Law, Leadership, and Life Choices with Norman Bacal!

This week, hosts Samantha Allan and Kim Gale sit down with Norman Bacal, once one of Canada’s top film finance lawyers, a Hollywood board member, and founding partner of a prestigious firm that represented Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony, and Lionsgate.

When his 25-year firm collapsed in 2014, Norman “rewired” his life: retiring from law, writing the bestselling memoir Breakdown, authoring multiple guides for lawyers (Take Charge and Never Stop), and starting a second career as a novelist, lecturer, and mentor.

In this episode, Norman shares:

• How he balanced law firm leadership with being present for his family.
• His “Three C’s of Leadership” (Culture, Communication, Consistency).
• Why rainmaking is about storytelling, not extroversion.
• Lessons on networking, client care, and avoiding cynicism in firms.
• His journey of starting over at 57 and what continuous learning really looks like.

Norman will also be the keynote speaker at the NCA Network Career & Networking Summit on September 17th, bringing his hard-won wisdom to internationally trained lawyers and young professionals alike!

Whether you’re a law student, an ITL, or a seasoned practitioner, this conversation is packed with practical insights on building a career (and a life) with purpose!