Fireside Chat with Corrine Kennedy
- Prudence
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
June 3, 2026
The story begins on an ordinary weekday morning, the kind where the sun is still deciding whether to rise and the coffee has not yet decided to help. In the middle of this quiet scene stands Corrine Kennedy, carrying the calm focus of someone who has lived many chapters, the humour of someone who has learned to laugh at life’s plot twists, and the grounded presence of a leader who knows exactly when to speak and when to simply listen. There is a spark in her presence, the kind that hints at a good story waiting to unfold.
If this were a novel, Corrine would be the character you trust immediately. She moves through her days with a steady rhythm, guiding teams, raising children, and navigating the beautiful chaos of both worlds with a clarity that feels effortless. She notices the small details that others miss. She rolls up her sleeves and steps in when things wobble. She sees the best in people and believes in them with a sincerity that feels like a warm light in the background of every scene. And she shares her stories with the kind of frankness that makes you smile because it feels real, not rehearsed.
Corrine's Fireside Chat is funny, candid, and wonderfully human. It reminds you that life is best understood through scenes that are both heartfelt and hilarious. Corrine welcomes you into her world with honesty and lightness, and she leaves you with the sense that we are all finding our own equilawbrium, one page at a time.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Part 1 - Introduction
Hi, my name is... Corrine Kennedy.
Year of call to the Bar: 2007
Type of practice, your role, and where: I am an in-house corporate commercial lawyer. I manage a team of amazing lawyers specializing in contracting (IT space and beyond) for our organization’s most critical systems.
How many children do you have? I have two children, a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son. They are creative, hilarious and right in peak eye-rolling stage, so we’re all taking life one day at a time!
What do you do for self-care or stress relief? I know I’m not alone in admitting that taking care of myself does not always take center stage. I am working to keep as regular a focus as I can and work even harder to give myself some grace when I lose the thread.
I try to get to bed just after my kids do and read a good book for an hour (fiction, usually – nothing too angsty or realistic…). It helps calm my body and mind and provides a healthy dose of escapism.
In my early years of practice, I wore my lack of sleep as a badge of honour. I’ve really come to recognize how much I crave and need consistent sleep routines.
What would you do for work if you weren’t in the legal profession? My full-time job before law school was historical research, following a graduate degree in Canadian history. So, I would probably be deep in the archives researching Canadian women’s history.
Part 2 - The first “Dual 10” Challenge: within the first 10 years post-license
Equilawbrium: Did you have a master plan for your career path? What was the driving force behind your career decisions? What are the important things to consider as you are figuring out your career path?
Corrine: Oh goodness – no, I certainly did not have a master plan. Looking back, I pursued certain opportunities because they were sought after, or what everyone else seemed to want. I was drawn to the prestige of a certain path, or the potential for financial security, rather than pursuing a particular area of law.
That said, I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunities and training that I did.
I was thrilled to be hired on as a second-year summer student at a mid-sized firm and later articled at the firm and I was hired back as an associate and became a partner in 2013.
During my early years at the firm, I was focused on working hard, learning as much as possible, and being someone that could be trusted to get the work done. I went wherever the corporate commercial work was, which meant I worked on a myriad of deals and in a spectrum of industries. I loved the variety – from medical practices, the concert industry, renewable energy projects and everything in between.
Eventually, I made the jump from private practice to in-house and have found opportunities for continued growth and development by building strong relationships with our business partners and exploring management opportunities to grow and develop teams.
I think it’s important to have an open mind as you start your legal career. I was surprised by the substantive areas I ultimately found fascinating. I was also drawn to different areas of practice through the mentors and partners I had the pleasure of working with in those first few years. For me, it was more about the people I met, and how much I could learn from them about being an effective lawyer, than it was about the substantive area of law I was practicing. I built some great relationships with partners at the firm, and those individuals remain important mentors and advisors today.
That said, I found ways to pursue passions along the way, which helped to sustain me over time. Some people do that through the substantive areas of work they pursue. I did it through volunteer work as a director on not-for-profit boards, including Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada as a young associate, and for the past six years, on the Board of Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington.
Equilawbrium: Please list one soft skill that contributed to where are you now and suggestions on how to cultivate it.
Corrine: The most valuable “soft” skill I developed over time was listening.
In law school, I often felt intimidated that other students seemed to have interesting insights to add to the conversation or seemed to form strong opinions quickly. I wondered what it meant for my future as a lawyer that I did more listening than talking.
Over the years, I noticed that some of the most impactful lawyers I worked with were the softest spoken. They chose their moments to contribute strategically, and their comments carried heft when they did share. Not only were they not uncomfortable with silence, but they knew how to use it strategically for maximum impact. They said more by saying less.
I have been better in more recent years at reframing my early observation – from having less to say, to seeing my listening skills as a superpower. That reframing allowed me to recognize that I can contribute thoughtfulness, being observant and effective at reading the room, being less reactive, and better able to reflect on both what was said and what was not said. Those tools have served me well, particularly as an in-house partner to my business clients.
