“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
In 2001 Kaylea Dunn arrived on scene at McKercher LLP in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to fulfill her articling requirements and begin her career as an insurance defense lawyer. Now, more than 20 years later, Kaylea is one of McKercher’s most established partners, and does everything from insurance defence litigation, coverage and subrogation to chairing the firm’s insurance practice group.
Lessons in Being a Professional
Growing up in the small-town of Wolseley, Saskatchewan, Dunn reflects on the opportunities that were available thanks to her rural upbringing – namely, that you can get a great experience with sports and extra-curriculars that you wouldn’t get in a larger centre. Between the yearbook committee, school presidency, and playing every sport there was to offer, Dunn kept busy between her academics and her summer job at her parents’ insurance office. “My parents worked together in the insurance brokerage so they were both very busy. I often helped get supper on the table. I learned the importance of work ethic and the importance of being a committed professional from them as I grew up. If you have a profession, it’s not necessarily a 9-5 gig.”
The Road to Insurance Defence
Although she is now a prominent lawyer, Kaylea’s career path didn’t always involve law; in fact, her undergrad as an English major had her gearing towards print journalism, or to becoming an English professor. After working a few minimum wage jobs and recognizing that academia can be leave you in a ‘publish or perish’ cycle, she promptly turned her attention to law.
As it turned out, Kaylea was a natural when it came to the field of both law, and insurance. Her experience working for her parents’ insurance brokerage fused with her interest in litigation and defence; from there, her path became naturally obvious. As Kaylea put it, “as I learned a bit more about what litigation would entail, it became clear that I was on that path to an insurance defence practice even before finishing law school.” Fast-forward to more than twenty years later, and she’s found a challenging and fulfilling career in insurance law.
Getting the Nod From the Queen
In 2022, Kaylea was honoured to receive her Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) designation. What she most enjoyed about the experience was all the nice messages of support she received from classmates, other lawyers and the judiciary. “That was overwhelming to me, the level of support I received from within the profession in Saskatchewan. You start to wonder if it is meaningful and then you have that experience. You work so hard at maintaining a professional reputation and when you realize that you have managed to do that it was very special and very gratifying.”
Learning to Juggle – & Loving It
Over the many years in her position as an insurance defence lawyer, Kaylea has noted the sizeable shift in the responsibilities she carries that are a natural result of progressing in her career. That has coincided with the changes in technology that have raises expectations about being available at all times. And although her responsibilities have actively required her to become a talented juggler, Kaylea still feels a strong connection to her work, and to her clients.
From claims involving eyelash extension glue to dairy herd health, variety defines Kaylea’s practice and her desire to learn is constantly satiated when she immerses herself in each new topic; plainly put, Kaylea says “I really like the nature of the work I do – and I especially love learning about odd and unusual things.” The variety of topics she can speak knowledgably about after 20 years of defence files often stuns her friends, but it’s the close client relationships that bring her the most satisfaction. “I love my clients. I have many clients I have worked with for a long time and they trust me. We have a good working relationship, and sometimes a social relationship.”
Balance Means a Mental Switch
While Kaylea has been busy fine-tuning her practice, she’s also built a bustling home life with her husband and two daughters. With so much going on, one might wonder how she strikes a balance between such a substantial career and family. To this, Dunn admits that her journey is still a work in progress, saying “sometimes life takes over work, and vice versa. Instead of trying to find a perfect balance, accept what you can do, and what you can’t do, and be okay with that.”
Kaylea also recognizes that some days can be rough and you leave the office with work still preoccupying your thoughts. “The beauty of having children is once you walk in the door you’re Mom. You are not the lawyer that has had a hard day. Their needs are important, and you have to put everything else aside and move into your other role.”
Kaylea believes that to maintain active commitment to all areas of your life, you must do a mental switch, and embody the role that needs you most. In other words, “focus on what’s meaningful, and accept that some days won’t be perfect. Just pickup and move forward.”