A new lawyer in Virden, Larissa Sosnowski is in practice with the McNeil Harasymchuk McConnell firm.
Sosnowski, raised in Winnipeg, attended university for three years and was then accepted into the Robson Hall Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg where she studied for three years.
“I just passed the bar on June 18,” she says. “I graduated Robson Hall last year so I had to do a year of articling.”
Sosnowski articled in Virden and has been working as a full-fledged lawyer with MHM for three months. With school behind her and a career before her, she is settling into life in Virden, complete with a dog.
“I just bought a house. I got possession last Friday (late September). That’s why I was finally able to foster a dog. So big changes this past week.”
Sosnowski takes family law and civil law cases, which would normally take her to the courtroom. “But with COVID,” she explains, “I haven’t been in the physical court yet myself, it’s just been all teleconferences.”
She does real estate law as well as wills and estates. “I took wills and estates in my third year in Robson Hall and it was my favourite class. I don’t know what about it, I just loved it.”
She enjoys sitting down with clients. “I go through their family tree and their assets and set out what they want to give to whom.”
Designating a Power of Attorney is an important step and requires a lengthy document. “You have to make sure everything is covered,” she says.
“I never want to get bored at my career, so I think I found the perfect one.”
From the MHM law firm, Jeff McConnell commends Sosnowski. “Larissa is fitting in very well to our practice and to Virden. Larissa gets along well with everyone in the office and it has been an easy transition having her join our team.”
He observed Sosnowski knows how to find the answers needed for a client. “I believe she will provide great service to the Westman community for a long time.”
McConnell was also surprised to find that she attended the same Winnipeg high school he did and even had one of the same faculty there.
This lady lawyer set her heart on a career in law since she was young. “I think since Grade 7, I started telling people I wanted to be a lawyer and I always got questions. Everyone asked why. I think… I wanted the intellectual challenge of it.”
She finds that it’s a perfect fit. “I knew that it was a career where there was continuous learning, unique challenges in every single case. I never want to get bored at my career, so I think I found the perfect one.”
Days are busy. “I want to make sure I’m learning everything I can along the way.” The normal spring buzz in real estate was quashed by COVID, but this fall, that’s a busy aspect of the practice.
COVID-19 meant that many community events were curtailed, but before that happened, Sosnowski enjoyed the Firefighters’ and Oil Caps’ banquets. “I wanted to be so much more involved in the community events. I’ve found it hard with COVID-19 to meet people and become immersed in the community.”
She’s an outdoorsy person, so, with her foster dog Shadow, she plans excursions to places like Eternal Springs. She says the two-year-old black Lab–pit bull cross is a sweet dog and adds, “Looks can be deceiving.”
Despite a city background, she likes Virden. “I’ve always wanted to live in a smaller town. Virden was never in my mind growing up but, I put feelers out when I was applying for articling.”
After her phone conversation, with lawyers McConnell and Harasymchuk she was invited to Virden for an interview. Surprised by their relaxed tone on the phone, she said, “After that, I was sold.”
Larissa Sosnowski says of Virden, “Everyone is very, very nice here. I go back to Winnipeg and I notice the difference.”
