Christian Deslauriers
is the youngest attorney to ever present his case in front of the Supreme Court
of Canada as he achieved this feat at only 29 years old. He currently has his
own firm where he partnered with one other attorney to offer services related
to Criminal Law. He started his career by obtaining his degree in civil law
back in 2000 at the Laval University in Quebec City. He then got his Bar
certification just a year later and also went on to achieve a Juris Doctorate
degree in 2003. Outside of his client work, Christian
Deslauriers frequently appears on
television shows to comment on laws and regulations in Canada.
What was your best/favorite subject in school?
I loved speech and debate. First, it was a mandatory subject that I had to
attend during the first semester of my junior year. After that, however, I kept
taking different levels of it until I graduated. I got to do a lot of case
studies, learn how to organize my arguments, lead intense debates with some
classmates, and even attend a number of competitions.
In fact, it is safe to say that this class had an incredibly significant impact
on my current career as I think that it established the idea of me being a
lawyer long before I actually started taking law classes. Some other classes
that I really liked further include math and writing. Naturally, I was always a
fan of Physical Education (PE) courses where I would get to play basketball or
soccer with my friends.
Where and how did you first get into the industry you currently work in?
I started by completing my articling at the Office of the Prosecutor of
International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia. Since the term
“articling” is mostly used in Canada, it means that a year of my
education was spent actually working for an experienced attorney where I got to
see how the industry functions. A better way to explain it is to say that I did
a year-long internship.
This was an incredibly challenging and rewarding process as I witnessed some of
the toughest cases in my career here. Most of the defendants were war criminals
with a list of heinous crimes that would cause the vast majority of people to
cringe. Nevertheless, getting to see how such high-profile and intricate cases
were resolved really helped me understand the legal process better. Not to
mention that it showed me some important shortcomings of the rule of law in
specific scenarios.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
Well, I always think back to when I was in law school and my main priority was
to pass the next exam. My life back then was spent in a small dorm with a roommate,
no job security as I did not have one, and almost nonexistent disposable income
since almost all of my savings were covering my tuition and fees. So, when I
compare that situation with where my life is right now, I get inspired by the
mind-blowing difference that presents itself.
Outside of the full-time income that I have, I also have a secure job and
countless ventures on the side that keep me busy. Thus, I am motivated to
achieve more so that when I look back in another 10 years my current situation will
seem like a distant stepping stone to my future success.
Have you ever tried any unorthodox techniques to attract attention to your business?
Not exactly. I went into a full-time job right after law school and worked
under the supervision of some more experienced attorneys. They made sure that I
was kept busy so I did not need to do anything extraordinary to direct
additional attention to myself. Even with my new projects with different software, I am mostly utilizing my talents and
industry expertise to help.
The only area where I might have done something remotely unorthodox would be
the managing role that I play for Diana Roze. Given that she is a recording
artist, I had to go above and beyond to get her the necessary recognition since
this is a relentless market.
What personal achievement are you most proud of?
I think the fact that I have found a way to juggle all of the responsibilities
that I have would be my most important achievement. I do not like to put one of
my ventures ahead of the others because I think that all of them are special in
their own way. Nevertheless, the fact that I somehow multitask between law
clients, software projects, a recording artist, and a restaurant is something
that I like to acknowledge as an outstanding feat.