Who we are

Our Story

Not Your Average Law Job™ was launched in June, 2021. The project has been primarily privately funded by Sara Forte and Forte Workplace Law, and we are now opening it up for help from people and organizations who want to see it continue.

Not Your Average Law Job™ started with Sara’s desire to prove that happy lawyers exist and that lawyers can have a full and happy life that includes an awesome law practice. As a busy lawyer herself, Sara kept her dream of Not Your Average Law Job™ on the side of her desk for many years, waiting for the perfect time to launch. In 2021, the project hired its first employee and one month later, it successfully launched.

In September 2021, Not Your Average Law Job™ began hiring Canadian law students to manage the project and write the happy lawyer profiles we look forward to sharing with you each week. In January 2022, we won our first award – a 2021 Canadian Law Blog Award (Clawbie), for “Best Innovative Project” based on merit and community nominations. In February 2022, we published our first article. And in June 2022, Sara was recognized for her efforts in contributing to change within the profession, with the CBABC Innovation Award.

Where will we go next?

Our team is small, our funding is uncertain, but our dreams are big. We plan to keep learning and sharing about what makes lawyers happy, and connecting Canadian lawyers and law students with outside-the-box law jobs and resources for years to come. We are going to keep profiling diverse lawyers with interesting law practices and redefining what it is to be a lawyer.

Want to support our project?

Connect with us on social media and consider contributing financially. Your support is what keeps us going and we look forward to continuing to make the legal profession a happier place with you!

The Not Your Average Law Job™ Team

Sara Forte

Chief Happiness Officer/Founder

I am a happy mediator, labour & employment lawyer, workplace investigator and entrepreneur. I am founder of the labour & employment boutique firm Forte Workplace Law. My full and happy life includes time with my husband, 3 school-aged kids, 5 chickens, 2 cats, Pilates, reading, resistance training and an awesome law practice. I love going to bed early and talking about inclusion and wellness in the legal profession. I am disrupting the legal profession, with kindness, to make it more sustainable.

Law School	Queen's University
Languages	English
Favourite Song	Jann Arden anything

Favourite Movie/TV Show	In the Heights
Cats or dogs?	Chickens
Fun Fact	I love to celebrate everything, with balloons and cake ideally

Sarah Ewart

Not Average Project Director

I went from a career in digital marketing to a career in law and along the way, found a happy place between both worlds working with Not Your Average Law Job™. I am a lawyer at Forte Workplace Law, where I get to learn how to be a happy lawyer from the firm and NYALJ's founder Sara Forte, every day. I find happiness outside of work in spending time with my family and friends, running and swimming, reading, and playing video games.

Law School	Thompson Rivers University
Languages	English and some French
Favourite Song	End of My Rope – Pokey Lafarge

Favourite Movie/TV Show	Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Cats or dogs?	Both
Fun Fact	I have synesthesia and see colours for days of the week.

Kathleen Tereposky

Not Average Contributor

Kathleen joined Not Your Average Law Job™ as the project's second Project Manager in the fall of 2021, during her 2L year at uOttawa. After bringing new ideas to the project, writing fantastic profiles, and helping us grow for nearly two years, Kathleen began her articles in the summer of 2023. Kathleen will always be a member of the team and continues to contribute to the project.