The Transition from Articling Student to Lawyer

Throughout my articles, I have experienced the ebb and flow of the litigation process. Some weeks, the workload can be quite intense, and other weeks are more manageable. Nevertheless, this experience has increased my competency with respect to working independently while maintaining high work quality.

I have started to feel less like a student & more like a
bona fide lawyer. This transition, however,
is not without its hiccups.

This expanding independence demands a greater degree of responsibility, especially in litigation, to ensure all tasks are completed on schedule and within the time allocated by the supervising lawyer. In the past few months, the work I have been assigned has been more encompassing of the whole litigation process and has forced me to develop good habits in order to stay on track.

Through this pedagogical process, I have developed some wisdom that I would like to share.

Effective Communication between the student and supervising lawyer is imperative. If you are in doubt with respect to instructions, a quick email is best in order to avoid time and delay. If further information is needed, let the supervising lawyer know in order to avoid “wild goose chases”. It is also good practice to verify with the supervising lawyer the scope of the task and next steps if needed.

Availability - In case a file assigned to you needs urgent consideration, it is best to check your work email even during your downtime. It is rare but, in fact, has happened a few times throughout my articles and, therefore, I was able to assist the lawyer in time.



Stay Ahead of the Deadlines - It is good practice to finish drafting a document early in order to have time to review it before passing it to the supervising lawyer, submitting it to the court or other counsel. It is easy to miss typos.

Utilize Your Strengths - Are you a morning person? Or do you have more energy in the afternoon? In my experience, it is prudent to schedule your tasks when you are most effective at doing them. This will ensure that you finish on time and efficiently.

Keep Track of File Progress - Articling students and lawyers have a lot of responsibility with respect to their files. It is, thus, a good idea to periodically check your active files and make sure that everything is moving along at a good pace.

These strategies have allowed me to better understand and adapt to being a lawyer. McCague Borlack LLP has provided me with a great deal of training for this transition. Accordingly, this allowed me to understand the scope of increasingly complex tasks that I have been assigned and has encouraged further professional development for myself with respect to the practice of law.

by Alexander S.

When possible, just pick up the phone

As a student, it can sometimes be quite intimidating to make a telephone call, especially, to a client, a witness or opposing counsel. It can seem easier to revert to the safety of an email for the purposes of communication. After all, with an email, you can take your time; write, review, re-write, and finally send with a click of a mouse. However, at times, it is much more efficient to just pick up the phone.

A frank conversation about the issues at hand can go a long way in finding a resolution that satisfies the needs of both parties.

There are numerous instances where a phone call is preferable: two common scenarios come to mind.

Opposing Counsel

It can be tempting to elaborate on your position to opposing counsel in an e-mail, to ensure that you get your point across clearly and convincingly. However, in some cases, a phone call is all it takes to understand the other party’s position and to get a better grasp on what it will take to settle the file. A frank conversation about the issues at hand can go a long way in finding a resolution that satisfies the needs of both parties.

Insured or Witness

To understand facts of a certain complexity, and to get a good sense of the events surrounding the claim, it is very useful to talk directly to the insured or a witness. For instance, I was working on a file that involved the failure of a septic system. I read the file contents and reviewed documentation on the internet, yet reading could only take my understanding of septic systems so far. After a telephone conversation with our client, where he clarified some of the more technical aspects of the claim, I had a much clearer idea of what had transpired. Sometimes, that’s all it takes!

In Summary

Of course, telephone calls are not always ideal, for reasons such as timing and availability for example. However, where possible, picking up the phone and getting right down to it can make our job a lot easier. As well, sometimes it’s simply more pleasant to have a chat with someone, rather than e-mailing back and forth. Just remember to keep a record of your conversations - see Aryeh’s post.

Alex R.

Client Events

Client events are a great way for students to get involved with the business aspect of the firm and put a face to the person on the flip-side of the email or telephone. Luckily, MB gives its students numerous opportunities to do just that! And January/February seems to be the season for it!

Knowing how to interact and connect with your client can be just as important and is a skill only developed through practice.

Last week our office hosted Christmas in January, a cocktail party with a mingling of MB’ers, clients, experts of all sorts, and other industry shakers. Even next year’s articling students were invited to join in! Here I had a chance to meet adjusters and hear about their side of the business, speak with expert engineers and learn how they can help my files, and indulge in a student’s favourite thing – tasty hors d'oeuvres. Not to mention the office’s meeting room looked like we had been whisked off to an elegant winter cocktail lounge in the sky.

This week MB is also hosting a more causal affair – a client bowling night. This event has been of particular interest to me because the partner gave another student and me the chance to help out with organizing. We get are in charge of making the night as fun as possible for the clients with creative contests and charming prizes. This should be a great opportunity for us to spend some focused time with one client in particular and turn our mind to the client-relations side of the business. As students, many of us do not yet have appreciate that the practice of law involves far more than just knowing law. Knowing how to interact and connect with your client can be just as important. This is a skill only developed and mastered with practice.

If you are more of an introvert, or simply love to write, there are also opportunities to impress and network with clients through papers and seminars. MB and its practice groups host frequent seminars where clients are invited to our firm to build their own legal knowledge and understanding of a particular topic. Students are often involved in helping write a paper with a partner, doing research on the area of law, and sometimes even get to present at the seminar. Helping out with one of these is doubly good because you not only earn face time with clients, it is also an excellent occasion to make a splash with the partners!

