Susan Kootnekoff is the founder of Inspire Law, an Okanagan based-law practice. She has been practicing law since 1994, with brief stints away to begin raising children. Susan has experience in many areas of law, but is most drawn to areas in which she can make a positive difference in people���s lives, including employment law. She has been a member of the Law Society of Alberta since 1994 and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia since 2015. Susan grew up in Saskatchewan. Her parents were both entrepreneurs, and her father was also a union leader who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of workers. Before moving to B.C., Susan practiced law in both Calgary and Fort McMurray, AB. Living and practicing law in Fort McMurray made a lasting impression on Susan. It was in this isolated and unique community that her interest in employment law, and Canada’s oil sands industry, took hold. In 2013, Susan moved to the Okanagan with her family, where she currently resides. photo:contributed

—By Susan Kootnekoff

Do you remember me?

I sat upon your knee

I wrote to you with childhood fantasies

A grown-up lawyer now,

I still have hope somehow,

I’m not a child but my heart still can dream

So here’s my lifelong wish,

My lawyer’s Christmas list,

Not for myself, but for a world in need

No more lives torn apart,

Compassion from the start,

and time would heal the heart,

No more need for courts or jail,

Tribunals would be gone,

And fair play would prevail,

This is my lawyer’s Christmas list

As adults we realize

It is not what one buys,

Happiness is not found beneath the tree

Though we have good intents,

Decisions and judgments

May leave behind a damaged human soul

No more lives torn apart,

Connection from the start,

and time would heal the heart

No more need for courts or jails,

Tribunals would be gone,

Humanity prevails,

This is my lawyer’s Christmas list

What is this illusion called?

The innocence of youth?

Maybe only in our blind belief

Can we ever find the truth

No more lives torn apart,

And kindness from the start,

And time would heal the heart

No more need for laws or courts,

For judges, juries, torts,

For lawyers of all sorts

This is my lawyer’s Christmas list

This is my only lifelong wish

This is my lawyer’s Christmas list.

The above is based on the song My Grown Up Christmas Wish, and was adapted for this column.

The content of this article is intended to provide very general thoughts and general information, not to provide legal advice. Advice from an experienced legal professional should be sought about your specific circumstances. If you would like to reach us, we may be reached at 250-764-7710 or info@inspirelaw.ca. Check out our website, www.inspirelaw.ca.

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