Writing and storytelling skills invaluable to Simon Fraser University English alumnus and video game lawyer, Negin Alavi.
Transcript:
Intro Text: Negin Alavi - Video game lawyer and SFU English alumnus
Question 1: What’s it like being a video game lawyer?
I personally think it’s a lot of fun. It’s essentially like other, more traditional business law areas, but with a video game element. Keeping that in mind, if you’re passionate about video games, you’ll love seeing the games. You’ll love playing them if you get the chance to do that and it’s just a really great space to be in.
Question 2: How is storytelling important in both your roles as a litigator and solicitor?
Definitely, all lawyers are storytellers, so no matter what area of law a lawyer practices in they will have to craft a narrative and deliver it. So, when you’re a litigator, there’s a clear, compelling storytelling element, where if you’re in front of a judge, you have to make your case. When you’re dealing with opposing counsel you also have to be able to tell your client’s position in a way that makes sense, and sometimes you even have to clarify to your own clients the narrative you’re putting forward, being like, “Is this what happened?” “When we frame it this way, is it accurate?” And so being able to tell those stories in a way that sense-in a way that’s engaging is really critical for litigators.
Solicitors also have equal need for that kind of storytelling. If you think of a contract like a story, then it sort of makes a lot of sense. So, you start off with the parties-who are the parties to the contract-those are your characters. And then, you go through the story. What are the characters doing? What’s the agreement with each other? What are the timelines? How does this story end in contract termination? Definitely different areas of law require different types of storytelling, but it’s always important.
Question 3: Why should someone get an English degree?An English degree is really broad and that’s really helpful because as you go through, for example, reading poetry, reading non-fiction, reading fiction from different times, you really start to see how storytelling, reading, and writing can shift. That’s so incredibly important for any person who wants to learn how to communicate effectively, and I think lawyers ought to be people who communicate effectively.
Question 4: What advice do you have for SFU students?
If you loved English in high school and if you loved reading as a kid, that love will probably continue when you’re a university student. And so, make sure when you’re choosing your degree, and for me part of that was English, make sure that you feed your soul because if you make decisions that include that, then you’re going to have a better time.
25 авг 2024
