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RURAL ROUTES<br />
U <strong>of</strong> M lawyers extol country practice<br />
By Margaret Anne Fehr<br />
Rural legal practice is far from a one-size-fits-all scenario. It’s<br />
subject to <strong>the</strong> local colour that’s part <strong>of</strong> small town community<br />
life from its geography, its industry, and its unique mix <strong>of</strong><br />
cultural groups and memorable individuals that call it home.<br />
Four University <strong>of</strong> Manitoba law school alumni weigh<br />
in on <strong>the</strong>ir decisions to plant roots in diverse rural<br />
communities and how <strong>the</strong>y and <strong>the</strong>ir practices have<br />
thrived in <strong>the</strong>ir preferred locations.<br />
John E. Neufeld is lavish in his praise <strong>of</strong> Steinbach,<br />
where he practices law at Smith Neufeld Jodoin,<br />
a local firm <strong>of</strong> 14 lawyers. “Because it’s a smaller<br />
community, you come to know most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lawyers<br />
right away. It’s an easier and gentler lifestyle here.<br />
We still work very hard, just like our Winnipeg<br />
counterparts, but I think it’s simply more pleasant<br />
overall,” says Neufeld.<br />
Flexibility in hours is one aspect that Neufeld cites.<br />
“In some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> larger Winnipeg firms <strong>the</strong>re’s more<br />
pressure on you to work longer hours, but in a smaller<br />
community, you can work as long as you want.”<br />
Smith Neufeld Jodoin handles mainly corporate<br />
and commercial transactions, but specialization is<br />
also part <strong>of</strong> its service package. “I do commercial<br />
transactions, real estate, small businesses,<br />
contracts, and financing documents related to<br />
bank loans and <strong>the</strong> representation <strong>of</strong> lenders and<br />
borrowers,” says Neufeld.<br />
After a career <strong>of</strong> 40 years, Neufeld says that <strong>the</strong> most<br />
gratifying part <strong>of</strong> his practice is <strong>the</strong> people he’s met<br />
along <strong>the</strong> way, from business people to ordinary<br />
working folk and— Neufeld’s personal favorite—<br />
farmers. “I was a town boy and had been on only one<br />
farm in my life before I came to Steinbach. Now, I’ve<br />
met tons <strong>of</strong> farmers. They are fantastic people! They<br />
are <strong>the</strong> salt <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> earth and really help each o<strong>the</strong>r out.”<br />
Originally from Thunder Bay in Ontario, Jodi Wyman<br />
practices family law, collaborative family law, and child<br />
protection law at Paterson Patterson Wyman and Abel<br />
in Brandon, Manitoba’s second largest city.<br />
Business is great according to Wyman. “There is a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
work in Brandon and <strong>the</strong> Westman area and that lets<br />
us pick and choose our areas <strong>of</strong> practice and files.”<br />
53 ROBSON HALL ALUMNI REPORT