My Story

Hi! I am Catherine Shearer, mom, wife, dog mom, wellness enthusiast, and personal injury lawyer in Guelph, Ontario.

It wasn’t the business of law or the practice of law that I was unhappy with. I was unhappy because of the way I was practicing. So I changed it.

My Why

Lawyers are at a higher risk for depression, suicide, alcoholism, drug addiction and anxiety than the general population. More than half of lawyers reported experiencing significant stress.
57% of women will leave private practice within 5 years of being called to the bar.

Podcast

There are problems within the legal profession and the first step to change is to talk about it. I have created the Happy Lawyer Podcast to shed light on the issues faced by lawyers today by engaging in discussions about how others have overcome these obstacles to find happiness in the practice of law.

My Story

HI! I am Catherine Shearer, mom, wife, dog mom, wellness enthusiast, personal injury lawyer in Guelph, Ontario, and founder of theHappyLawyer.ca and the Happy Lawyer Podcast with Catherine Shearer. I grew up in the City of Guelph having left only to go to law school and then spent the first few years of my career practicing in London, Ontario. In 2015, I returned to Guelph where I have been practicing ever since. Outside of practice I enjoy staying active, being outdoors, spending time with my family and enjoying the little things.

There have been ups and downs along my journey as a lawyer and I had spent considerable time, especially in my first few years of practice, questioning whether or not I wanted to be a lawyer. After taking a long look at why I felt the way I did I came to the realization that it wasn’t being a lawyer that I was unhappy with. It wasn’t the practice of law or the business of law I was unhappy with. I was unhappy because of the way I was practicing. So I changed it. I rewrote the narrative. I found balance. I found a way to practice that worked for me. And here I am now, an oxymoron if you look at the statistics, a happy lawyer.

Never miss an Episode of The Happy Lawyer Podcast with Catherine Shearer