An Interview with Cameron Somerville

Cameron Somerville is an Associate in the Disputes group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Osler) where he maintains a general civil and commercial litigation practice. During law school at the University of Toronto Cameron competed in the Callaghan Memorial Moot. He also served as the Vice-President of the Litigation Association. Cameron earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of British Columbia, where his undergraduate thesis received the award for best economics thesis and was later published in the Berkeley Economic Review.

Why did you go to law school?

Cameron’s motivation to attend law school was the result of exposure to lawyers while working for the city of Edmonton during high school. “I was impressed by the speed at which the lawyers could process information and make sense of vast amounts of non-numerical data,” said Cameron. This impact stayed in his mind throughout his bachelor’s degree and ultimately led to Cameron’s pursuit of a career in law.

How did you find the transition from studying economics to attending law school?

While transitioning from a program focused on numbers to one which rarely utilized them provided some difficulty, Cameron noted that his previous studies afford him a perspective that is incredibly useful now that he is in practice. “One of the great things about law school and working with colleagues [in practice] is that everyone comes from a different background… You have all these different perspectives that have been informed by these backgrounds, and approaching problems in different ways is often how we come to creative solutions.”

Why do you think you were drawn to litigation over other practice areas?

Cameron was able to complete a rotation through both the Emerging and High Growth Group as well as the Litigation group while working as a 1L summer student at Osler. Cameron was assured after his rotation through litigation that this was the path for him. “When I went to litigation, I was like oh, this is it… This is what I’m supposed to do.” Cameron would continue exercising his passion for litigation during his 2L summer and articling stints with the firm, before joining the Disputes group full time as an associate.

Can you describe what your practice is like and the kind of matters you work on?

Cameron contributes to a wide array of matters at Osler. “Currently I am working on two very large files, one being a construction matter and the other Tax… I also have a series of smaller files, which are more varied… including an upcoming arbitration.”

Cameron is particularly enjoying the commercial arbitrations he is working on. “I really enjoy getting into the weeds of a contract dispute… There are so many different ways to approach these problems, which is probably why I enjoy them so much.”

When speaking on the difference between arbitration and court proceedings, Cameron shared that arbitrations are much faster as you don’t necessarily have to undertake a lengthy discovery process. “Generally, parties choose to do arbitration because they are trying to be more efficient, and [that efficiency] generally works better in more narrow matters.” Fewer documents means that you can get into the legal drafting much faster. “The writing of facta and diving into the application of the law is really great,” said Cameron. “I love when you can get in a room with another person on the team and have a fast-paced hour-long discussion of how complicated this is and how you are going to approach the problem.”

How do you think your work differs from a more transactional lawyer?

Much of the differences Cameron mentioned dealt with predictability of workflow. “I was just talking to a friend of mine who is working in corporate... For me, I'll go to a case management conference… and then they give us the schedule, and I know that we have this hearing on a particular date… then I can base my work around those deadlines.” This predictability can sometimes differ from a transactional lawyer who may know the date of a transaction but could have many twists and turns along the road where work is imminently required to be completed.

What is your favourite thing about your practice?

Cameron said that he appreciates “jumping straight into the legal drafting and thinking about how to apply the law in these unusual and unique circumstances that we often find ourselves in… I really enjoy when I start working on a matter and you don’t know how to answer a question. At first it can be frustrating but once I get into it, I think wow this is so great.”

How has the advent of AI changed your work?

Cameron has found that the Westlaw AI tool is a useful starting point when approaching a legal question. “The use of AI is a common talking point when junior lawyers are together… someone will mention how they used AI in a particular manner and then they are inevitably asked what they fed the algorithm to produce the result they got… Using AI is a skill and it can be really helpful.” While AI tools can be useful to increase productivity, Cameron also noted that lawyers need to be careful with these new technologies, especially when relying on case law and utilizing client data.

What advice would you give current law students who are interested in a future career in litigation?

Cameron stressed the importance of critically analyzing the cases you are reading in your classes. “Sometimes taking the time to read one case critically is more valuable than trying to get through five different cases and not really thinking about it… Asking questions like what is the meaning of this case? And how many different ways could this ruling be applied?” Reading a case closely is a different skill from just reading, and Cameron encourages students to work at developing this skill.

Mooting is another experience that Cameron encourages students to explore. “Even aside from the main moots there are outside opportunities to practice your oral advocacy skills… such as the Hockey Arbitration Competition of Canada or other Labour Arbitration moots that may not be associated with a law faculty.”

In regard to course selection, Cameron spoke fondly of his time in Prof. Shaffer’s Evidence Law course. “I think that was maybe, in my two decades of schooling the best class that I have ever taken… Evidence is such a big part of commercial litigation, and I see the topic come up very often in my daily practice now.”