Bringing a Cosmopolitan Mindset to Trade Law with Robert Glasgow

Joining me this week on the podcast is Robert Glasgow, Partner in the International Trade and Disputes Group at McCarthy Tetrault. In this role, Robert regularly provides advice to clients regarding the application of Canadian trade and customs law, and also provides valuable service to clients across a wide range of matters, from sanctions to controlled goods to anti-dumping and countervailing trade remedy disputes.

In our conversation today, Robert shares the many places in the world in which he has lived, the lessons learned through this experience, as well as details regarding his practice today and what a typical week entails. He also discusses his team at McCarthy, the biggest challenges facing the legal profession today, the ways in which he and his family manage their income, and the steps he has taken in estate planning. Robert draws our interview to a close by offering his definition of financial independence and his perspective on achieving it.

Listen to the Podcast – Download the Transcript

Highlights:

Robert grew up in a number of different cities around the world, of which he feels Brussels is the most underrated.
In Robert’s mind, his team at McCarthy is one of the top trade departments in Canada, if not the very top.
His wife has instilled a lot of fiscal discipline in him and they are very good at saving their income.
Since the birth of their daughter, Robert and his wife have put a lot of thought into their estate planning and guardianship.
His definition of financial independence involves being able to live comfortably without needing to grind.

Quotes:

“It’s the old ‘if you prick me, do I not bleed’ sort of concept of all of us at our core are people and there’s far more that can unite us than could divide us.”

“I’d wake up and I’d start meetings and conferences at 6:00 in the morning, Toronto time. I’d either be doing meetings or prep meetings or interviews all the way through until midnight or 1:00 in the morning.”

“It quickly became evident to me that for as much as I’m a very intelligent guy, I’m highly educated, I’m in a highly educated profession, I knew enough to know I didn’t know enough.”

“Since the birth of our daughter…the number one thing we’ve been thinking about is identifying a potential guardian for our daughter.”

“I really think that really is what financial independence means. It’s having the freedom to do what you would like when you would like to do it.”