All in all, there are countless ways for students to interact with clients from fancy cocktail parties, to bowling, to papers and seminars, and many others not mentioned here. And best of all, MB is always there encouraging us to dive right in! I know we are all excited for the next one, my personal favourite, MB Ski Day!

Emily C.

OCI Speed Interviews - A Survival Guide

Thoroughly revised resumes, a conference centre full of curtain enclosed cubicles, nervous law students pacing hallways, announcers broadcasting “your 17 minutes are up,” and here you are – in the middle of OCIs – a.k.a. On Campus Interviews. It is that time of year again.

OCIs are often likened to speed-dating where interviewers from forty or more Toronto firms await eager law students who have mere minutes to wow them.

OCIs are often likened to speed-dating where interviewers from forty or more Toronto firms await eager law students who have mere minutes to wow them. As anyone can imagine, preparation is not only necessary for each firm’s interview, but also for surviving the day. As you are competing with classmates, and your family is bewildered by the concept of “speed-interviewing”, planning for OCI’s is very isolating. So, I surveyed my fellow MB articling students, who all snapped up a summer gig at MB through their OCIs, and here is some seasoned advise to all OCI-ing students.

1. Talk to upper year students and students at the firm. This is No. 1 for a reason. Students are a goldmine and this simple task will impart a wealth of information about the firm’s personality and focus. Whether the student was successful or not, they may have useful information on the firm, the interviewers, or questions asked.

2. Be prepared with answers. Some of their questions will be standard and you can look them up on any recruiting site. Read up and prepare. Some firms ask abstract or philosophical questions, such as “tell us something about yourself that is not on your resume,” so it is good to anticipate these too.

3. Also have questions prepared. Never under-estimate the importance of your questions back. Don’t be shy, questions reveal to them where your interests lay and could give you important answers about the firm.

4. Do not necessarily talk to the interviewers like they are your parents' friends. I was advised to many times but I am very comfortable around my parents’ friends so it wouldn’t work for me. So while you should try to appear and feel comfortable in the interview, be careful not to be too casual. Always err on the side of professional.

5. Get a good night’s sleep and wake up early. If you are not a morning person, like me, you should leave yourself a lot of time in the morning to really wake up. Read the newspaper or similar task to oil the gears in your brain and get them churning.

6. Get your facts straight! Make sure you don’t mix up the facts about each firm. An articling student recalled a horror OCI story where he went on for 5 minutes praising a firm’s rotation system, which did not exist. Keep notes on each firm and study them before you go in. Remember, talking to the upper years and articling students about their firms will be the best resources for creating your notes.

7. Know every line of your resume and prepare a ‘story’ for each one. Some interviewers will ask about obscure or even mundane parts of your resume, so you have to be prepared to wow them with each and every part, and of course, ensure everything is true!

8. Be yourself and enjoy it. You get to talk about yourself for the entire day! Despite the fact that it is competitive and intimidating, OCIs can be a lot of fun. You have worked hard to get here, now it’s time to show it off. You are awesome and the interviewers want to know why. Sell yourself, but be careful not to cross into over-confidence.

9. Pack snacks. OCIs can be exhausting, so it’s important to keep your energy levels up! Bringing some healthy snacks such as an apple, almonds, and/or a power bar will really help you stay at the top of your game.

10. Smile and relax. It’s just a job!

Good Luck everyone and happy OCI-ing! I hope to see you in November!

Emily C.

Off come the Training Wheels (regarding Client Contact)...

At the conclusion of our first month as full-fledged ‘students-at-law’, there have been many firsts for us articling students: the first time we successfully printed off a batch of labels, the first time we discovered that must-eat treat in the PATH (Prairie Girl cupcakes are both the best and ‘worst’ thing that have ever happened to me), or the first time we figured out how to set multiple timers on the computer docketing system. I have to say, however, that the most memorable first was also one of the most frightening: my first file working directly with a client as the main contact.

"McCague Borlack is exceptionally open to allowing its students to interact with clients..."

Let me explain. McCague Borlack is exceptionally open to allowing its students to interact with clients, whether it be via email or in person at a firm event. When I summered with the firm last year, I was in constant communication with clients, providing them with updates on files or assessments on the chances of success of a file; however, all of those missives went through a vetting process with an associate or partner at the firm before I hit ‘send’.

Last week I was introduced via telephone to a client whose file I would be handling. The lawyer told the client my name, where I had gone to school (Queen’s pride, woo), and that I would be their direct contact for the file going forward. What was so unique about this most recent interaction was that the next time I communicated with the client, I would be doing it without the safety net of a supervising lawyer. By that I mean, my supervising lawyer will still be available to discuss the file and answer any and all questions, however, I will be the face of the firm for the client.

Fortunately, we were in the lawyer’s office when this news was announced, and not at a client meeting, so I had the opportunity to get over my initial trepidation prior to meeting the client face to face. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to work with this person and have the opportunity to take on more responsibility at the office. It was just…like riding a bike without training wheels for the first time: exhilarating and terrifying. Now that I’ve had a few days to let the knowledge settle in, that I am the person this client will contact with questions or information about the file, I’ve become much more exhilarated than terrified (which, incidentally, was the same for the bike ride).

As I write this, I have a settlement conference coming up with this same client, where I will meet them face to face and represent them before a deputy judge. I am determined that I will be prepared, professional, and poised when this happens.

Kati A.