Summer Student Orientation Week

Every student feels the nerves that come with starting a new job. Transitioning from the classroom to the office is always a significant adjustment. Prior to the start of summer orientation week, our Student Director, Ashley Faust, made sure we were well-prepared to commence our journey with McCague Borlack. We are lucky to have Ashley as a mentor as she was not only a summer and articling student at MB, but she is the lead lawyer on a number of files, enabling her to share all of her experiences with us eager students.

My fellow summer students and I received a detailed orientation schedule outlining the activities for the weeks ahead.

This schedule was so helpful to ensure we were prepared for the start of the summer term, which greatly eased the stress from the start. It made day one so much easier for us to navigate and gave us many exciting things to look forward to. It also provided our first glance inside the firm’s multifaceted practice areas.

Every day of orientation was filled with plenty of insightful presentations, seminars and activities. We were given the opportunity to learn from many of the firm’s amazing lawyers about their practice. This allowed us to have a variety of insights into the different ways each person would tailor their files based on their personal preferences. While the program prepared us for the work that we had to look forward to, it was also a great way to get to know the incredible people that make up the firm’s staff. Everyone gave us plenty of time to ask questions about anything that we could think of and made us feel so welcome.

Despite the focus being on preparing us for the substantive work that makes up much of the summer, we were given plenty of fun breaks to ensure that we could stay energized for the next activity. Some of the fun activities included playing Scattergories and participating in the annual student Brownie Baking Bonanza (which turned out to be the best brownie recipe I have ever tried!). This week was an amazing way to get to know the other students, especially those I am now in the Ottawa office with every day.

With the summer program having just kicked off fully, the orientation experience was so helpful in preparing me for the start of the work period. Not only did it give us a great overview of the summer term ahead, but it also ensured that we were able to seamlessly transition into being in the office every day. Even though I took notes and paid attention during orientation (with the help of a few coffees), there was still so much to learn/re-learn once we got started officially. But everyone at the firm is so helpful in teaching you the best practices, tips and tricks to help you succeed. Now, I wonder why I was ever worried at all.

To any future summer students reading this: even if you feel like you know nothing, someone will always be willing to help. I have learned so much from asking questions and doing my own exploration of the firm’s systems. While I know that I still have a long way to go before I am comfortable, I am confident anyone I ask will happily jump in to help. The firm culture is truly special in terms of the willingness to support the summer students with all our needs. We know that we will make mistakes, but this is part of the experience. We will be better for it by the end of the summer.

by Alexander D.

Holiday Cheer: Work Hard, Play Hard

Throughout my articling experience, I’ve learned how adversarial litigation can truly be.  Often times you are faced with dealing with difficult people and situations. Working with people really is an art; it is a lot more difficult than one may think. Circumstances arise where you have to determine the appropriate way to handle opposing counsel, whether in court or trying to contact them to discuss something as simple as providing their undertakings (which should have been done weeks ago). The stress involved when working in an adversarial and competitive environment is not to be underestimated. As famously quoted in the movie Mean Girls:

"I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school...
I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles
and everyone would eat and be happy..."

And guess what? That is exactly what we did! During the holidays, the students had a break from the adversarial environment that goes hand in hand with the practice of law. Instead, we brought the competition in-house by competing in a cookie decorating contest. I won’t lie, some lawyers joined in as well!

The articling students were given one hour to decorate two Christmas cookies each. The firm members were then sent pictures of each cookie and asked to vote on which one was their favourite. After the votes were tallied, the winner was revealed in a firm-wide email. I won’t say who won because the contest was not about winning but rather about having fun. However, what I will say is… I won. And if that isn’t true, well how would you know? This is my blog.

All jokes aside, getting the opportunity to have some in-office fun in the midst of our busy work schedules is a great reminder that if you work hard, you should play hard too.

Although the holidays have passed, I’d like to share with you the cookies my talented colleagues and I decorated (if you are wondering, I am the one who could not wait to take the picture before eating one of my cookies).

by Melissa P.

Changing the Face of Men’s Health: “McCague Mos”

November is a unique month at MB. With summer well behind us, everyone is in full swing getting ready for year’s end, what with closing files and planning Christmas parties. But the most important part of the month is the new facial feature evident throughout the city. From court rooms to boardrooms, the newly grown lip toupees’ belonging to gentlemen across Toronto and the world marks the welcoming of Movember. At MB, McCague Mo’s, our Movember team, was back in action and ready to take on the mustachioed world.

With 8 dedicated members of the firm, including yours truly, donating their upper lips to support the fight against prostate cancer, and the entire firm making donations to support this valiant effort, McCague Mo’s managed to raise over $1,700 during Movember.

The sense of team camaraderie that I experienced with my fellow Mo Brothers and Sisters, as we all united for one noble, although fuzzy, cause, truly formed a bond that will extend until long after our mo’s have been rinsed down the drain. Our weekly photos quickly turned into sessions of storytelling about tasks that would normally seem routine, but have taken on a whole new life due to our Mos; previously mundane conversations now end with “is it itchy yet?” and a previously quick walk to a lawyers’ office is now surely interrupted by the snickering of others.

...being able to relax and partake in non law related extracurricular activities is essential.

Spending the amount of time that lawyers and students do at the office, being able to relax and partake in non law related extracurricular activities is essential. In the combined 8 months I have been at MB, I have participated in Movember, played with the firm’s softball team, competed in a charity volleyball tournament and attended the firm’s annual US Thanksgiving football party. These activities not only allow a break from day to day life at the office, but also allow me to get to know my coworkers outside of their professional jobs. This, in turn, leads to the forming of friendships, something that directly contributes to happiness while at work.

Although Movember is now over, its memory, and the contribution we all made to this worthwhile cause, will not be forgotten. Further, the experiences enjoyed with my peers truly contribute to a work environment that fosters friendships and collegiality alike.

Everyone ready for Decembeard?

Dave O.