Articling Program
The focus of our articling program is flexibility. We provide you with the option of obtaining a broad exposure to several practice areas over your articling term or focusing your interests on a few particular practice areas. Some of the highlights of our articling program include:
No Formal Rotation System: The Calgary office does not have a formal rotation system. As a result, you are able to tailor your articling experience, to a large extent, according to your interests. You will help determine the amount of time you spend in the corporate, commercial energy, real estate, advocacy, labour and employment and tax practice areas.
Mentorship Program: In addition to your principal, you will be matched with a mentor (a partner or a senior associate). Your mentor will work with you on files, provide you with ongoing guidance, and help you manage a diverse workload to gain a well-rounded articling experience.
Work Allocation: You will have the opportunity to work with a broad range of lawyers, including your principal and your mentor. You will get the opportunity to take on a high level of challenging work and responsibility, and will be responsible in part for monitoring your own workload.
Continuing Legal Education Program: We have a comprehensive CLE program for articling and summer students that include in-house seminars, seminars conducted by external organizations we invite to the firm and practice group meetings.
Evaluation Process: Articling students receive formal feedback twice during the articling term. Your principal and your mentor review and discuss feedback from the lawyers with whom you have worked and then provide each student with an individualized evaluation. At the end of the articling year, our students are asked to evaluate their articling experience, which helps the firm to continually improve our articling program.
Hireback Process: Our hireback record has always been excellent and, while there is no guaranteed hireback, we expect our hireback ratios will continue to be high going forward. We expend a great deal of time and effort selecting articling students that we believe share our passion, commitment and ideas. This is reflected in our exceptional hireback record.
Articling Student Compensation and Benefits
Salary: Our articling program compensation philosophy is to pay our students at the forefront of the Calgary market. Our 2008/2009 articling students are paid $65,000 per year.
Bonuses: Articling students are eligible to be considered for a discretionary, merit-based bonus.
Technology: We offer Calgary articling students and associates a one-time technology grant of $1,000 towards the purchase of technology that will assist them in their practice. We also pay for and provide a BlackBerry to all articling students for their use during their time working with us.
Vacation: Articling students accrue two weeks paid vacation during the 12 month articling period.
Bar Admission Process: We pay tuition and salary for our Calgary students during the CPLED Program.
Wellness Subsidy: The firm pays a wellness subsidy for Calgary articling students, up to a maximum of $1,000 per year.
Health Care/Dental Plan: Articling students receive an extended health care and dental plan.
