Meet Matt Stackhouse, 2023 summer student
A Bit About Me
I am an incoming 3L at Queen’s University, Faculty of Law. Prior to law school, I worked as an underwriter at a large international insurance company and completed my undergrad degree in Economics at Queen’s University. Highlights of my law school experience include engaging with the Kingston community, by volunteering at both the Queen’s Business Law Clinic and the Queen’s Legal Aid Clinic, playing for the Queen’s Law Ball Hockey team, and tutoring 1L students. Outside of school and work, I love cycling and, in the summer of 2021, I cycled 7,650km across Canada over 54 days to raise awareness for youth mental health and funds for Jack.org.
Why did you choose to work at Goodmans?
I love the “small-big-firm” culture of Goodmans. The one-office model facilitates a culture where everyone knows one another, so you are able to build meaningful relationships with colleagues. Moreover, despite only having a Toronto office, the firm works on complex and high-profile matters across Canada. The mix of great people and very interesting work makes Goodmans the perfect place for me.
What is your biggest tip for students going through the recruit?
Reach out to summer students and young lawyers at a bunch of firms. The recruit is a two-way street and it is just as important that you find the right fit for yourself. I found that young lawyers were able to give candid perspectives on their respective firms, which gave me the confidence I needed to make my decision to join Goodmans.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Something that I love about Goodmans is that the corporate lawyers are generalists. This means that a typical day can include work on matters related to public M&A, private M&A, securities, corporate governance, or even regulatory research. Some of my tasks have included drafting resolutions and purchase agreements, drafting memos for securities issues, analyzing corporate governance best practices, researching employment caselaw and legislation, and even assisting with a real estate transaction. Additionally, in the summer, even though my office is on the BL3 floor, I have done work for lawyers on BL5 (Corporate), Real Estate, and Litigation.
In addition to the substantive work, the Goodmans lawyers are great at looping students into client calls. I’ve had the opportunity to sit in on calls with tech founders from the DMZ startup incubator, calls with a large private equity fund’s general counsel, and calls with a governmental body.
Having the ability to develop a broad practice from the beginning of my legal career is something that I love about Goodmans, but it also means that very few days look alike! However, something I can always count on is finding the snack table during CPD and Summer Student sessions!
What has been your favourite social event so far?
It’s very hard to narrow it down to one event. Some of the highlights have been participating in the Bay Street Volleyball Tournament, cycling for Team Goodmans in the 2023 Mattamy Homes Bike for Brain Health in support of Baycrest Hospital, and attending the Collision technology conference. I also loved going to the TFC game with the firm tickets!
Who do you go to when you encounter a challenge during your day-to-day?
Everyone at Goodmans is extremely collaborative and willing to help, so I’ve never felt like I can’t ask for help. My support network includes the other summer students, my amazing mentors, and the library group for any research challenges. Last week, the library group helped me navigate our Bloomberg Terminal and refine my search queries, which was extremely helpful for a corporate governance memo that I was working on for one of our partners!
To learn more about Matt’s experience or chat with him, feel free to reach out at mstackhouse@goodmans.ca
