There are shoes to fill, and then there are the big, distinguished shoes at Chow McLeod Barristers & Solicitors of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. But lawyers Parker A. Chow, B.Comm, J.D. and Devin R. Wilder, B.A., LL.B. have already laced them up.
Chow, for one, was already planning to follow in the family footsteps in elementary school.
“I saw first-hand the roles my dad, grandpa and uncle filled within the community and the respect they earned through those roles,” he says. “It was something I saw myself striving to do as well. And now that I’m in the same role, I know it was the right choice.”
With a Court of King's Bench Justice and Provincial Court Judge in the family, Chow’s pedigree is impressive, but not something he finds daunting.
“Being able to see my friends, my neighbours and my family here, and serving the community in the capacity of a lawyer, is like nothing else,” he says.
Chow and Wilder represent an up-and-coming generation of lawyers that’s arrived on the legal scene just as a previous one retires, or enters the process of planning to leave the profession. Both were born and raised in Moose Jaw, and after finishing their studies they returned home to serve their community and the surrounding area.
“There’s a bit of a generational gap where we have a majority of lawyers who may potentially be retiring or winding down their practices over the next few years,” Wilder explains. “It raises the question of who will be here to help or catch those clients that still need ongoing representation.”
He adds: “When something like this happens, there needs to be another generation of lawyers that wants to be here for the long term.”
Enter Chow, Wilder and the team of lawyers at Chow McLeod, including Tim S. Hansen, B.A., J.D. and James S. Zick, B.A., J.D.
Chow, a partner at the firm, specializes in corporate and commercial law, while also taking on estates, trusts, wills and real estate work. Wilder, for his part, focuses mostly on family law.
“One of the reasons I enjoy practicing family law so much is that no two files are ever the same,” Wilder says. “You really have to sit down with your clients and figure out the situation at hand. At the same, you have to be empathetic and sympathetic without letting it sway you when you represent them as a lawyer.”
Chow adds that all the lawyers at Chow McLeod have a specialized practice area, which allows the firm to tackle a variety of legal issues.
“It’s a huge asset, not just to our firm but to the entire community,” he points out.
Needless to say, Chow and Wilder have come a long way since attending Central Collegiate. But they’ve also never been far away from home. Their commitment, and that of their colleagues, is to the city of Moose Jaw and its surrounding area, and one day they, too, will leave big shoes to fill.
“It feels amazing to be able to grow up in such a tight-knit community and then serve it as a lawyer,” says Chow. “We’ll do really whatever you bring to us – we’ll take a crack at it.”
Chow McLeod Barristers & Solicitors is located at 48 High St W in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The firm can be reached by calling (306) 693-7536 or emailing reception@chowmcleod.com. Further information is available on the firm’s website.