Our Yellowknife 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 Yellowknife 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 Yellowknife office
may have the opportunity to spend time in our Calgary
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.
Students in our Yellowknife office are enrolled and
participate in the bar admission course offered by
the Law Society of Alberta. In addition to completing
this course during their articles, students in the
Yellowknife office must pass a statute and practice
exam administered by the Law Society of the Northwest
Territories.
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 firms in our market.
- 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 not provided for
associate lawyers or students.
- 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 Yellowknife 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
Yellowknife with those in Vancouver and Calgary.
- Bar Association Memberships. We encourage
our students to become involved with the local legal
community. We pay the usual fees associated with
membership in the Law Society of the Northwest Territories
and the Canadian Bar Association. Additionally,
the firm supports attendance at both Law Society
and CBA educational and social events.
Social Environment
Social events include a winter holiday party for lawyers,
students and staff as well as monthly office social
functions. A car rally is held every summer. Other social
opportunities in conjunction with our Vancouver and
Calgary offices may arise from time to time.
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. Our Yellowknife office has 10
lawyers and 14 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
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.
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 the Northwest Territories. 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 thorough student review is completed at two month
intervals, which takes into account the feedback of
all lawyers for whom the student has worked during
that time. In most cases, students can expect to discuss
whether the student will be offered a position as
an associate lawyer in the Yellowknife office approximately
3 months before the end of articles.
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 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.
