Lawson Lundell has offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Yellowknife and Kelowna. We are a full-service regional firm with a well-established, loyal client base. A student who articles in our Calgary office has the best of both worlds: a small collegial firm environment in an exciting city, with the resources and client base of a large, well-respected western Canadian firm.

Articling Program

Articling at our Calgary office offers students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a wide range of files. Unlike traditional rotation programs, our students are encouraged to seek out work in all practice areas, providing them with comprehensive training while also allowing them to specialize in specific areas of interest.

To enhance the articling experience, we conduct bi-weekly student round tables where various topics, including workflow, capacity, goal setting, challenges, and more, are discussed. These regular check-in meetings are a unique and defining feature of our student program, and they have garnered highly positive feedback. By creating a safe space for students to openly share their joys and challenges, as well as strategies for success, these meetings prove invaluable in shaping their articling year.

Orientation

After joining our firm, students are immediately immersed in a comprehensive orientation program. This program is designed to familiarize them with our firm, our expectations, and our systems, including our technology and library resources.

To build a strong foundation, our students undergo thorough training provided by our Research & Opinions Lawyers and Library Team. This comprehensive training revolves around legal research and writing, ensuring that our students have the necessary skills to handle the intricate assignments that they will encounter throughout their articling experience.

Moreover, each student is provided with a valuable resource: our in-house created Legal Research & Writing Guide. This extensive guide spans over 500 pages and has been tailored specifically to meet the needs of our students. It contains all the essential information and guidance they require to effectively complete their assignments.

CPLED

Our Calgary students attend and complete the professional legal education program required by the Law Society of Alberta. That program, known as the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) is administered by the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED). We pay the full Bar Admission tuition and materials fees as well as full salary during the course.

Following a successful pilot year in the Accelerated PREP, we have made the decision to continue enrolling our Calgary students in this accelerated program for their convenience and efficiency.

Memberships and Social Events

At Lawson Lundell, we strive to foster active participation in the local legal community among our students. In order to support this goal, we cover the annual membership fees for both the Canadian Bar Association and the Calgary Bar Association. Additionally, we also pay for membership fees for various Canadian Bar Association subsections, which provide valuable opportunities for professional growth through lunch seminars and networking events.

In terms of social events, we host a range of gatherings throughout the year to encourage camaraderie and networking among lawyers, students, and staff. Our winter holiday party is a festive affair, bringing together lawyers, students, and staff to celebrate the season. Our annual firm dinners provide an opportunity for all lawyers and students to connect and build lasting relationships. Moreover, we organize client events like the annual Calgary Stampede party, which allows our team to connect with clients in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.

In addition to these annual events, we also arrange other social and athletic activities on a spontaneous basis, including outings like bowling nights, cooking classes, pedal pub tours, and bow river floats. We believe that these activities foster camaraderie and promote a well-rounded experience for our students.

The Recruitment Committee

Currently, our Recruitment Committee consists of the following members:

Calgary Students

Our summer students for 2023 are:

  • Aaron Coverett (University of British Columbia)
  • Amanda Eberle (University of Saskatchewan)
  • Brendan Harris (University of British Columbia)
  • Colin Bryden (University of Alberta)
  • Jasmine Koonar (University of Calgary)
  • Kate Bartel (University of Calgary)
  • Kyrra Rauch (University of Calgary)
  • Matthew Wu (University of Alberta)

Our articling students for 2023-2024 are:

  • Eloise Hirst (University of Toronto)
  • Emily Hanrahan (University of Calgary)
  • Jason Lee (University of Calgary)

Our articling students for 2024-2025 are:

  • Brendan Harris (University of British Columbia)
  • Christian Rossi (University of Calgary)
  • Colin Bryden (University of Alberta)
  • Jasmine Koonar (University of Calgary)
  • Katerina Doige (Dalhousie University)

Our articling students for 2025 / 2026 are:

  • Aaron Coverett (Allard School of Law)
  • Amanda Eberle (University of Saskatchewan)
  • Kate Bartel (University of Calgary)
  • Kyrra Rauch (University of Calgary)
  • Matthew Wu (University of Alberta)

Frequently Asked Questions

Students frequently ask us about the following topics:

What qualities do we look for in potential articling students?

