Student Programs
Vancouver > Montréal > Québec >
At our Montréal office, we offer three main programs : our Summer Program, our Articling Program (also refer to this section regarding the terms related to Bar School) and our Secondment Program.
Our Summer Program
Your involvement
If you accept our employment offer, you will have the opportunity to work with us in the summer, full-time.* During this period, you will become familiar with our culture and our wide human, technological and legal resources. You will research case law, as well as be involved in files from our 4 practice groups - Business Law, Litigation, Intellectual Property and Employment and Labour Law - at their various stages. Also, you will participate in the preparation of conferences, client presentations and draft legal writings. You will take part in our National Program of Continuing Legal Education together with the members of our different offices. These training sessions will allow you to build up your legal skills, such as research, writing and representation, along with your business skills, such as customer service and media relations.
*Note that you will have the opportunity to work part-time in the fall and winter.
Summer activities
Several activities will take place throughout the summer, allowing you to connect with the other students in our student programs (your future colleagues), as well as the lawyers in the firm.
Our Articling Program
Our Articling Program meets the requirements of the Québec Bar. We offer two articling periods during the year - one in the summer from June to December, and one in the winter, from January to July. Our Articling Program is designed to give you practical experience, allowing you to participate in negotiations, in the drafting of contracts, in the pleading of motions before the court, and gives you an opportunity to assist in a transaction. You will be entrusted with responsibilities similar to those held by our young associates, enabling you to demonstrate initiative and leadership right from the start. After a brief orientation program, you will begin the first of your three rotations of 7-8 weeks each chosen from our four practice groups -Business Law, Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Employment and Labour Law, after which you will choose and notify us of a practice group where you will be applying for permanent employment as a lawyer.
The Bar
All costs associated with Bar School, from the registration to the purchase of your textbooks, are reimbursed by the firm. Like you, we have your success at heart. You will therefore be remunerated on a weekly basis during this period, which will allow you to concentrate fully on your studies without working. Furthermore, before you begin Bar School, you will have the opportunity to attend a training session where articling students/young associates who have recently passed the Bar will share their experiences and provide you with useful tools to master the challenges of the Bar.
Our Secondment Program
Our Secondment Program provides you with an opportunity to work on-site within the legal department of some of our clients. Generally speaking, this opportunity is made available after you have spent a summer working with us.
Since we have initiated this program 10 years ago, clients have taken part in this program giving us a unique opportunity to clearly identify their needs. Our Secondment Program has strengthened the lasting business relationship between us and our clients.