Estate Planning

Stand Clear, The Doors Are Closing

By Hull and Hull LLP

Are you ready yet?! No – in a minute, just warm up the car…I'll be there in minute…Hurry! You're late!! Run!!! ...RUN!

That's how it begins. Every day. 'The GO Train Cardioblaster Dash'. Why? 

The National Post reported last year that Toronto commute times 'ranked dead last' among 19 urban centres, including Los Angeles, London, Chicago and New York. Many of us who live in the GTA are faced with unpredictable, nerve shattering drives on major highways that could get us to our downtown Toronto offices in time for coffee - - or lunch – depending on the weather or - - depending on nothing at all. So, we choose the Dash.  

Once on board, after we find our breath and our heart rate returns to normal, we think to ourselves: 1 hour and 15 minutes each way, every day adds up to almost an entire month of 24 hours a day of riding the GO train every year! It is no wonder so many of us would like to be able to use our commute time as part of our work day.  

How can a lawyer work on client matters on the train? In addition to the ridiculous physics involved in balancing your daily caffeine between your knees while your laptop randomly connects and disconnects from the internet and the train lurches from side to side, we have an important duty to protect our client's information as set out in our Rules of Professional Conduct. The train can be a crowded public space where confidential information should not be displayed on a laptop or blackberry where others may be able to view it. The Ontario Bar Association is offering a program in February that offers tips on protecting your client's confidential information as it is handled in various electronic and mobile forms.  

Some lawyers have told me they use pseudonyms for clients' names while they draft in public spaces. Others have recommended purchasing privacy screens for their laptops and mobile devices. Others have given up trying to work on files at all and have chosen to use their time to do other important things. Some catch up on much needed sleep and others just relax and let their taxed minds wander to healthier places. Interestingly, this last option may prove to be the best one. Research from the University of British Columbia tells us that daydreaming enhances our brain's problem-solving functions such that, 'The quantity and quality of brain activity (while daydreaming) suggests that people struggling to solve complicated problems might be better off switching to a simpler task and letting their mind wander.'

So, rather than worry about how to make every hour of your annual month long commute a billable one, maybe its best to just sit back, relax and watch the fields go by so that every hour is a more productive one.  

Thanks for reading!

Julia Evans

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on January 28, 2011 (boomark / email).