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.

In-between Files

Reflecting at the midway point of our articling term a couple things stand out to me. One is the odd phenomenon that even though we are all given a full workload, articling students are always seeking out more work. It could be that we are given such a range of potential assignments and are just curious about what’s next. Aside from work, what stands out to me is what goes on in between files - specifically the social events that tie our firm together.

...our mid-size firm is our own community which makes learning ... that much more enjoyable.

It's been about a month, and I think it's safe to say that the embarrassment (all done in good fun) from the Christmas skit has died down. This was one of many firm-wide gatherings where we all would break bread and share a laugh together. It just so happened that this firm tradition came at a pivotal time for our articling group.

Stresses had started to spike as we all got a taste of what the end of the year rush entailed, but having an excuse to get together and remind ourselves that we are in this journey together solidified the truly congenial atmosphere that we work in, both firm wide and within our own articling group. We all rallied together to clear our desks to offer a little light hearted fun as as we said goodbye to 2014.

Ahead in our social calendar, we have our Christmas in January gathering, a range of events lined up as we continue to celebrate the firm’s 20th anniversary, amongst others. In between files, our mid-size firm is our own community which makes learning the practical side of the legal world that much more enjoyable. From an articling students' perspective, this is the jackpot. We are not only entrusted with virtually managing our own files, but the firm often encourages us to get involved in social events or attend file-related matters.

Charity Social Event  Pie in the Face

This really does create an atmosphere where there is never a dull moment. Once overcoming the unknown hurdle in a file that you didn't even know existed on any particular morning, you have a quick trip to the kitchen to refill your coffee before putting your brain to the next unknown that waits.

I'm not solely speaking of new files, research memos, or trying to know what I'm talking about while on the phone with a seasoned opposing counsel - here at MB we are an active and collegial group who makes coming to the office with an open mind a necessity. This applies to both producing quality work and taking a moment to enjoy what goes on in between files… time permitting, of course.

Michael V.

What it's like…

The first day back for articles was busy and filled with heartfelt greetings from colleagues I hadn't seen since my stint as a summer student the year before. After the first week of a thorough orientation from Ashley, the guru and student mentor, we were deep in the trenches of challenging legal work.

Now, a month later and 150 billable hours behind me, I am grateful for the opportunity to write the first Student-at-Law blog and reflect on what it's like… articling at MB.

"I decided the best course of action would be to serve a formal Offer to Settle and that's exactly what we did."

Autonomy

From the beginning I was assigned carriage of files and, under the supervision of a partner, trusted to take the necessary steps to protect the best interests of our clients. My first file was defending an insurance company against a self-represented litigant. I decided the best course of action would be to serve a formal Offer to Settle and that's exactly what we did. And it is in this respect to which I speak when I say that as an Articling student I am valued and entrusted with a lot of autonomy and a high level of responsibility.

File Completion

With the articling term being 10 months vs. 2 for summer students, it was exciting to realize I have a better chance to see several of my files through to completion. For instance, I was given a new subrogation matter and issued a claim; since then a defense has been filed and a settlement conference date has been set. To think, before articling is over, this case - and hopefully several others like it - will be settled and closed! It's very rewarding to assist a client right through from beginning to end.

Quality of Work

Again due to the longer work term, I have the opportunity to contribute to large, multi-million dollar, law suits. More importantly, I have the chance to tackle complicated legal issues and challenging fact patterns involving many parties. More time allows for deeper and more thorough analysis, therefore gaining me access to a much higher quality of work than ever before.

Articling is a whole new adventure with a brand new set of challenges. It is exciting and rewarding and I can't wait to see what other interesting work I get assigned in the coming months.

Justin A.