Borderlines Podcast #54 – Building the Law Career that You Want, with Dennis McCrea

Meurrens LawUncategorized

Dennis McCrea was the founder of McCrea Immigration Law. He started practicing immigration law in 1974, and was one of the original members of Vancouver’s immigration bar. In this episode we discuss how to build an immigration practice, how the practice of immigration law has evolved, avoiding burnout and more.

3:00 – How lawyers use to interact with visa officers.
6:00 – The formation of the immigration bar.
11:30 –  Thoughts on whether it is possible to have both a corporate immigration practice and a refugee or enforcement practice.
15:30– Did the practice of immigration law become more or less fun over time?
18:00 – What kept Dennis motivated when it came to practicing immigration law?
22:30 – What type of cases did Dennis enjoy the most?
26:00 – What are some tools that lawyers can use to prevent burnout?
41:00 – Did the practice of immigration law vary depending on which political party were in power?
42:00 – How to retire.
45:00 – How can junior lawyers who are trying to build a practice have time for hobbies?
48:00 – How Steven and Deanna got into immigration.
58:00 – Growing a firm.
1:03:00 – Should you article at an immigration law firm.
1:06:00 – Being too specialized.
1:13:00 – What percent of Dennis’s practice was immigration processing, firm management and enforcement?
1:16:30 – Thoughts on consultants.
1:19:00 – Are decisions getting better or worse? Are boilerplate refusals becoming more or less common?