This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Rachel A. Sachs, a Filipino-German Canadian lawyer and the founder of Sachs Law Professional Corporation.

Rachel has intentionally built her practice around serving older adults, a decision deeply rooted in her family history and her profound respect for the elders who shaped her life. Before opening her own firm, she navigated corporate compliance, studied in the UK, and became a prominent advocate for Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) in Canada.

We discuss the unspoken biases against aging clients, why the legal market is failing foreign-trained talent, and how to actually get value out of legal mentorship.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Bianca Thomas, Senior Counsel in Technology and Operations at BMO.

Bianca is a “Rising Star” in the profession. Her career spans boutique litigation, financial services partnerships at Shopify, capital markets work in the precious and base metals sector, and leading a team of legal operations professionals.

We discuss transitioning between practice areas, the role of legal operations, and how courtroom communication skills can transfer to a corporate boardroom.

The guest speaks in a personal capacity. Her views do not reflect her employer or any affiliated organization. This discussion is for information only. It is not legal advice and is not an official statement.

In this episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sit down with Rumyana Davidson, a Strategic Advisor and former Chief Legal Officer specializing in the global mining, metallurgy, and energy sectors. With over 15 years of experience executing billion-dollar joint ventures across the GCC, Africa, and Central Asia, Rumyana shares the unspoken rules of international market entry and cross-border deal execution.

We explore why relying purely on Western transactional logic can kill a deal in relationship-driven markets, the strategic advantage of taking off the "lawyer hat" during high-stakes negotiations, and why the global mining sector is currently facing a massive talent gap that young professionals must step up to fill.

With the massive PDAC 2026 conference approaching, Rumyana also provides actionable advice on how early-career lawyers can build a genuine, global network instead of just standing in the corner at industry events.