tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74274662593078541282024-03-13T09:22:13.373-04:00A day in the lifeMB Student JournalsMB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-75815389343159208582024-03-13T08:56:00.001-04:002024-03-13T08:56:28.346-04:00My First In-Person Court Attendance Since the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual court hearings have become the norm, and in-person court attendances are harder to come by. That’s why when I got assigned to attend Small Claims Court in Burlington in person, I was overjoyed!
While I have made several court appearances virtually during my articling term, I had not attended any in-person hearings, so I was hit with a wave of excitement.&MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-33945002282712497652024-02-16T16:27:00.002-05:002024-02-16T16:27:51.180-05:00Running Your Own Trial as an Articling StudentI’ll always remember the day when I stepped into the managing partner’s office, and he said, “Nick, you’re going to trial.” A rush of adrenaline and nerves flushed through my body.This was a two-day small claims court trial where I was responsible for defending an action brought by homeowners against a general contractor.
Half the battle was trying to understand the nuts and bolts of MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-49881071548119777932024-01-05T14:22:00.004-05:002024-01-05T14:22:43.742-05:00Learning the Ropes: My First Settlement ConferenceAs an articling student, you can assume day-to-day carriage of your own small claims court matters. This provides a great opportunity for you to understand the “big picture” of the litigation process by working on a file from start to finish.One small claims case I was working on involved the defence of a negligence claim brought against a medical professional.
The first step was to prepare a MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-35064784509106841462023-12-18T11:34:00.000-05:002023-12-18T11:34:22.765-05:00Learn while making a differenceWhen I told a friend that I would be articling at a full-service litigation firm in the heart of Toronto, he did not hesitate to respond with “Enjoy standing behind the photocopier all day!” While that may be many people’s perception of what students do in firms like MB, here it could not be further from the truth. My very first assignment, 30 minutes into articling, involved MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-69774437138316318572023-12-12T15:54:00.003-05:002023-12-15T16:58:14.445-05:00In Hallowed Halls: Selecting a JuryOne of the largest courtrooms I’ve seen. A large, vaulted roof. There must have been eight rows of three long pews. 24 in all. Each one was filled from end to end with people, to the point where they lined up along the back wall as well. In total, there were likely around 150 people in that room. Sitting in the back, I recognized 90% of them, if not more. Why?
Because today was jury selection. MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-36015192321121530292023-09-13T10:17:00.001-04:002023-09-13T10:17:56.016-04:00A Recipe for Success: The Similar Challenges of Articling and Starting Law SchoolAs I began my journey as an articling student, I quickly realized that all the same feelings I had when starting 1L came back to hit me like a brick wall. The excitement of starting a new chapter in my life, the nerves associated with the what-ifs and of course, the unrelenting sense of existential dread wondering if I really have what it takes to be a lawyer. "These were only a handful of the MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-66478031784282021292023-07-14T15:01:00.000-04:002023-07-14T15:01:13.673-04:00Bringing a Little MSW to the JDsMany people believe that the fields of law and social work are opposites. As a summer student having spent even a short amount of time in a law firm, I can attest that there is in fact a fascinating overlap between the two disciplines. Within the tight-knit MSW/JD community, I’ve heard it put this way: Law is public regulation and social work is public administration. I’ve also heard MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-71834881635260614272023-07-07T15:44:00.000-04:002023-07-07T15:44:23.216-04:00Lawyers plan their time…and the law gods laugh!During my short stint as a summer student thus far, one thing has become abundantly clear about the legal profession: planning my time is unpredictable. It sounds like an oxymoron; trust me – I know. However, while it may sound paradoxical, the sentiment is true. Even though you may plan your day, working in the legal profession means you must accommodate short-term court deadlines, urgent tasks MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-635843387827465832023-06-29T10:01:00.001-04:002023-06-29T10:01:17.113-04:00Toronto: A City of CommutersMy family, like many others, made the decision to move out of Toronto and to the last stop on the Lakeshore East GO Train line: Oshawa. Four years later, I return to Toronto as a commuting summer student. Here is what I have learned, and if you are a prospective student thinking about commuting to the city every day for work, this is what you can expect a typical day to look like!
I wake up at MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-19633270431089681342023-06-21T15:41:00.000-04:002023-06-21T15:41:30.914-04:00Whose side are you on, anyway? – Getting exposure to Plaintiff and Defence workIt’s been just over three weeks since our summer student experience at MB began, and I’m happy to say I’ve enjoyed every minute! Ashley told us during orientation that the work was going to fully immerse us in the civil litigation process, and that couldn’t be more accurate. In the first few weeks of the summer, I’ve had a wide range of assignments, including drafting a statement of defence, a MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-36245052957811389572023-06-15T15:37:00.002-04:002023-06-27T15:57:13.456-04:00Avoid tipping the scales of justiceEveryone warned me about maintaining a good work-life balance when entering a career in law. How easy it can be to get so caught up that you dive in and don’t realize when you have lost that balance. I am lucky to work at a firm that wants its students and lawyers to have a life outside of work. But admittedly, I can see myself falling into the trap of loving work so much that it becomes my hobbyMB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-87108915131161884282023-04-14T16:11:00.002-04:002023-05-26T14:53:30.534-04:00Lessons in Life and Law from Coach Ted LassoAs an articling student, I have been searching for inspiration and guidance in my journey toward becoming a lawyer. Recently, I’ve been keeping up-to-date on the new season of the hit TV series TED LASSO, and so I felt it would be topical for my next blog post to cover the many valuable lessons offered by the show that could be applied to the life of an articling student.
