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Students

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Explore Our Student Programs by Office:

Vancouver

Calgary

Yellowknife

Kelowna

Lawson Lundell has offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Yellowknife and Kelowna. We are a full-service regional firm with a well-established, loyal client base. Our culture is based on a tradition of collegiality, team work, mutual respect and superb client service. Put simply, it is a nice place to work. Our staff, students and lawyers are often surprised to find that a firm of more than one hundred lawyers can feel so comfortable. We maintain an open-door policy and questions are always encouraged..

We are extremely proud to be a regional firm with all of our management and decision-makers rooted in western and northern Canada. We are flexible and attentive to the individual needs of our staff, students and lawyers. You will never be just a number or a series of statistics at our firm. Join us, and you’ll see.

Orientation to the Firm

After joining our firm, both Summer and Article students are immediately immersed in a comprehensive orientation program. This program is designed to familiarize them with our firm, our expectations, and our systems, including our technology and library resources.

To build a strong foundation, our students undergo thorough training provided by our Research & Opinions Lawyers and Library Team. This comprehensive training revolves around legal research and writing, ensuring that our students have the necessary skills to handle the intricate assignments that they will encounter throughout their articling experience.

Moreover, each student is provided with a valuable resource: our in-house created Legal Research & Writing Guide. This extensive guide spans over 500 pages and has been tailored specifically to meet the needs of our students. It contains all the essential information and guidance they require to effectively complete their assignments.

Professional Development

We are committed to providing and supporting ongoing educational programs. We encourage students to develop their professional skills and provide regular legal education seminars, including:

  • Substantive legal knowledge, such as new developments in the law
  • Legal skills, such as drafting and negotiation skills
  • "Soft skills", such as time management
  • Business skills, such as marketing and client development

Evaluation & Feedback

Performance evaluations are an important part of skill development and help our students master the practical side of law. Formal evaluations are completed once during the summer and twice during articling. You will also receive informal feedback throughout both the articling and summer programs from the lawyers with whom you work.

FAQs

  • What role do Principals and Mentors play in student development?

    Principals:

    Each student is assigned a principal for the duration of their summer and articling term. A principal is a senior lawyer who holds the general responsibility of ensuring that the articling requirements of the Law Society are met. Principals meet with students throughout their summer and articling terms to provide guidance and can also act as an informal mentor to a student.

    Student Mentors:

    Our students are assigned two formal mentors from our associate ranks. Mentors come from various practice groups, and we make an effort to pair up people who will have interests in common.

    Mentors take their mentees to lunches, coffees and other events on an individual basis. The mentoring relationship is confidential, and mentees are encouraged to ask all the questions they want in order to learn more about the firm and the work we do. In addition to formal mentorship, students also find that as they move through their articling year, they develop informal mentoring relationships with various lawyers.

    Summer students retain the same mentors when they return as articling students. When a student becomes an associate, we assign a more senior associate or a partner to become the new associate’s formal mentor, but we encourage the previous mentors to continue to be involved in the new associate’s development.

    We constantly receive feedback from our associates that they enjoy the experience of learning to be mentors through their involvement with students. Our hope is that by being involved in dual roles of mentor and mentee early in their careers, our associates will develop lifelong mentoring skills that forge strong bonds with their colleagues in the firm.

  • What is the vacation and post articles leave policy?

    Articling students may take up to 10 non-working (vacation) days during their articling term. Articling students who are hired as associates have the opportunity to take a leave of up to 4-weeks between their call date and first day as an Associate. 

  • What do we look for in a student?

    We consider students to be very important to the future of Lawson Lundell. We have a long tradition of looking to our students as the primary source of talent for future associates and partners. Just as you want to choose the right firm, we want to choose the right students for the long term.

    When assessing potential students, we look for qualities which will give a student the best chance of success at our firm. These include:

    • Academic excellence
    • Intellectual curiosity and creativity
    • Perseverance and self-confidence
    • Polished communication skills
    • Well-rounded interests and experiences
    • Ability to work with others

    During our interview process, students will meet with small groups of our lawyers at every level of practice, as well as have the opportunity to interact with a larger group. We strive to get to know our potential students in more than one setting to ensure a selection process that is fair and thorough for both ourselves and for our candidates. We want to hire a mix of students from various schools and backgrounds: there is no one "type" of Lawson Lundell student.

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Our Former Students

As one of the leading law firms in Western and Northern Canada, Lawson Lundell’s culture is built by collaborative and forward thinkers.

As part of our team, we encourage students to carve their own paths while growing with us. We are proud that a large number of our current lawyers joined the firm as students and have since made their mark in their respective areas of focus.

  • I was drawn to the firm by the genuine enthusiasm of its lawyers for the work that they do and the place that they work. Not only does the firm have tremendous intellectual capital, but it also has a splendid culture of collegiality and support. Mentorship and professional development are also part of the firm’s long-term strategy. This is a recipe for success, both for me, and, more importantly, for the clients that we serve."

    — Alastair MacKinnon, Current Partner

  • As an articled student and now a junior associate, I have always felt that the firm is keenly interested in my development as a lawyer both intellectually and professionally. Not only does Lawson Lundell give its junior lawyers the space and tools to grow, it fosters an environment that is open to questions, promotes collegiality and pushes intellectual boundaries."

    — Nabila Pirani, Former Articling Student, Current Partner

  • I enjoy working for Lawson Lundell because of the wonderful, supportive working environment. Everyone has been ready to share their wisdom with me and help me launch into my practice of law."

    — Jisoo Vis, Former Articling and Summer Student, Current Associate

  • What stands out about Lawson Lundell is how invested partners and associates were in my growth as a professional. I’ve learned a lot as a student and I’m excited to rejoin the firm as an associate to start my legal career."

    — Noor Mann, Former Articling Student, Current Associate