Event Hosted by the Faculty of Law’s Women & the Law
Sayeh Hassan is a criminal defence lawyer at Walter Fox & Associates. She has appeared at every level of court in Ontario, as well as the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of British Columbia. On November 18, 2019, Hassan spoke to the law school about her personal experiences, practical advice about being a lawyer, and what it means for her to be a criminal defence lawyer.
Deciding to Become a Criminal Defence Lawyer
Hassan was born in Iran, where she witnessed firsthand the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. The government that came into power stripped her country of the rule of law—arbitrary arrests, torture, and execution were common. Hassan was also from a very young age exposed to the destruction caused by the war between Iran and Iraq, and consequently fled with her family to Turkey, before immigrating to Canada.
Because she has seen what hardship looked like, Hassan always knew she wanted to do something that made a difference. She also knew that that “something” had to be in criminal law. It was there that she could “really make an impact.” As a criminal defence lawyer, Hassan sees people when they are most vulnerable. A lot of her clients don’t have other support systems. “When they come to [her], [she is] really it” for them.
Hassan’s Philosophy
People often ask Hassan how she can defend the people that she does—people who have been charged with sexual assault, people who have been charged with child abuse.
“What I say, and what a lot of [criminal defence lawyers] think, is that when you defend the rights of the worst people in a society, that is when you know that everybody’s rights will be protected. That is how we uphold the democracy that we are so lucky to have [in Canada].”
Hassan remarks that some criminal defence lawyers refuse to take on cases that seem insignificant, but such cases are not insignificant to the people embroiled in them. In her eyes, there are “no small cases. Just small lawyers.”
On the Practicalities of a Career in Criminal Law
Hassan emphasizes the importance of being passionate about the work that you do. Criminal defence is not an especially financially rewarding area of law. The reward comes from the clients. Hassan makes sure her clients know that they matter to her, regardless of how simple their issue is. She works with them to help them tell their side of the story. When someone is able to tell their story when nobody thought they would be able to do so, even cases that eventually lose in court are victories.
Hassan also stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between work and life—especially with a job where the possibility of a person going to prison is on your shoulders. Defence lawyers need to be able to protect themselves—to make sure they have something non-law related to do for fun and to make sure they have a life outside of work.
Hassan left new criminal defence lawyers with three pieces of advice:
- In the actual practice of law, there is no mistake that cannot be fixed with three hours of hard work.
- No one can do a better job for your clients than you can. Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something because you are just starting out.
- At the end of the day, you are a lawyer—not a social worker, family member, or friend. Lawyers need to be empathetic, but for their sake and for their clients’, they need to keep boundaries and know when to refer their clients to different resources.
