What I learned from Taking Charge

https://normanbacal.com/
Welcome to my journey. At one point in my career I had it all. I had built and led one of Canada’s prestigious law firms. I was one of the most successful film finance lawyers in the country. I sat on the board of directors of a Hollywood studio and represented companies like Warner Bros, MGM, Sony, Lionsgate. Then in 2014 the bottom fell out. The law firm collapsed. It was devastating to watch what I spent twenty-five years building disappear – just like that. They say overcoming adversity builds character. I was about to find out.

With the help of family, I picked myself up and began my redefinition. I call it rewiring. It began with a suggestion from my wife: to capture my life experience. She handed me a blank notebook and a pen. That was the first step.

Two years later I retired from practice. Three years later, I published that memoir, Breakdown, a Globe and Mail bestseller. I tried my hand at fiction. There was so much to learn, calling on a whole new set of skills that I had to master in my sixties. In October 2019 I published Odell’s Fall, my first novel. My second novel, Ophelia, followed in 2021 as well as my second non-fiction, a teaching manual for young professionals. My rewiring led me to understand that it was time to give back to the profession that so generously rewarded me, to the community in which I flourished. I have always felt a deep commitment to community.

For these reasons I continue to lecture on the university circuit, to consult with firm and professionals seeking career advice. To answer calls and emails from students and young professionals on how to manage their careers. I have never forgotten that I used to be young and inexperienced. That without the helping hands from more senior people along the way, I might never have become me.

Whether through my instructional books or my fiction, let me help you to become a better you. Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter below; browse through excerpts of my books; get in touch with me – do me the honour of helping you with your own career and life decisions.