After I digested the entire interview, it dawned on me that the problem solving and creativity technique that we have presented on this blog is basically the same technique that Sean MacDonald uses when he starts a new case.
- Read through the information to have a thorough understanding
- Gather information
- Integrates the new information into the old information
- Analyzes the information
- Let it percolate
- Develop a defense strategy
This is my interpretation, what's yours? What can you learn from this interview? Here is Part Two of the interview
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I practice law in Toronto and my focus right now is wrongful convictions and basically that means getting innocent people out of jail.
How do you integrate your personal and professional life?
The important thing for me is the quality of life and no matter what I do, whether I’m working or at home, I think it’s really important to have a quality of life. So in terms of integration, I think they are both the same thing. For me I live each day as if it’s the last day that I’m going to live, and no matter what I’m doing I appreciate it, I put it into perspective and embrace it.
What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?
I don’t think I’d do anything differently, although one regret is that after I completed high school I had the opportunity to go to a prep school in the eastern United States. At the time I didn’t understand how important that was, or could have been, so I decided not to go. Now looking back, I understand that Phillips Exeter Academy, Andover Phillips Academy, Worcester Academy were schools that could have opened up other avenues for me today. I regret that, I wouldn’t change the decisions that I made, but I probably would have put more thought into that decision, but I was only 16 at the time.
What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?
- Put things into perspective
- Always look at the bright side
- Appreciate life
- Believe in yourself
- Never put limitations on your dreams
When you have some down time, how do you spend it?
I spend my down time in different ways: relax, roller blade, go for walks. I think it’s important to do nothing for a lot of reasons. It’s good for your soul to relax, and I also think that it’s good for you creatively to let your mind and body relax because it gives you ideas that may have been percolating the opportunity to bubble up. So during my down time I often shut it off, and whatever I do during that time is healthy and positive.
What process do you use to generate great ideas?
I think great ideas come when you are centered and when you have a sense of balance. I think you limit yourself when you allow stress to impact your life, and when you do that you’re not able to let your creative process work. So my greatest ideas, if I have any great ideas, whether they are in my practice, or other things come at their own pace, when I’m relaxed, centered and have a sense of self.
What’s your favourite quotation and why?
There is a quote that my grandfather had on a beer mug that he got in Germany in the 40s or 50s. It said “You get too soon old and too late smart.” There is a Thoreau quote about when he was in Walden that means a lot more to me but I cannot remember it. It’s about your dreams.
How do you define success?
Success for me is waking up happy.
In your opinion what’s the formula for success?
It’s putting life in perspective, living every day like it’s your last, and no matter what the challenges are, truly believe in yourself.
What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?
To begin with, I think that I have a genetic predisposition toward, and a passion for justice, that’s why I do what I do. I don’t know if I’m successful, but I can tell you that every day that I wake up I try to do the best that I can do. All you can do is believe in what you do and work with a high degree of passion.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?
In any field it’s important to believe in yourself and don’t be scared. If you believe in yourself you can do anything, don’t pay too much attention to negativity because it’s always going to be there.
If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?
- The first would be Mohammad Ali and I would say, “Thanks.” I think that his strength and ability to stick to his beliefs has transcended time, culture and race. He is one of my heroes. He gave up everything for what he believed in and I think that is a rare quality.
- I’d like to meet Gandhi and I don’t know what I’d say to him. I think I’d be speechless, but he is certainly somebody that I’d like to meet.
- I think I’d want to meet Einstein because he is also someone that I think refused to allow limitations to stop him, and I also think he lived life like every day was his last day. I don’t know what I could contribute to the conversation with all these people, I’d be more interested in listening to them. They are great human beings and they have far more to offer me than I could offer them.
- I’d like to meet Benazir Bhutto because she was a shining light, and it would be interesting to meet her. I think her contribution to the world was cut short and I’d like to listen to her.
- I’d like to meet President Obama because I think he’ll be a center piece in human history as we move forward, and I’d like to sit down and listen to him too. And I think he is an unbelievably amazing human being and has achieved things that most people could only dream about.
Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? Did you have an emotional or intellectual attachment to this book? Why?
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It taught me to embrace life, and no matter what to always appreciate the moment, live your life in the moment and not to let the other things get in your way. It’s an amazing book.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.
I’m a geek so the books I’d like to have would be about the practice of law. I’d like The Little Prince because it’s about the practice of life. I am inspired by people like John Sopinka, he is former Supreme Court of Canada justice. He has books on the trial practice of evidence, that for me, allows me to absorb their wisdom. Most of the books that I would like to have wouldn’t be interesting to other people. The other books I read are about Middle Eastern politics, the authors are professors and foreign policy experts. One is Steve Coll. I read a book called Ghost Wars and it’s about Afghanistan and the foreign interest that was at play there from the time the Russians were in Afghanistan up to the point 2001. I am interested in Middle Eastern politics mostly because I’m interested in the people and I want to have a better understanding of where they come from and what their experience have been so I read a lot. There is another book called The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future written by Vali Nasr that I’d like to have with me.
Have you read any books that inspired you to start a business, service or invent “something”? If yes, which book?
I don’t read your cookie cutter how-to books, like how to become a millionaire, but I spend a lot of time thinking about various business ideas in addition to what I do. And I try to find people who have been very successful, and try to do my own reconnaissance to see who they are, where they come from, what they’ve done, what they are doing, but I try to do it from different sources. I find that if you take it from one source there is only one perspective. I try to learn from them.
What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?
The movie would be Unusual Suspects. The CD is a hard one because I like so many different types of music. It could be way back to someone like Curtis Blow, I love Kurtis Blow. It could be Sting, it could be Bach. There is a Bach CD that I really like.
What excites you about life?
Life! I wake up excited and I think life is a gift.
How do you nurture your soul?
I nurture my soul by trying to empathize with people who aren’t as fortunate as I am. There are a couple of things: most importantly it helps them, I try to do a lot of charity work and I think everyone should help others who are less fortunate. And the second thing is when I help, it nurtures my soul. I represent a bunch of homeless people around my building, and I have a lot of new friends, significant friends, that are a lot less fortunate, many of whom are homeless… that fills me up.
If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?
It’s hokey, but it’s what I would wish for, I would wish for world peace. The second wish would be that every animal on the planet lives a happy life. I’m a dog lover, I’m crazy about them.
Complete the following, I am happy when…..
I’m breathing, I’m happy when I’m with my little pug and I give her belly rubs.
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