2004 ALUMNI RECIPIENTS

Jamie Mills, 36

Biggest achievement: Convincing my children that I can sing when I very clearly cannot.

Best skill: Self-confidence.

Most admired businessperson: I admire many people and try to emulate the best characteristics of each.

Biggest business lesson learned: Success should not be measured in wins and losses, but in the personal relationships you build along the way. Through satisfying victories and devastating defeats, the one constant is the people, whether clients, colleagues or family. Strong personal relationships are the cornerstone for confidence and trust, which are essential to succeed in business and in life. One of the first times this lesson was made clear to me occurred when I was involved in an extremely important case for a client. My colleagues and I worked long days preparing for a trial that we ultimately lost. Afterward, the client sent flowers to our family members to thank them for donating our valuable time spent away from our families. This struck a chord with me. The client understood what was really important. Many years later, I continue to have a strong relationship with that client, irrespective of various wins and losses. More recently, this lesson was reaffirmed with me when I was nominated for this award by my wife and daughter. It goes without saying that the most important relationships of all are family.

Favourite charity: Now that the Sidelines Canada Prenatal Support Network no longer exists, the local charity I support the most is the United Way.

Professional recognition that would mean the most: I would be honoured to be chosen as one of the top intellectual property litigators in the country.