Essential Gear - A Survival Guide for Articling Students

Before I go backcountry camping, I triple check that I have packed all the essential gear – plenty of matches, my headlamp, the water purifier, etc. I have a feeling that if I ever forget my rain jacket, I will be in for a rainy canoe trip.

My articling experience is no different – the gear is key. Having all the essentials on hand helps me stay focused on the work.

The Rules of Civil Procedure

We consult the Rules daily and it is important to become familiar with them. The firm provides a print copy of the Rules that are kept in the Student bunker (the area of the firm where all articling student cubicles are located). You can look them up online, of course, but if you’re going to Court, bring the actual book so that it’s as easy as possible to flip to the appropriate Rule.

Blue Light Filtering Glasses

These filtered lenses can help to lessen the strain on your eyes caused by working on a computer all day. You can get them with or without a prescription.

Mos Mos Coffee Gift Card

This coffee shop, located on the concourse level of the Exchange Tower, is my go-to spot. Even if you only order a brewed coffee, they steam the milk and sprinkle cinnamon on top! If you load a gift card with $30 or more, they will add 10% to your card balance. Who doesn’t like discounts!?

Lip Balm & Hand Cream

Offices are dry places – stay hydrated, folks.

Brookside Chocolate & Kind Bars

Snacks can help tide you over until you can get home for dinner on nights when you just need to finish something before leaving work.

Comfy Shoes

I like the look of high heels but definitely not the feeling of wearing them all day. I like to keep a pair of flats at my desk to change into. Many of us also have Blundstones for the commute.

Carrot – the App

This step counting app incentivizes you to hit a daily step goal by rewarding you with loyalty card points. I’ve got mine set up to award me with Scene points when I hit my step goal. It encourages me to get moving daily and means that I can see a free movie every now and then.

Membership to a Professional Association

I’m a member of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario (WLAO), the Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA), and Young Women in Law. I enjoy attending networking events, professional development workshops, and social events with other articling students and lawyers. Membership fees at most associations are low for articling students. A couple of my favourite events this year included the WLAO’s Champagne and Shop Event at the Bay (I’m a bit biased since I co-hosted that one) and the TLA’s Articling Head Start Program. I’m excited to attend the Young Women in Law Gala later this spring with keynote speaker Margaret Atwood.

Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Wireless Headphones

These cost a pretty penny but boy are they worth it! A colleague of mine had a pair while we were summering together and she convinced me to buy a pair. Since we work in an open-concept workspace, it can be noisy. So the headphones' noise-cancelling feature is very important to me. If music is distracting for you, I suggest you listen to a white noise track or nature sounds. To save money, buy a refurbished pair at the Toronto Premium Outlets’ Bose store. Incidentally, that outlet mall is also a great place to shop for work clothes.

I hope this kit list inspires you to surround yourself with whatever you need to feel comfortable, prepared, and ready to tackle any task that comes your way.

By Emily K.

Lessons learned...

I can't believe that my articling term will soon come to an end! I can vividly remember those early days in August and wondering to myself how I was going to survive 10 months! Despite those early doubts, I have somehow made it to the finish line. I've come a long way since that first day, for example, I remember attending my first motion way back when and I was sweating, nervous and my throat had never been so dry. Today, I attended a contested motion and I managed not to sweat through my shirt and shake like a leaf! I was confident and ready to go.

When I returned to the office I was reminiscing with all the students about how far each of us has come. With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to compile and impart some collective wisdom. Here are some of the lessons learned this year:

Try to make it to the gym... it's important to sweat for something other than a deadline.

1. Always carry a pen. You never know when a lawyer may ask you to do an assignment, and if you don't write it down, trust me you will forget by the time you get back to your desk. Now that I think about it - you will want to throw a notepad in there too.

2. Always leave a spare blazer at the office. It will surprise you how many times you will be sent to court without a ton of notice!

3. Stay in touch with people outside of the legal profession—sometimes it's quite relaxing to discuss something other than hire back…

4. Try to make it to the gym. It will get busy, but it's important to sweat for something other than a deadline. 

5. Make time for the things you love, whether it's making yourself a nice meal or curling up with a good book, it's important to make time for yourself.

6. View every challenge as an opportunity to become a better lawyer. Not all of your assignments will be glamorous but keep a positive attitude and you will continue to learn.

7. Even when you get busy, it's still important to go watch motions, mediations and discoveries. You will be doing these types of tasks sooner than you know and it's important to be prepared.

8. Ladies, always have a pair of flats in your drawer. The day you pull out the 5-inch heels will be the day you're sent to deliver something far far away.

9. Make friends with your colleagues! You will inevitably find yourself in a jam which only a fellow student can help get you out of. Not only are your colleague's potential lifesavers, but mine are some of my closest friends.

10. Go for meals/drinks with your colleagues! This will help you with tip number 9. In all seriousness, it is important to let loose and discuss things other than the Rules of Civil Procedure with your workmates. I'm pretty sure the students at MB have this tip down pat.

Now that I've divulged all those pearls of wisdom (you're welcome), I will sign off for now. Gotta get back to work - my articles aren't done yet...

NG