Professional Development – Starting Early

The practice of law is a craft; like any other skill, it requires hard work, dedication, and time to develop.

MB is the type of firm that invests a lot in its junior members...

MB is the type of firm that invests a lot in its junior members (students especially), by placing a strong emphasis on professional development. From in-house seminars such as lunch-and-learns to the informal feedback received from experienced lawyers, there is no shortage of opportunities to grow and develop.

Many of my colleagues have already blogged about the responsibility articling students receive (i.e. carriage of our own files), and the incredible work we get to do on a daily basis (injunctions, anyone?). To build on that, I thought I would share the various other ways to hone your skills.

Practice Group Seminars

If I were to ask a law student how many Supreme Court of Canada cases they read in a month, it would be shocked if that number isn't 10x higher than the average lawyer. This is because, on a day-to-day basis, the fundamentals of practice do not change all that much. However, keeping up with the law is vital to ensuring the best result for your clients.

The firm frequently hosts meetings and seminars within each of its practice groups (i.e. transportation law, accident benefits, subrogation, privacy). The purpose of these seminars is to bring us up to date with both new developments in the law, as well as fundamental principles.

Publishing

MB gives you no shortage of opportunities to publish (see my most recent and another published with  Toronto Law Journal). At any given time throughout articling, I have had anywhere from 2 to 6 papers on the go (I don't recommend 6, by the way!), an email blast, and a presentation.

Publishing has the double benefit of learning an area of the law in-depth, as well as making a name for yourself in the legal community. This brings me to my next point.

Networking

I've already mentioned the benefits of networking in a previous post. However, I didn't highlight just how many firm events MB students are entitled to attend. Just last month, our well-attended “Christmas in January” party was an excellent opportunity to meet clients and put a face to the names we deal with every day.

It is never too early to focus on your professional development so hopefully, you find a firm where your efforts are facilitated and rewarded.

Anthony G.

Words of Wisdom...

After reading Natalie’s post, I found myself reflecting on the variety of advice I have collected over the past few years, both during law school and now during my articling term. Before beginning articling, I had my own idea of how I imagined the experience to be. This was largely based on the information passed down to me from those who had gone through the process before me, who never hesitated to share their stories and advice.

One piece of advice that stands out and rings true now, more than ever, came from someone whom I considered my mentor when I was concluding my final year in law school and thinking forward to the start of articling:

Articling is what you make of it.

...take advantage of the learning opportunities available to you as best you can.

Articling, by its very nature, is meant to be a learning experience and there is no better time to learn and gain invaluable experience. Having completed approximately nine months of articling here at MB, I can say that though articling tests and challenges you on a daily basis, it can be very rewarding. That is why it is important that, though you may find articling to be an exceptionally busy time, you must also take advantage of the learning opportunities available to you as best you can. Following the advice given to me, I have made efforts to work with a variety of lawyers on a variety of legal issues. I have also tried to attend as many examinations for discovery, court appearances, and client meetings as possible, as I find them to be great learning experiences.

Aside from the hands-on learning experiences, I've also had the chance to attend many educational seminars and lunch & learn events on a variety of informative topics ranging from how to conduct examinations for discovery to how to run a file.

While work will always find its way to you when you’re articling, it is also important to seek out the work that YOU want. I've found that being proactive and volunteering to assist with work you’re interested in is a great way to make the most of your experience.

And speaking of making the most of an experience… I am going to take this opportunity to give a Shameless plug for Toronto’s beloved Maple Leafs who have finally made it back to the playoffs…GO LEAFS GO!!!

MN

No Shortage of Excitement...

Here we are... week 5 of the blog already! This blog is meant to be a window into the articling experience here at MB and, as my fellow students have set out in previous posts, there is no shortage of exciting things to talk about.

For example,