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Business Law, Estate Planning

Legal Bites - Get to Know Dylan Switzer

February 03, 2022 by Dylan Switzer


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.

Born and raised in Revelstoke, Dylan has an interesting story as a former hockey player in the BCHL. He first joined FH&P Lawyers as a summer law student in 2005, then returned in 2007 to complete his articles. A year later, he joined the firm as an Associate lawyer after graduating from law school in 2008, became a Partner in 2014, and ultimately became the Managing Partner in 2018.

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

Tell us a little bit about your Practice:

I’m a business lawyer. Here in Kelowna, that means I help people with all aspects of incorporation, setting up their businesses along with buying and selling businesses. In the Okanagan, you can’t be a good business lawyer without having a fairly large component of estate planning involving business succession. I also help clients with residential and commercial real estate matters, which, as you know, is extremely busy in this very hot market. I not only work for individual clients, but I work with financial intuitions in relation to their business and estate planning matters.

Why go to law school?

It’s an interesting story; I originally had a history 12 teacher plant the seed. She had a sister who was a judge, and she thought that I was like her sister in some respects, so I should keep the law in mind. I certainly wasn’t pressured by my parents in any direction as I grew up in Revelstoke. I didn’t know any lawyers growing up, so I went to do my undergrad, and I had thoughts on being an English and P.E. teacher on one option list, and then I had the law on the other. I tried to keep both avenues open for as long as possible but eventually decided on the law and attended law school at the University of Calgary. Perhaps all thanks to my history 12 teacher.

What is your most significant professional achievement?

Being the Managing Partner at FH&P, I’m really proud of the team we have built here and the culture we have tried to grow. We have a good thing going, and we are getting to serve more and more clients and creating an enjoyable place for people to work more than ever before. We have been able to give back to the community at a greater rate than in the past because of our growth and the team that we have put together, which is something I’m particularly proud of.

What are some challenges for young people entering the law field?

There are a lot of challenges getting into the legal profession, from the bar to entry. First, it’s a challenge to get into law school and then to succeed at law school. It has always seemed a little unfair to me that most law schools take a snapshot of people’s grades and LSAT scores at the age of 18-22. Many very bright people may not have their best academic years when they are 18-22, which means that the door, under our current system, pretty much can be forever closed.

If you graduated law school when I did, and you had a pulse, you were at least going to get a try at a decent firm somewhere, but that just hasn’t been the case for many years since the giant employment boom that I was a part of. More and more good candidates are coming out of law school looking for their articling year. Still, they are just not being hired at the same rate as before, which is a little bit strange because the economy has been strong for a while now, so I don’t know why that is, but it is currently the trend.

What advice would you give to someone starting their law career?

To create relationships with everybody in the office, including staff and other Associates, but especially in your first couple of years, develop relationships with the firm's Partners who practice in the area you want to be in. Eventually, lawyers get to a point where your clients are outside of the office, but in your first few years as a summer student, articling student or junior Associate, your clients, for the most part, are the lawyers within your firm. If you work hard and create relationships with those Partners and Senior Associates, you have a better chance of getting interesting work that you enjoy personally. This allows you to punch your ticket and do the kind of work you want and not have a shortage of it.