Vancouver
We designed our Articling Program to ensure that each student is engaged on a broad range of challenging and meaningful work within a structure that provides guidance and support from our lawyers. The Articling Program begins with an orientation that includes an introduction to Lawson Lundell, our structure and our people, an outline of the tasks typically expected of articled students, and guidance to help students meet the challenges of articling. We hope our articled students will become future associates and partners in our firm. For this reason, our program focuses on: encouraging professional development; fostering co-operation, rather than competition, among our students; and directly involving students as colleagues in the delivery of advice and legal services to clients. Structure And Rotation The Articling Program at our Vancouver office includes the ten-week Professional Legal Training Course and a 42-week rotation through the main practice groups in our Vancouver office. Two weeks of vacation are also provided. Articling students rotate through four broad practice areas: Corporate / Pensions – 10 weeks Corporate / Tax – 10 weeks Litigation / Labour & Employment – 12 weeks Real Estate and Lending – 11 weeks These rotations include all our working groups and many smaller and more specialized practice groups. During these rotations, students receive work assignments and files from lawyers in the applicable practice areas, and are encouraged to seek work in areas of practice of particular interest to them. Each practice area has developed a list of the key types of work that should be completed in order to receive a comprehensive articling experience. While we generally strive to ensure this broad range of assignments, we also encourage our students to take initiative in this regard. As students gain experience and show aptitude and interest, they will receive assignments of greater complexity and responsibility. Articled students will also complete The Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC), a ten-week full time program of study and examinations presented by the Law Society. We pay full PLTC tuition fees as well as full salary during the course. PLTC can be taken in May, September or February. We generally prefer that as many students as possible enrol in the summer term, since we have a full complement of summer students in the office during that period. Wages and Benefits Salary. We pay salaries competitive with the highest paying major law firms in Vancouver. 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. Parking. Paid parking is provided for associate lawyers, but not for students. Parking can be arranged in downtown Vancouver for about $150 per month. Bus transportation is about $60 per month within the city. 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. That office changes with each change in rotation so that a student works in close proximity to the lawyers in his or her rotation group. Each office is equipped with a PC with Internet, QUICKLAW, ecarswell and remote CD-ROM access. Library. Our comprehensive library collection is continuously upgraded and improved by our full time librarian and library technicians. Computer-Assisted Research. Students are trained in, and provided with, a variety of business and legal databases. Office Technology. Our office technology is based on a document management system on a wide area network, which connects all our offices. Laptops and remote access capability enable our lawyers to stay connected while travelling or at home. Canadian and Local Bar Associations. We encourage our students to become involved with the local legal community. We pay the annual fees for membership in the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), and the appropriate Local Bar Association (VBA) as well as a wide variety of other related expenses such as membership in the Law Courts Inn, the Annual Judges Luncheon, the Bar Association Annual Dinners and CBA Subsection Meetings. Social Environment Each month we host a lunch for our students at a local restaurant of their choice so they can get together to discuss matters of mutual interest. 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, to over 100 lawyers in 2006. Steady growth provides increasing opportunities for our current and future lawyers. 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, Professional 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 Our lawyers are committed to providing feedback and constructive instruction to students in connection with each work assignment. This enables students to respond and develop quickly. We also encourage our students to actively seek our direct feedback. After each rotation, our Director, Professional Development conducts a survey of our lawyers to determine each student’s progress, focussing on attributes such as the demonstration of legal knowledge and skills, analytical ability, judgment, writing and drafting skills, work habits, initiative and commitment. Our Director, Professional Development then provides direct feedback to each student. Students are assessed by their own performance, not “against” each other. Opportunities for Advancement We consider the Articling Program our primary source for future associates and partners. Over 80% of our 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 recent years, approximately 60% - 70% of our students have been hired back as associates after being called. 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.