For those who are MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-16343157332730067732022-11-02T15:10:00.004-04:002022-11-02T15:27:14.333-04:00Speaking on my very first motion…alone!DING DING. Off goes the list serve notification, and a new assignment has just come in for me. As I read the email, suddenly I am hit with a wave of excitement, and then utter fear. I have just been assigned to speak at an unopposed motion to request an adjournment…alone. Every litigator loves being in the courtroom, and consequently, I have always dreamed of speaking in court. However, now that MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-41139492772773119072022-10-24T17:54:00.003-04:002022-10-24T17:58:00.666-04:00How I survived My Busiest Week of Articling (so far)The articling experience is about learning to become a practicing lawyer and a significant part of it involves developing time management skills. This is critical for a litigator. What I am quickly realizing is that while you can try to formulate a plan to divide your tasks a few days ahead, it can often change so quickly. The key is to adjust and recognize that at McCague Borlack, you have a MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-57824281272468165482022-09-23T13:34:00.001-04:002023-05-26T19:01:16.287-04:00Taking a Lesson from Jon Snow“The only true wisdom
is in knowing you know nothing.” – SocratesAlso known as the Socratic paradox, this principle allegedly uttered by the Greek philosopher Socrates is a great lesson in humility, critical reflection, and—when using it as an excuse for the C-minus grade you got in one of your courses—self-referential humour.
Unlike my fellow articling students, I’m brand-spankin' new. I don’t MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-31626686331626977452022-09-06T13:23:00.009-04:002022-09-09T13:05:00.023-04:00…And We’re Back - WFH vs. In-office experience "They
say articling is like riding a bike. Okay, maybe no one says that but so far it’s
been true."Having returned to the office, I'm surprised at how much
I’ve retained from my summer student experience.
After
being completely remote for the past two years, I am excited to say that the
articling program is nearly entirely in person! Going into the office every day means that MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-58924642892037505342022-08-15T15:38:00.001-04:002022-08-15T15:38:02.482-04:00Articling Students 2022Welcome back to our summer students of 2021 who are now our articling students 2022 - Anita Zamani, Winona Fitch, Alexandria Bonney, Dominique Mesina and one new face Matt DeSumma. To read their bios see our student page.MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-20849545118513776752022-08-11T14:30:00.002-04:002022-08-11T15:00:08.907-04:00Learning the Law, and the TradeDuring my summer at MB, I was actively involved in several Small Claims Court files (topics of the files mentioned in this post have been changed due to confidentiality concerns). This was an interesting experience, but also a difficult one. To be involved in a Small Claims Court file, charged with reviewing the evidence and assisting in the matter, was a daunting task. However, what I soon MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-8739271612491418642022-08-02T17:11:00.001-04:002022-08-02T17:55:13.780-04:00Field Trips – Expect the Unexpected!Summer student field trips at McCague Borlack can range from examinations of discoveries to mediations, pre-trials, arbitration and motions – all key parts of civil litigation.
An examination of discovery is a procedural part of litigation when the parties get to see what the other side’s facts, evidence and defence are. Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution where an unbiasedMB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-12400054403172401702022-07-14T11:26:00.001-04:002022-07-14T11:26:46.192-04:00Learning by Doing: Examination for DiscoveryOne of the highlights of my summer thus far has been attending a lengthy examination for discovery (or ‘discovery’, for short) with senior counsel. While the examination took place over the course of 4 days a few weeks ago, my work on the file has been ongoing ever since. It’s always great when you can continue to do work on a file to see how it progresses and how your contribution makes an MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-21096740154739364192022-06-30T12:35:00.003-04:002022-07-05T17:53:14.082-04:00The Summer Students' First Day In Person!Although we summer students have been working at MB for over a month now, the firm's offices have been effectively closed since COVID hit in 2020. But, Ashley Faust, our fearless leader and Student Director, pushed and pushed for the firm to have us back in the office this summer… AND it worked! As of this week, all of MB’s students were back in the office and it was great (to say the MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-47490640514932435532022-06-27T13:00:00.000-04:002022-06-27T13:00:38.461-04:00My First MediationAs a student at MB, I am given the opportunity to attend “field trips,” which allows
me to attend pretrial conferences, discoveries, and mediations."Recently, I
attended my first “field trip” which was a mediation."
During my first two years of law school, I participated in numerous moot competitions. However, unlike a moot competition which consists of a hypothetical scenario, this mediation MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-49291134149519385312022-06-20T16:29:00.005-04:002022-06-20T16:32:12.958-04:00What's happened so far: the first few weeks...The transition from student to practitioner can be daunting. So, what are some of the things I’ve encountered in the few weeks since beginning my summer at MB? As a student at a litigation boutique, my day-to-day work typically involves assisting with preparing various court documents and legal research. From the day the students began working on files after our orientation..."I was immediately MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-63114302971751018382022-06-15T10:53:00.004-04:002022-06-15T13:05:27.290-04:00Initial Summer Student Experience: Here’s to Growth!Aside from the excitement I had prior to starting as a Summer Student, I was unsure of what to expect. Will I enjoy the work? What will my colleagues be
like? Will I have the necessary assistance if required? From my research of the firm, I knew I’d likely grow as both a student of the law and as an
individual but I was uncertain about what that growth would entail.
"Although my timeMB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7427466259307854128.post-54297175737003066812022-05-30T13:28:00.002-04:002022-05-30T13:28:39.011-04:00Handling my own Small Claims FileOne of the best parts of my articling experience has been having the opportunity to run my own Small Claims Court files. Due to the unique rules of the Small Claims Court, articling students have standing to appear as counsel without the need for the direct supervision of a fully licensed lawyer.
Throughout the last ten months, I was handed the reigns on three small claims files. Here are the MB Studentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671953839546678878noreply@blogger.com0