"Articling is a marathon, not a sprint", and other advice

Almost three weeks ago, the six 2018 summer students returned as articling students. On the first day, we walked into the board room, one by one for our arrival time at 9:15 a.m. Everything looked the same, but it felt very different. We weren’t as nervous; we felt comfortable and excited to be back at the firm.

It is now the third week of articling and the “floodgates” have been open for almost two weeks. When sitting at my desk I hear either keyboards clicking or phones ringing…everyone is busy. All of the articling students have received a variety of assignments from various lawyers at the firm.

Even though we feel comfortable, having been summer students at the firm, having the title as “articling student” can feel overwhelming at times. Howard Borlack, the managing partner at the firm, gave us advice during training week that has stuck with me and been helpful in the past few weeks:

“Articling is not a sprint, but a marathon.”

As articling students, we were advised to pace ourselves with accepting assignments and avoid burning out at the beginning of the articling term.

This advice is similar to what I was told in my first year of law school. As many people know, the first year is very competitive, but it cannot be treated as a sprint because students should not be burnt out for their final exams. Similarly, although it is tempting to use all of our energy right away, we were reminded to spread out our hard work and assure that we are improving throughout the term and maintaining our hard work.

“Maintain a work-life balance.”

We were fortunate to be reminded that it is important to maintain a work-life balance during articling.

Although we will need to meet deadlines, we were advised to still make time for the family, friends, gym, or things we enjoy doing during our free time. This helps combat feelings of being burned out, stressed, and overwhelmed.

“Articling is a time to learn from your mistakes.”

We were advised to take advantage of this opportunity to learn and have lawyers advise us on ways to improve as “baby lawyers”.

We were reminded that we have the benefit of learning as much as we want to and are able to in the next 10 months. So far, the supervising lawyers on my assignments have been extremely helpful in answering questions I have had and explaining why I was wrong when I made a mistake.

With that being said, I look forward to the next 10 months of being a sponge for knowledge; making mistakes, but learning from them.

by Anisha B.

Advice from the Toronto Articling Students

The articling students at MB are almost at the finish line and the exposure we have gained so far has proved invaluable. We have had numerous opportunities to reflect on our experiences, ask for advice from our mentors, and hone our legal skills in an effort to become better lawyers. In the spirit of passing on the lessons we have learned, each of the Toronto students has provided words of advice, along with their top three highlights of their articling experience:

Taskeen	Advice: There is a steep learning curve for summer and articling students. It is important to ask questions and make use of the resources the firm provides you with. Work with as many lawyers as you can to get exposure to different styles and areas of law. While working on a file, take initiative by asking the lawyer if you can accompany them on discoveries, mediations, and motions. These attendances provide valuable learning opportunities, along with tips and strategies for developing your personal style. Highlights: Arguing my first motion; Carriage of my own small claims file; and Assisting in all aspects of a contentious and publicized personal injury file.
Mark	Advice: Attend as many court appearances as possible! Watching senior counsel speak to the court is a great way to learn what practices to adopt and what practices to avoid as an oral advocate. Highlights: Assisted in drafting the intervenor materials in David Schnarr v Blue Mountain Resorts Limited and Woodhouse v Snow Valley Resorts (1987) Ltd on behalf of the Canadian Defence Lawyers; Attended a cross-examination on an affidavit that was highly contentious; and Argued a procedurally substantive motion on behalf of our client and other co-defendants.
Gabriela	Advice: During your articles use precedents as a general guideline only; it is important to formulate your own ideas and style as early as possible as this will better prepare you for your transition to an associate. Highlights: Having my co-authored article published by LexisNexis; Learning from my mentor; and Observing and appearing at motions court.
Emily	Advice: After a court appearance, stay and watch the matters that are being heard after yours – you’ll learn a lot! Highlights: Arguing my first trial at Small Claims Court; Attending/speaking at my first settlement conference; and Arguing my first contested motion.
Michelle	Advice: “Plan your work and work your plan!” Make sure you are aware of deadlines and try your best to meet them. Remember that some assignments have hard deadlines (e.g., court documents have to be filed by certain dates) versus soft deadlines (e.g., a summary or an AOD that a lawyer may need a few months from now). Think about the big picture: what do you want to get out of articling? What practice area are you interested in? Which lawyers do you want to work with? You will have the ability and support to seek out the opportunities you want. Remember that even when you do your best, things may not work out according to plan! Highlights: Working on a personal injury trial with interesting tort law issues; Cookie decorating contest during the holidays; and Sitting in on mediations, client meetings, and court attendances to see MB’ers in action!
Melissa	Advice: Ask questions if you don’t understand your task. It is easy to become overly comfortable with following a precedent; but what if you didn’t have access to one? It is important to actually learn how to draft pleadings and other important documents without relying on a precedent. If you ask questions and understand why you are drafting these documents, eventually you will not have to rely on a precedent. Triple-check your work. It’s easy to overlook errors in the minor details because you are more focused on the bigger ones. Highlights: I had the opportunity to assist on a waiver liability matter that went before the Court of Appeal. Not only did I assist with the materials, but I was able to attend the hearing and listen to several of the top litigators in Toronto argue their positions; I attended a videoconferencing discovery with a plaintiff who was located in a European Country.  The dynamic of this experience was interesting because the plaintiff was not in the same room while being questioned; and I attended a settlement conference on my own and made submissions to a deputy judge.
Danielle	Advice: Accept every opportunity and don’t be afraid to ask questions – seemingly small assignments can become a file to handle on your own and questions can save a lot of time. Often when you accept one task you get to follow up on the lifespan of the file and learn the various steps a file will go through, the important considerations at each stage, and the tactics that will help achieve settlement – so no matter what comes your way, big or small, accept it graciously and view each task as a learning opportunity. Highlights: Arguing an opposed motion; Attending a pre-trial conference where settlement was reached; and Drafting a complicated mediation memo that addressed nuanced law and required in-depth research and analysis.

