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I'm a technology lawyer in Toronto, Canada. I got my job by starting my own law practice after working at a large tech company + a large law firm. Most lawyers

I'm a technology lawyer in Toronto, Canada. I got my job by starting my own law practice after working at a large tech company + a large law firm. Most lawyers work at firms for several years (or forever) instead of doing their own thing. I did contract programming work for many years before starting my practice so I knew what I was getting into by starting my own business. Without my background in programming I wouldn't have most of my clients. I also get a lot of inbound leads because my website does well on Google (re: former web developer). My job is awesome because I get to help entrepreneurs start their businesses/keep them running smoothly. I'm independent so I can offer reasonably-priced, fast and flexible service. Another benefit of being independent is that I get to work for businesses that other people might not touch such as Bitcoin-related companies. It's more interesting than being a programmer because I get a higher-level view and work with a wide variety of people. I still keep one foot in the world of programming by building my own services on the side.

crazypyro 12y ago
Did you go into law after working in the webdev industry or what was your education path?
- a3camero 12y ago
  I've had two parallel paths: 1. Starting doing programming for pay in high school ---> continued working throughout school 2. Biomedical Sciences degree -> Law degree -> Lawyer
smspillaz 12y ago
I actually created an account since I think I'm the younger version of you and I think your experience could help me. I'm in my final year of an undergraduate law degree, but I've worked in various programming jobs during my studies. Did you go into a law firm right away after you finished studying? Or did you do some more contract work on the side first? How did you frame your experience in programming as useful to the firm that you worked at? How does it help you now? I guess I'm asking because I'm somewhat at a crossroads with what to do with my life. I'm certainly feeling the current from law school trying to push me into firm work, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet. I always wanted to do a startup around an idea I've been working on for a few years now and maybe travel around and pick up a few languages. The type of work you do sounds really appealing to me, but I don't know if I can launch into it right away out of my studies.
- a3camero 12y ago
  Hey, I went to a firm right after studying because in Canada you're required to (it's called "articling"). I run a few online services and it's certainly possible to do that while working other jobs. Maybe you could build your service on the side and see if it's got legs? I wouldn't recommend starting a law practice right out of school (if that's possible in your jurisdiction). It's good to get at least some experience/credibility. I think it'll be tough to try to answer this post thoroughly so please feel free to email me at addison@cameronhuff.com if you'd like to chat further (email or Skype).
tixocloud 12y ago
I'd love to have a discussion with you about being a tech lawyer one day. I'm interested in knowing more about that career path after getting into com science and then shifting over to the business side of things. Friends and family have been raving about how great of a demand there is for tech lawyers these days so I'm curious to get your perspective.
- a3camero 12y ago
  I think the demand for tech lawyers is proportional to how large the tech industry is in your area. You might be surprised to find that demand for people with programming + law isn't as great as the demand for people with just programming. I think the reason for this is that non-technical lawyers can handle almost all of the work that a technical person could do (e.g. you don't need to know how to code to incorporate a company). Feel free to send me an email if you want to follow up: addison@cameronhuff.com.
  - tixocloud 12y ago
    Thanks for your reply. I'm based in Toronto as well. I always envisioned that have a technical background would be beneficial in understanding/defending/invalidating patents etc. I'll drop you a mail shortly.
    - a3camero 12y ago
      If you want to do patents then a technical background is almost a prerequisite and it's very useful.

crazypyro 12y ago

Did you go into law after working in the webdev industry or what was your education path?

a3camero 12y ago
I've had two parallel paths: 1. Starting doing programming for pay in high school ---> continued working throughout school 2. Biomedical Sciences degree -> Law degree -> Lawyer

smspillaz 12y ago

I actually created an account since I think I'm the younger version of you and I think your experience could help me. I'm in my final year of an undergraduate law degree, but I've worked in various programming jobs during my studies. Did you go into a law firm right away after you finished studying? Or did you do some more contract work on the side first? How did you frame your experience in programming as useful to the firm that you worked at? How does it help you now? I guess I'm asking because I'm somewhat at a crossroads with what to do with my life. I'm certainly feeling the current from law school trying to push me into firm work, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet. I always wanted to do a startup around an idea I've been working on for a few years now and maybe travel around and pick up a few languages. The type of work you do sounds really appealing to me, but I don't know if I can launch into it right away out of my studies.

a3camero 12y ago
Hey, I went to a firm right after studying because in Canada you're required to (it's called "articling"). I run a few online services and it's certainly possible to do that while working other jobs. Maybe you could build your service on the side and see if it's got legs? I wouldn't recommend starting a law practice right out of school (if that's possible in your jurisdiction). It's good to get at least some experience/credibility. I think it'll be tough to try to answer this post thoroughly so please feel free to email me at addison@cameronhuff.com if you'd like to chat further (email or Skype).

tixocloud 12y ago

I'd love to have a discussion with you about being a tech lawyer one day. I'm interested in knowing more about that career path after getting into com science and then shifting over to the business side of things. Friends and family have been raving about how great of a demand there is for tech lawyers these days so I'm curious to get your perspective.

a3camero 12y ago
I think the demand for tech lawyers is proportional to how large the tech industry is in your area. You might be surprised to find that demand for people with programming + law isn't as great as the demand for people with just programming. I think the reason for this is that non-technical lawyers can handle almost all of the work that a technical person could do (e.g. you don't need to know how to code to incorporate a company). Feel free to send me an email if you want to follow up: addison@cameronhuff.com.
- tixocloud 12y ago
  Thanks for your reply. I'm based in Toronto as well. I always envisioned that have a technical background would be beneficial in understanding/defending/invalidating patents etc. I'll drop you a mail shortly.
  - a3camero 12y ago
    If you want to do patents then a technical background is almost a prerequisite and it's very useful.