The Step from Law School to Law Firm

Since I was hired at the firm, I had been anticipating my first day at work and had a few queries.

"Has law school adequately prepared me for working in a firm?
Will I be a good fit? Is it going to be like the show Suits?"

Having completed one week of orientation and almost one week of assignments, I can reflect on my experience so far. But first,  I can confirm, that although the filming of Suits takes place down the street, the show is quite removed from reality.

Orientation Week

We began with introductions and throughout the week attended seminars on topics such as civil litigation, affidavits, motions, insurance law, legal research, docketing, Westlaw, and “How to McCague”. It sounds substantive, but the oatmeal cookies made up for it.

The students toured the firm, the Great Library of Osgoode Hall, a courthouse, and fit in our own unofficial tours of some food places in between.

Aside from learning about the law and the firm, the students were given time to learn about each other. By the end of the week, we agreed that the firm did a great job of hiring such a compatible group of students.

First Impressions & The Importance of Mentorship and Helping Each Other

The mentorship between the employees at MB is apparent and has made the step from law school to law firm more manageable.

The six Toronto summer students are placed in an open-concept workspace so that we can help each other as much as possible, which has proven to be effective. Whenever one of us has a question, we do our best to ensure the question is answered. Truly, no man (or woman) is left behind.

On our first day, some of the articling students took the summer students for a tour of the food court downstairs. Over lunch, they provided us with incredibly helpful tips and their own informal “How to McCague.”

Diverse Assignments

My second week working as a summer student has already been rewarding. So far, we have received at least one assignment per day. Examples of assignments are drafting pleadings, memos, affidavit of documents, arguing motions, and attending a trial. Thus far, I have been given assignments in four areas of litigation and hope to explore more. While each assignment has a challenging element, taking one step at a time is essential.

Like any experience, each one is unique. Taking the step from law school to a law firm has been a positive experience for me.

I look forward to what the rest of the summer has in store for us!

by Anisha B.