2016 Summer Students have left the building...

The 2016 Summer Students are gone, but only until articles - they are all coming back next fall! They have left us with some final words of (newfound) wisdom...

1. The best thing about your summer at MB
2. Best piece of advice given this summer
3. Best field trip/and or assignment
4. What you wish you'd known at the beginning of the summer term
5. Best place for lunch

-----------------------------

T o r o n t o 

Mark 

1. The people.
2. Work in as many practices areas as possible.
3. Attending a motion to strike.
4. The Rules of Civil Procedure.

Melissa 

1. The culture and the people.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
3. Working on small claims matters.
4. Civ Pro!
5. Fresh West

Emily 

1. Working in a professional and stimulating work environment to solve client problems. No in-school simulation can replicate what it is like out here in the real world – you truly learn most by doing.
2. Seek advice and be inquisitive.
3. Attended a motion for summary judgment. I was the one who had drafted these documents for the moving party. It was exciting to see my work product in the hands of the motions judge.
4. I would have been happy to know just how varied my summer term would be. Each day brings new challenges, which keeps me engaged and interested in the work I have been assigned. 

Gabriela 

1. Being able to apply what I learned at school and meeting great people
2. Stay organized and prioritize.
3. Discoveries and drafting the ED report.
4. Lawyers have different styles and preferences on how to complete an assignment.

Michelle 

1. Meeting a great group of students and being able to learn the ropes of litigation together.
2. Always seek clarification about something if you are unsure – don’t be afraid to ask questions!
3. Research on regulatory offences and quasi-criminal work.
4. Everyone will have a different way of doing things – don’t assume that there is one right way only.
5. Crave or Picnic – I can’t decide!

Taskeen 

1. The friendly and supportive people at MB made my summer experience enjoyable and I learned a lot under the lawyers' mentorship and guidance.  
2. To ensure the lawyers are happy with your work product and to save time, ask questions regarding their preferences or the scope of the assignment (formatting, length, the amount of time to be spent on the assignment, asking for precedents, etc.)
3. A pre-trial for a case that was highly publicized in the media, and for which I worked on several related research assignments.
4. How varied the work would be and that there is no 'one' way of doing things. This was a perfect opportunity to learn from different lawyers, and get confidence in developing our own style.
5. The burrito bowls at FreshWest are great! 

O t t a w a 

Jessica

1. The people!
2. Ask lots of questions, you’re here to learn.
3. I had the opportunity to go to a settlement conference on my own.
4. Take it all in because 12 weeks go by fast!
5. Bier Markt

Alexander

1. Having opportunities, that I would never have thought possible for a summer student, to tackle files “hands-on”
2. Do not rush anything. The focus is rather on accuracy and correctness, rather than speed. The more you do a task the faster you get at it.
3. Having the opportunity to go to an Examination for Discovery, and observe the process in action.
4. One word: Precedents.
5. Pretty much anywhere on Sparks Street. It’s only one block away!

An Ocean’s Eleven of Law Students

Articling is over. Our final day together as students, after the long and challenging haul, was spent in relief and satisfaction, over beers and in each other's company on a cool patio night. ...remove yourself from the competitive maelstrom of law school and prepare for a more collaborative firm environment. I cannot say enough about this group of individuals, who shared their knowledge, effort and support without expectation or delay. We were each other's bulwark, an Ocean's Eleven of Law Students, each putting their unique talents to work in earnest collaboration. These people, and the lawyers at McCague Borlack, were at once my professional exemplars, my safety net and my confidantes. I cannot imagine a better learning environment than the one I experienced over the past 10 months.   To McCague Borlack's incoming summer students, I urge you to lean on each other and draw from the resources provided by the firm. An honest assertion of yourself and a sincere interest in the success of others is truly all you need to succeed. To those law students who will soon summer or article, I urge you to remove yourself from the competitive maelstrom of law school and prepare for a more collaborative firm environment. And to my fellow articling students, I look forward to many more days as newly called lawyers at McCague Borlack this Fall. Ben C