Darryl Larson practiced immigration law in Vancouver, British Columbia for almost thirty years. He was a former Chair of the Canadian Bar Association of British Columbia’s Immigration Section, counsel to both individuals and corporations, at one point represented China’s most wanted fugitive, and successfully implemented a succession plan when he retired in 2018.
In this episode Peter, Steven, Deanna and Darryl discuss Darryl’s career as an immigration lawyer in a candid discussion about what practicing immigration law is like.
00:51 – Why did Darryl get into immigration law? (Darryl’s answer really becomes a tale of his move from Edmonton to Vancouver).
8:20 – Who were Darryl’s initial clients? How did Darryl get his initial clients?
11:15 – What was practicing immigration law like in the 1990s compared to what it’s like now? Was the introduction of the IRPA really that big a game changer?
18:15 – What steps did Darryl take to become an expert in the area of immigration?
20:00 – How did Darryl go from practicing mainly immigration enforcement to developing a corporate immigration practice?
22:30 – What were some of Darryl’s most memorable cases?
37:45 – How did some of those cases change Darryl’s perspective on being an immigration lawyer.
41:00 – What did the last ten years of Darryl’s practice look like? How did succession planning work?
43:00 – What would Darryl say to people looking to enter the immigration field?
44:00 – Did Darryl encourage his kids to go to law school?
44:55 – Where does Darryl see the profession going in the next 4-5 years?
48:50 – What things does Darryl think he did right? What things would Darryl have done differently?
52:00 – Does Darryl think that there has been a decline in the number of sole practitioners practicing immigration law?