We expect that you will have excellent academic qualifications. We could also set out a long list of attributes that you should possess including a commitment to excellence, integrity, a strong work ethic, curiosity, sound judgment, drive, enthusiasm, patience, a good sense of humour.
And while – yes – we are hoping that you possess all of those attributes, we are looking for something more. It is the quality that is toughest to measure and judge. We are looking for summer and articling students who fit within our firm culture. Students that will continue with us beyond their articles. Students we can envision as colleagues.
During the interview process, our approach to finding out whether you have that intangible “something more” is to find out as much as we can about you. What you are hoping to achieve? What are your big picture career objectives? What makes you unique? What inspires you?
Your question, of course, is how can you stand out? How can you make our decision easy for us? Demonstrate your unique strengths. Tell us about your skills – but show us your character. Tell us about your passions. Show us that you possess that unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and superior analytical abilities.
We pay our summer students the same as our articling students. Our annual articling salary is $80,000, which is pro-rated for the length of summer articles.
Benefits
Due to the short summer articling period, benefits are not extended to Summer students.
The Perks
Following are some of the perks articling students can expect to receive:
Summer students receive 3 days of vacation over the term of their summer articles, which may be taken as work permits.
We contribute up to $5,000 towards third year tuition with a $500 book allowance for students who summer with us between second and third year and return as full articling students.
We understand that even if you have had experience in a law firm, every firm is different. If it is all new to you then we want to make your first days at the firm as easy for you as possible. No one expects you to be perfect. Focus on asking questions, communicating with your principal and demonstrating that you are committed to doing a good job for our clients and that you are willing to learn. We will be with you every step of the way guiding and supporting you.
Support Team
Your circle of support includes:
Principal
You will be paired with a senior lawyer who will serve in a supervisory role as your principal to ensure you are provided with a quality summer articling experience. Your principal will encourage, support and guide you by:
Mentoring
Our mentoring program is informal. During any part of your day, you can seek feedback on your work from your principal, or any of our lawyers. Our firm has an open door policy and some of the top lawyers in the country are available to you for guidance in your pursuit of excellence in law. Associates and partners alike welcome the opportunity to work with our students and are available to offer guidance and advice.
An investment in your learning and development is an investment in our future.
Throughout your summer articles, you will be invited to attend a wide range of in-house lunch seminars on a variety of topics.
The summer articling experience will help you develop to time management, file management and practice management skills.
You will also learn specific skills such as:
As mentioned, you will generally receive the same type of work as and have similar responsibilities to those of articling students. Our focus will be on providing you with practical hands-on experience.
You will be given challenging and rewarding work which may include:
While summer students are expected to track time (an extremely important skill for you to learn) you will not be assigned specific billing targets or workload requirements. You will work with Emilie LeDuc to set and achieve specific personal goals over your summer articles.
We hire four summer students each year.
Hire back decisions are made taking into consideration our needs and your performance, potential and compatibility.
Invitations to join us for full articles are extended to successful students in June.
Your Qualities
We expect that you will have excellent academic qualifications. We could also set out a long list of attributes that you should possess including a commitment to excellence, integrity, a strong work ethic, curiosity, sound judgment, drive, enthusiasm, patience, a good sense of humour.
And while – yes – we are hoping that you possess all of those attributes, we are looking for something more. It is the quality that is toughest to measure and judge. We are looking for summer and articling students who fit within our firm culture. Students that will continue with us beyond their articles. Students we can envision as colleagues.
During the interview process, our approach to finding out whether you have that intangible “something more” is to find out as much as we can about you. What you are hoping to achieve? What are your big picture career objectives? What makes you unique? What inspires you?
Your question, of course, is how can you stand out? How can you make our decision easy for us? Demonstrate your unique strengths. Tell us about your skills – but show us your character. Tell us about your passions. Show us that you possess that unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and superior analytical abilities.
Summer students are typically assessed before the end of June to let them know if they will be asked to return for formal articles the following year.
Yes. We participate in OCIs at the following schools:
Students spend as much time at the office as necessary to complete assignments. If they are involved in a trial or have a strict court-imposed deadline, this can include weekend and evening work.
We encourage students to communicate what they need in terms of work-life balance. The articling year can be overwhelming – learning how to manage your workload to be productive in a team environment is essential for success. Demonstrating that you are proactive and conscious of doing the best job possible is part of what makes a successful lawyer.
You will be expected to be present during the regular work week and encouraged to manage your own workload. While the workload for summer students fluctuates you can expect to work 40 – 50 hours per week.
Have a question? Get in touch with Emilie LeDuc
