Articling Program
The focus of Stikeman Elliott Calgary's articling programme is flexibility. We provide you with the option of obtaining a broad exposure to several practice areas over your articling term or enable you to focus your interests on a few particular practice areas. Some of the highlights of our articling programme 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 each of our practice areas.
Mentorship Program: In addition to your principal, you will be matched with a mentor (a partner or a senior associate) from your practice area of interest, to the extent you have expressed such an interest. 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, your mentor and lawyers you approach. 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 very comprehensive CLE program for articling and summer students that includes: intensive in-house seminars; seminars conducted by external organizations we invite to the firm; and practice area discussions.
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, 100% in the past years, and we expect our hireback ratios will continue to be very high going forward. We expend a great deal of time and effort selecting articling students that we believe share our passion, commitment and ideals, which we feel is reflected in our exceptional hireback record. Articling
Compensation and Benefits Salary: Our articling and summer student compensation philosophy is to pay our students at or near the top of the market for students at top tier Calgary firms. Our 2006/2007 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.
Vacation: Articling students receive two weeks paid vacation during the articling period.
Bar Admission Process: We pay tuition and salary for our Calgary students during the CPLED Program.
Fitness Membership: The firm pays the initiation fee and 50% of the monthly fitness membership fee for Calgary articling students, up to $500.
Health Care/Dental Plan: Articling students receive an extended health care and dental plan.
