A New Year & the halfway point check-in

As we say goodbye to 2014 and welcome in the New Year, I realize that January not only signifies a fresh start, but also the halfway point in the 10-month articling journey.

I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to attend motions, assist on complex cases and run a Small Claims Court trial on my own...

Within the past 5 months, I’m grateful to say that my articling experience has been very challenging, exciting and rewarding. I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to attend motions, assist on complex cases and run a Small Claims Court trial on my own back in October! (NB: the trial was adjourned to continue for a second day this coming February!)

The beginning of a New Year is a great opportunity to reflect and resolve to do better. The first 5 months of articling were all about surviving, learning the ropes and absorbing as much legal knowledge as possible. The remaining 5 months of articling will be focused on thriving as an advocate by fine-tuning my legal skills and continuing to make a valuable contribution to the MB team on a daily basis.

In keeping with the tradition of setting New Year's resolutions, I resolve to do better as an articling student in 2015 by striving to learn something new every day (which is not difficult at MB), helping out my fellow colleagues whenever I can, and mastering work-life balance.

It is safe to say that articling is no walk in the park. (It’s more like a very brisk jog or a full-out sprint.) And with lots of support and mentorship from the great lawyers at MB along the way, I have no doubt that I will be able to rise to any challenges that come my way for the remainder of my articling experience and stick to my resolutions.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Irina S.