Equilawbrium: Please list one hard skill that contributed to where are you now and suggestions on how to cultivate it.
Corrine: The substantive skill that has helped me be effective over the years has been the ability to distill and translate complex legal concepts, making them more accessible, by using simple analogies.
I think we’ve all heard lawyers explain their position but not actually make their position clearer – same with contract drafting. It’s tempting to think that the more complicated you sound, the smarter, and better lawyer, you are.
Over the years, my experience has been that the most effective lawyers are the ones that can communicate and draft in plain language. I’ve had clients tell me that they still remember an analogy I used months or years later – it’s one of the nicest compliments you can get from your clients!
Part 3 - The second “Dual 10” Challenge: have kids in their first 10 formative years
Equilawbrium: How did you juggle work/life responsibilities? Is it possible to have a family life and a work life simultaneously and harmoniously?
Corrine: Ungracefully, I’m sure. There is a lot to unpack in this question.
Early on in my career, I can recall more senior female lawyers saying that “balance” was not a consistent baseline, but a concept that proved lumpy over time. Their advice was to take a break or time when you could but give yourself grace when things were busy. They counselled that the question is really whether, in totality, you have a comfortable balance between different parts of your life.
I followed that advice for most of my career – working hard and playing hard (vacations) and figuring it all evened out.
However, I think the equation felt different for me once I had kids. I began to recognize all the precious moments I missed or was not fully present for, waiting for that pendulum to swing back again.
These days, I am more focused on creating those moments more regularly, instead of grabbing them when the opportunity comes along. There are lots of professionals that do that more naturally, but I’m learning that I need to be militant about setting and guarding healthy boundaries and catching myself quickly when I lose sight of them.
All that to say, I am working on trying to create balance overall, rather than hoping it balances out in the big picture.
Equilawbrium: Having walked the walk, what is the one parenting tip or trick that you wish you’d known?
Corrine: I heard recently, in passing, that by the time your child is 12, you have spent 75% of the time you will spend with them in their lifetime. I have no opinion as to whether that is accurate or not, but it was sobering.
It reminded me of all the times I lost sight of what was really important, or told myself things would be different or better, or I would have more time, once I had gotten past a project or deadline, just to find that there is always another one on the horizon.
And more importantly, it has encouraged me to try make the most of the time I have with my kids every day.
Equilawbrium: What is one of your most cherished memories of your children at that age?
Corrine: In reflecting on this question, I was surprised by how “everyday” my most cherished memories of my kids were in those early years.
My most cherished memories of my kids at that early stage are reading to them at bedtime; rocking and singing them to sleep; hearing my son giggle endlessly; watching my daughter put bows in my husband’s hair; sitting as a family on a quiet Saturday morning, coffee in hand, while my kids played Lego together; my daughter visiting my office and spinning around in my office chair.
Those memories will not be what my kids remember about their childhood, I’m sure. I like to think those experiences will have a positive impact om the way they will feel about their childhood, their relationship with their parents, and themselves as they grow.
Part 4 - Achieving Equilawbrium: how to survive & rise from the “Dual 10” Challenges
"It’s your life to live, don’t wait to live it, or 'white-knuckle' your way through it." - Corrine Kennedy
Equilawbrium: What was your biggest challenge going through the Dual 10 phase? Any advice for our readers who are living and breathing this phase and trying to survive and excel?
Corrine: The hardest part of these years for me has been to let go of all the expectations I have for myself. Those expectations were always much higher than the expectations others had of me. Whether it is the ownership of deliverables at work, the state of my house, the activity levels of my kids – the weight of expectation I put on myself could be crushing.
If I had friends or colleagues that were that hard on themselves, I know I would encourage them to give themselves understanding and grace – but that perspective has always been harder for me to apply to myself.
So, the advice I would give is really the encouragement I’ve received from others over time. Treat yourself as much grace and gentleness and you would extend to those you love. Better yet, give yourself as much of those as you would give to your kids – they are watching and learning from how we show up.
Equilawbrium: What is your take-home message for our readers who are trying to find their “equilawbrium”?
Corrine: It’s your life to live, don’t wait to live it, or “white-knuckle” your way through it. Try, just a little, every day, to move another step closer to design the life you want to live.
Equilawbrium: What is the one-word encouragement/support that you would want us to remember?
Corrine: Enough.
(As in – you’ve done enough, you give enough, you have enough, you are enough – it’s all enough. And don’t let anyone (including you) tell you otherwise).
ENOUGH
<<End of Fireside Chat with Corrine Kennedy>>
**A MILLION THANKS TO CORRINE!!**
Disclaimer: Any views, information, and personal opinions expressed by the authors or guests are entirely their own and do not reflect or represent those of their employers or clients.
