Legal Bites - Brett McClelland

Our team of lawyers have a very diverse background coming from all parts of the country with extensive knowledge helping people with their legal needs.

Originally from Grande Prairie, Alberta Brett McClelland attended the University of Calgary and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Ancient and Medieval History. This is an interdisciplinary degree with courses ranging from Greek and Roman history to Reformation Europe and Western religious studies. He also has an impressive athletic background in freestyle skiing and has traveled the world. His experience has led him to competitions around the world including World Cups, World Championships, and the International Olympic Committee Youth Olympics.

We find out a little bit more about Brett in this “Legal Bites” Q & A:

Tell us a little about your practice:

My practice is comprised of estate litigation, personal injury, insurance defence, property disputes, strata litigation, and general litigation.

Why did you go to law school?

I went to law school because I wanted to be a lawyer since I was very young and thought it was the coolest job ever (I thought you just read books and debated all day). I stand by my decision, but, must add significant amounts of writing to the reading and debating. I went to Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

How did you get to where you are today other than hard work? By design, by a little luck?

Living and working in Kelowna has been a long-time goal of mine. The plethora of outdoor pursuits right at our doorstep, and the collegiality of the Kelowna bar made it appealing and a perfect way to strike a healthy work-life balance. There was some luck along the way, but I strongly believe that my experiences as a freestyle skier fostered an ability to shrug off setbacks and embrace the lessons we don’t always want to learn.

What is your most significant achievement so far?

While proud of my experiences and achievements in law to date, my proudest moment was being chosen to lead the halfpipe ski contingent at the 2012 Youth Olympic Games. Seeing athletes I coached competing at Sochi, Pyeongchang, and Beijing has also given me immense satisfaction in seeing the fruits of their hard work paying off.

What are some key challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for young people in law?

As a young lawyer one of the hardest aspects I consistently deal with is being forced to acknowledge that although we were raised digitally, law is still a very paper-centric profession, which can seem archaic and frustrating. On the flip side of that coin, this is also a huge area of opportunity for young lawyers to have an outsized impact on the future of the legal profession as we are aware of the pros and cons of both the digital and the analog aspects of our jobs.

What advice would you give a young person entering law school now that you’ve been through it?

Your brain is part of your body; exercise regularly, eat reasonably healthy (aside from exam time when calories are all you need to think about), and try to sleep on a somewhat normal schedule.