Three former counsel at the Department of Justice discuss what practicing at the DOJ is like vs. private practice. Jennifer Dagsvik worked as Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice from 2007 – 2017, and now is a Lecturer at Immigration and Refugee Law at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law in Thunder Bay, and also a Director at the Newcomer Legal Clinic there. Nalini Reddy worked as a Lawyer at the Department of Justice from 1999 to 2017. She is currently an Associate at Gindin Segal Law in Winnipeg. Rafeena Rashid worked as a Lawyer at the Department of Justice in the Immigration Division from 2010 to 2016. She is a Partner and Co-founder of Rashid Urosevic LLP, where she practices immigration law full-time. – Why they joined and eventually left DOJ – What they liked most about DOJ and what they liked less – The DOJ interview process – When a DOJ lawyer’s personal opinion about a case is different from their client’s. – Things it would be helpful for private practice to know about DOJ. – Things it would be helpful for DOJ to understand about private practice. – The training at DOJ. – Ways private bar counsel interact with DOJ. – Challenges being a female lawyer. – Are DOJ and private practice on an equal playing field? – How hard is it to transition from DOJ to private practice? – Work life balance and families