Our Calgary office offers the opportunity to experience the camaraderie and energy of a small firm environment with the support and client base of a large and well-respected firm.
Structure And Rotation
At this time, students in the Calgary office do not
rotate through practice areas, but are called upon to
assist in a broad range of files throughout their tenure.
Articled students in the Calgary office may have the
opportunity to spend time in our Yellowknife office.
On successful completion of the Alberta and Northwest
Territories Bar exams, students may be called to the
bar in both jurisdictions assuming all other applicable
criteria are met.
During the articling year, students attend and complete
the professional legal education program required
by the Law Society of Alberta. That program, known
as the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education
(CPLED) Program, is delivered in Alberta by the Legal
Education Society of Alberta (LESA). The CPLED Program,
which combines face-to-face and on-line training sessions,
is offered twice per year.
We pay the full Bar Admission tuition and materials fees as well as full salary during the course.
Wages and Benefits
- Salary. We pay salaries competitive
with the highest paying major law
firms in Vancouver and Calgary.
- Benefits. Our benefits include
Medical, Dental, Disability Insurance
and Group Life and Accident Insurance.
- Holidays. Two weeks of holidays
can be taken at a time mutually agreeable
to the student and the firm.
- Misc. We also provide students with a contribution
of $300 toward health club membership fees.
Work Support
- Private Office. Students are assigned a
private office equipped with a networked PC with
word processing, document management, QUICKLAW,
ecarswell, internet, and remote CD-ROM access capabilities.
- Computer-Assisted Research.
In addition to the basic, traditional
law library resources located in
our Calgary office, we have a full
service library in the Vancouver
office staffed by experienced law
librarians and technicians. Students
are trained in and provided with
a variety of business and legal databases.
- Office Technology. Our office
technology is based on a computer-based
document management system on a wide
area network. The wide area network
directly connects students, lawyers
and staff in Calgary with those in
Vancouver and Yellowknife.
- Bar Association Memberships.
We encourage our students to become
involved with the local legal community.
We pay the annual fees for membership
in the Canadian Bar Association,
and the Calgary Bar Association.
We also pay membership fees for Canadian
Bar Association subsections, including
lunch seminars.
Social Environment
Social events include a winter holiday party for lawyers,
students and staff, a golf tournament and annual firm
dinners for all lawyers and students. The Calgary office
has an annual Calgary Stampede party. A variety of other
social and athletic events are arranged on an ad hoc
basis.
Everyone in the firm is encouraged to
take part in outside social, athletic
and community activities.
Recent Growth
The business of our firm continues to
flourish, driven by the growth of our
long-time clients and the ongoing expansion
of our client base.
As a result our firm has grown from 66 lawyers in
1990, to 79 lawyers in 1996, and to over 100 lawyers
in 2006. Steady growth
provides increasing opportunities for our current
and future lawyers. Currently, our Calgary office
has nine lawyers and one articled student, along with
six support staff.
Professional and Business Principles
We seek professionals who, like us,
value the opportunity for:
- full participation in a firm that values individual merit and input at all levels;
- balance between work and personal life;
- work which is recognised as valuable, meaningful and fulfilling;
- continued personal growth and development through a challenging and rewarding career; and
- support and a sense of community in our workplace.
At Lawson Lundell we strive to achieve these values through our commitment to professional excellence achieved in a collegial and supportive environment.
Student Qualifications
The future of Lawson Lundell is in the
students who article with us. They have
always been our primary source of talent
for future associates and partners.
The qualities we look for include:
- academic excellence and a desire to become an exceptional lawyer
- commitment to continued professional development and growth
- willingness and aptitude to work in a collegial and team-oriented environment
- excellent communication skills
- self motivation
- well rounded interests and experiences
Candidates with these qualifications are the most likely to succeed within our work environment.
Time Demands
We are committed to meeting the expectations and demands of our clients in a timely way.
While we strive to maintain a general balance between work and our personal lives, each of us is committed to meet client expectations and to pitch in when our colleagues and teammates need us.
Principals and Mentors
Each student is articled to a Principal who has the general responsibility for ensuring that the articling requirements of the Law Society are met. Principals are also responsible for advising and guiding students through the articling year.
The Principal will meet with the student from time to time during the articles to ensure that they are getting the most out of the articling program and responding well to the challenges.
As well, each student will be provided with an experienced Associate mentor who, along with our Director, Associate & Student Development, will assist the student in integrating into the applicable practice area at the beginning of each rotation and providing advice and assistance as needed.
Progress Reviews and Feedback
Each student is articled to a principal who must ensure that the student fulfils the requirements of the Law Society of Alberta. Each lawyer is expected to provide feedback directly to the student as work for that lawyer is performed. The onus may, at times, fall on the student to seek that feedback.
A student review is completed at regular two month
intervals, which takes into account the feedback of
all lawyers for whom the student has worked during
that time. We meet with the students following each
review to pass along comments and offer guidance.
Opportunities for Advancement
We consider the Articling Program our primary source for future associates and partners. Over 80% of Lawson Lundell's current lawyers articled with us.
We select only as many students as we are prepared to have stay as associates. Generally, hiring decisions are made based on whether or not we feel that a student will be a good “fit” with us, rather than on how busy we are at the student’s grant of licence.
In Calgary, we have accepted only one articled student
per year, to ensure quality articles for the student.
Our hire-back rate has been very good, as we have
offered associate positions to four of the five students
who have articled in our Calgary office to date. Decisions
on hire-back are generally made about 2 months before
the end of the articling period.
We have a policy of moderate, controlled growth. Because of the stability of our client base and our success in developing new clients, as well as our initiatives to pursue new and expanding areas of practice, we expect our pattern of growth (and the resulting opportunities for advancement) to continue.
