Monday 9 September 2013

What it's like…

The first day back for articles was busy and filled with heartfelt greetings from colleagues I hadn't seen since my stint as a summer student the year before. After the first week of a thorough orientation from Ashley, the guru and student mentor, we were deep in the trenches of challenging legal work.

Now, a month later and 150 billable hours behind me, I am grateful for the opportunity to write the first Student-at-Law blog and reflect on what it's like… articling at MB.

"I decided the best course of action would be to serve a formal Offer to Settle and that's exactly what we did."

Autonomy

From the beginning I was assigned carriage of files and, under the supervision of a partner, trusted to take the necessary steps to protect the best interests of our clients. My first file was defending an insurance company against a self-represented litigant. I decided the best course of action would be to serve a formal Offer to Settle and that's exactly what we did. And it is in this respect to which I speak when I say that as an Articling student I am valued and entrusted with a lot of autonomy and a high level of responsibility.

File Completion

With the articling term being 10 months vs. 2 for summer students, it was exciting to realize I have a better chance to see several of my files through to completion. For instance, I was given a new subrogation matter and issued a claim; since then a defense has been filed and a settlement conference date has been set. To think, before articling is over, this case - and hopefully several others like it - will be settled and closed! It's very rewarding to assist a client right through from beginning to end.

Quality of Work

Again due to the longer work term, I have the opportunity to contribute to large, multi-million dollar, law suits. More importantly, I have the chance to tackle complicated legal issues and challenging fact patterns involving many parties. More time allows for deeper and more thorough analysis, therefore gaining me access to a much higher quality of work than ever before.

Articling is a whole new adventure with a brand new set of challenges. It is exciting and rewarding and I can't wait to see what other interesting work I get assigned in the coming months.
Justin A.