Somehow it's already December, which means we are just about at the halfway point of articling – how did we get here so quick? It has been an unforgettable journey so far, and I can’t imagine what the next 6 months will have in store for us.
Before jumping into how articling is different from summering, I want to highlight some of the ‘roses’ I’ve had so far...
... the first being the unforgettable trip the Ottawa students took down to the Toronto office to attend the annual client party. Not only did we finally get to meet the Toronto students, but also lawyers from all the offices! It was so fun to finally put faces to names and meet face-to-face rather than on Zoom calls. A close second would be the countless memories made with the other students. One undeniable fact about the students in both the Ottawa and Toronto offices is that we have built lifelong friendships, and being able to work so closely with some of our closest friends makes the culture at the firm and as an articling student truly incredible.
One of the main differences between summering and articling so far has been being able to actually stay on a file and work on different assignments within one matter. It’s incredibly interesting to be able to assist with various moving parts of a file and being able to see them come together. For example, an affidavit drafted over the summer may end up being revisited in order to pull correspondences out to help draft a 30.10 motion, but at the time of drafting the affidavit, certain emails may not have seemed that important. It’s also fascinating to help prepare mediation materials, or motion materials and then be able to actually attend and see how those materials contribute to the litigation.
Another big difference while articling is the mix of confidence, being able to return with familiarity of expectations for certain assignments, but also the autonomy we now have on assignments. Obviously almost every assignment still comes with what feels like a thousand questions, but being trusted to draft materials where I’m the one looking at productions and making an opinion, or being asked to research a topic from scratch and putting together an argument for a factum makes me feel as though I’m starting to get my footwork figured out in what it actually is like to practice law. Of course, the safety net of having a ton of resources and support is always still there, but the environment is very conducive to promoting our confidence as soon-to-be lawyers!
The first (almost) six months of articling have been full of incredible experiences and assignments, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of articling has to offer!
by Lauren M.