Four Queen’s Law community members – one student and three recent grads – will be heading to Canada’s highest court in 2020-21. Receiving clerkships to work with Supreme Court of Canada justices are Megan Pfiffer, Law’19, Paul Warchuk, Law’15, Elliot Herzig, Law’17, and Paul Socka, Law’18. 

Pfiffer will be clerking for Justice Rosalie Abella. “She is a giant in the Canadian legal community, and a personal hero of mine,” says Pfiffer. “I am so excited to have the opportunity to learn from her.” 

As Pfiffer prepares to write her last set of law school exams before articling with Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothsetin LLP, she reflects on her three years at Queen’s Law. “I’ve had the privilege of being instructed by so many fantastic professors who helped me develop the skills necessary to contribute to such an important institution” she says. “The extra-curricular activities available at Queen’s Law have afforded me a really diverse range of experiences that will allow me to adapt quickly to new subject matter that I encounter at the court. Specifically, my time at Queen’s Law has been significantly enriched through competitive mooting and working on the Queen’s Law Journal editorial board.”

For Warchuk, clerking for Justice Suzanne Côté will be the latest in a long line of accomplishments since graduating four years ago. He began as law clerk to Justice David Stratas, Law’84, at the Federal Court of Appeal; earned an LLM in 2017 from Harvard Law School, where he was both a Frank Knox Memorial Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar; and is now a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge as a Cambridge International Scholar and the holder of a Hollond-Whittaker Research Studentship.   

“Everyone at Queen’s was really encouraging and supportive,” he recalls, expressing gratitude for the many people who helped him put together a successful application for his first clerkship. “I can’t imagine how difficult the process would be without the support of the Queen’s community – from the Dean and faculty members to the career development team, alumni and past clerks – and I’m really thankful for all of the help I received.”

As for his upcoming stint at the Supreme Court, Warchuk says, “I’m looking forward to seeing what comes up on the docket. There are always really interesting issues before the court, and debating those issues with the others at the court should be great fun.” 

Warchuk also has a special connection to one of his fellow grads who will be joining him in 2020-21 at the SCC. 

Elliot Herzig, Law’17, who will be law clerk to Justice Clément Gascon, says, “Queen’s Law prepared me both intellectually and emotionally. Without Queen’s, I doubt I would’ve had the confidence to apply. I owe a particular debt to Professors Nick Bala and Don Stuart, as well as to my first-year tutor, Paul Warchuk.

Starting this August, Herzig will begin a Federal Court of Appeal clerkship with Justice Johanne Gauthier. Of his newest clerkship appointment Herzig says, “I am most looking forward to the job itself. Working on the toughest legal problems alongside the sharpest legal minds is an opportunity I couldn’t find anywhere else.”  

Socka, who is completing his articles with the Crown Law Office - Criminal and will spend 2019-20 clerking at the Ontario Court of Appeal, will clerk at the SCC for Justice Andromache Karakatsanis. “I’m excited to learn from the country’s greatest legal minds,” he says. “I’m excited to learn all that I can about the law from Justice Karakatsanis, and also to learn about advocacy in a way that is really not possible anywhere else. We learn a lot of great tips in law school, and more while working, but the mind of a judge is always a bit of a black box. To be able to learn what works and does not and what makes a judge tick at a level as high as the Supreme Court is truly an exciting prospect.”

Reflecting on his student days, he recalls his alma mater preparing him “excellently” for clerking. “I think the biggest thing is confidence,” he says. “Looking back, even I’m shocked at how confident I felt in discussing the law during my interviews. I think that stems from how so many of my professors approached classes as open, educational discussions, with the freedom to agree or disagree with any particular point. If I didn't have that experience, I don't think the interviews would have gone well, and I don't think I would have the confidence to do good work as a clerk.”

Megan Pfiffer has parting words for her professors: “I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to the many faculty members at Queen’s Law who have supported me throughout my time in law school, and who helped me prepare for the process of securing a clerkship,” she says. “I would not have this opportunity without their constant guidance and encouragement.”
 
By Lisa Graham