Home Stretch

As we near the home stretch of the articling experience, students everywhere are beginning to feel the excitement and buzz surrounding the fast-approaching call to the bar. Reflecting on the past eight months of articling and trying to find ways to push forward to complete the last two months with grace, perseverance and enthusiasm I find myself thinking of the five most important things I’ve learned to help keep myself motivated throughout this process:

Reflecting on the last eight months of articling... thinking of the five most important things:

Make time to see friends and family
We were lucky enough to have a fantastic articling group, which is a testament to the kind of people that work at MB. But regardless of how well you get along with your articling peers, it is important to make sure you have time to see your friends and family outside of work. While articling can be an all-consuming endeavour, it is important to start learning how to balance your personal and work commitments.

Lean in and out as needed
In any job certain weeks are bound to be busier than others. Learning to lean in when needed and enjoy the lulls when lucky enough to have them will allow you to pace yourself during these ten intense months. You may have to work late nights and even weekends some months, and during this time your workload may demand all of your attention. However, enjoying the slower periods during your articling term and ensuring not to overload yourself will help you be prepared for those more demanding times.

Don’t give up your hobbies
Whether it be going to the gym, or taking a cooking class, make sure you don’t give up all your hobbies once you start articling. Continuing to do something you enjoy outside of the office that is just for you will help you be more productive during the day. It will help keep your mind and body refreshed and will also decrease stress levels.

Seek out assignments that interest you
Everyone has different interests and lucky for us, the lawyers at MB encourage us to seek out work that we find interesting. While it is important to ensure you give yourself a wide variety of experiences, seeking out assignments in practice areas that interest you can also help keep you motivated at work.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Despite the above advice to seek out assignments you are interested in, keep in mind you have to keep up with your workload and over-committing to too many projects or people is a sure-fire way to upset others as well as burn yourself out. Staying organized will also help you ensure you don’t over-commit yourself.

By Divya K.

A Wide Exposure to Litigation Disputes

As we begin to turn down the home stretch for our articling terms at MB, I think this is a good opportunity to give prospective students an idea of the sort of matters that cross our desks on a day-to-day basis. The big advantage in articling at MB being exposed to a large number of practice areas.

...each case and event in the file demands a unique approach.

In my own experience, I have had the opportunity to assist on a range of matters from product liability to professional negligence, from employment disputes to landlord and tenant disputes and from bodily injury to accident benefits. I have seen subject matters ranging from disputes over leaky pipes to errors in large infrastructure projects, matters involving children and adults and, even animals! I have been asked to assist with preparations for motions, mediations, pre-trial conferences and trials. I have had the opportunity to interview expert witnesses, prepare witnesses, and speak to clients and opposing counsel.

What I have found is that although the work at MB is usually through the lens of civil litigation process, each case and event in the file demands a unique approach. By being exposed to every aspect of a dispute, and many types of disputes, I have quickly learned that, despite how similar the various aspects of the files appear to be, every matter demands a unique approach. As a result, we are constantly learning how to navigate new challenges and come up with new approaches to best meet the needs of our clients.

The lawyers at MB commonly look to us, the articling students, to be more than “paper pushers” for the file. Instead, many lawyers want us, and in some cases encourage us, to be a contributing member of the “team”. I have found that we are frequently challenged (in a positive way) to offer our thoughts on how to best approach the file. For someone who best learns by doing, I have found this approach to be a very effective way to engage me in the file and has allowed me to really become invested in the work that I am asked to do. As a result of this engagement, I have become more and more confident in my own abilities as the articling term has progressed. I think if I were to ask the other articling students if they feel the same, they would agree.

My hope as I look towards the end of my articling term is that my knowledge base continues to be challenged and, as a result, continues to grow. Based on how my time has progressed thus far at MB, it is more than likely that my hopes will be realized.

Garett H.

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.

Life is a Marathon

Have you heard of the saying, life is a marathon, not a sprint? Well, articling is like a series of sprints within a marathon. It demands your focus, respect and humility. It requires your very best work. And it places on your shoulders the responsibility to do the best job you can for your client, your firm, and your principal.

As an articling student, you are on call to do great work at any time.

Articling represents a level of intensity that I never saw in law school. Yes, there were moot and exams and final papers and Socratic classes. But you could pace yourself and spread tasks across weeks or months. As an articling student, you are on call to do great work at any time. This means you are operating at peak efficiency, often for long stretches of time.

So, how do you avoid burning yourself out? 

First, develop relationships with your peers.  Depending on your outlook, these individuals are your competitors or your compatriots. One of the reasons I chose to article at McCague Borlack was because they make an effort to foster collegiality and tend to attract people who thrive in that environment.

Second, take breaks. I mean real breaks, not “go outside and stare at your cell phone for 10 minutes” breaks. It’s easy to get wrapped up in a case or assignment, but you have to be cognizant of your time as well. Sitting for three hours straight may seem productive at first, but it can hurt you in the long run. This seems obvious, but when you are under pressure or deeply engaged in a task, sometimes you forget.

And third, get a life. Your family and friends are important. They have been with you since the beginning. Let them be there for you during articles.

Articling is a truly challenging process, but the quality of your experience will depend on the quality of your personal and professional relationships at home and at work.

Ben C.

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.