Claire Sykora takes it as a compliment when someone says, ‘You don’t seem like a lawyer.’
“People think of lawyers as old men in bow ties … and that’s definitely not me!”
Claire spent several years as a chef before deciding to set her apron aside and enrol in law school at Dalhousie University. And while the shift from chef to lawyer isn’t a typical career path, the law had always interested her and law school fostered her love of learning.
“I could see myself being a professional student, and, since the law is always changing, it allows me the opportunity to keep learning.”
Following law school, Claire worked in television and radio for a year. She then spent eleven years with a firm in St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia, before joining Burchell MacDougall LLP’s Halifax office in 2015. Her area of focus is residential real estate law, as well as wills and estates.
“I didn’t aspire to be part of a huge law office, so the close-knit nature of Burchell MacDougall is important to me. We have the personal feel of a small office, but with access to the experience and resources of a large firm.”
That personal feel extends to her clients; “There’s a perception that working with a lawyer is an intimidating process, but I try to make my clients as comfortable as possible. My goal is simply to service their needs the best I can.”
Claire still loves spending time in the kitchen, especially during the winter months, cooking for her family and friends.