Our students are the future of Lawson Lundell. We have a long tradition of looking to our students as the primary source of talent for future associates and partners. Just as you want to choose the right firm, we want to choose the right students for the long term.

When assessing potential students, we look for qualities which will allow a student to have success at our firm. These include:

  • Academic excellence
  • Intellectual curiosity, creativity and initiative
  • Reliability, perseverance and self-confidence
  • Polished communication skills
  • Well-rounded interests and experiences
  • Commitment to becoming an exceptional lawyer

During our interview process, students will meet with small groups of our lawyers at every level of practice, as well as have the opportunity to interact with a larger group. We strive to get to know our potential students in more than one setting to ensure a selection process that is fair and thorough for both ourselves and for our candidates. We want to hire a mix of students from various schools and backgrounds: there is no one "type" of Lawson Lundell student.

Are there professional development and training programs?

We are committed to providing and supporting ongoing educational programs. We encourage each student and lawyer to develop their professional skills to the highest degree they can.

Professional development has many aspects that must come together to create a well-rounded lawyer. We support programs that develop:

  • Substantive legal knowledge, such as new developments in tort law
  • Legal skills, such as drafting and negotiation skills
  • "Soft skills", such as time management
  • Business skills, such as marketing and client development

We recognize that learning is an individual process. In order to accommodate different learning styles, levels of experience and time demands, we deliver programs in various ways. These include:

  • Learning by doing – engaging people in meaningful work with the appropriate mentorship, as well as giving as much individual responsibility as the person can manage
  • In-house programs taught by our own experienced lawyers and by invited guest speakers
  • External courses and conferences put on by recognized service providers, in person and by webinars
  • Membership in various organizations such as the CBA
  • Client-centred activities such as seminars and workshops
  • A yearly orientation session for new associates
  • Firm dinners and social events that develop good working relationships amongst our lawyers
  • A formal mentoring program for associates
  • Annual professional development plans for our associates
  • Annual reviews for associates, twice yearly for junior associates

We are constantly working to strengthen our professional development program. We have a Director, Legal Talent in our Vancouver office as well as a Professional Development Committee which includes a partner from each of our Calgary and Yellowknife offices to review and enhance our programs.

What kinds of work support and resources are available?

All of our students are assigned private offices with an opportunity for movement once a term. Each student has a PC equipped with Internet and research data bases in their own office. We have an excellent IT department including a dedicated Calgary IT specialist available to deal with any technology issues that may arise.

We have a comprehensive library staffed with helpful professionals who continuously support and train students in research matters and resources, including business and legal databases. We also have several dedicated research lawyers who are an invaluable resource to our students.

Our Manger of Legal Talent will assist in planning each student's articles as well as assist in developing or providing resources tailored to their specific needs as they arise.

Our Legal Talent Coordinator (Student Programs), Cindy de Graauw, will guide students through paperwork needed for the articling process as well as assist in scheduling rotations and assigning offices.

Our lawyers share support from legal assistants and paralegals. Our students do the same, working with assistants in a team environment.

What role do principals and mentors play in student development?

Principals:
Each student is assigned a principal for the duration of their articles. A principal is a senior lawyer who holds the general responsibility of ensuring that the articling requirements of the Law Society of BC are met. Principals meet with students periodically during the articling year to make sure students are getting the most from their articling experience. A principal can also act as an informal mentor to a student.

Student Mentors:
Our students are assigned one-on-one formal mentors from our associate ranks. Most mentors are still quite junior and can remember their own experiences as students very clearly. They are often associates who enjoy being involved in student recruitment. Mentors come from various practice groups, and we make an effort to pair up people who will have interests in common.

Mentors take their mentees to lunches, coffees and other events on an individual basis. In recent years, we have also had group events such as a charcuterie building class and pedal pub outing. The mentoring relationship is confidential, and mentees are encouraged to ask all the questions they want in order to learn more about the firm and the work we do.

In addition to formal mentorship, students also find that as they move through their articling year, they develop informal mentoring relationships with various lawyers.

Summer students retain the same mentor when they return as articling students. When a student becomes an associate, we assign a more senior associate or a partner to become the new associate’s formal mentor, but we encourage the previous mentor to continue to be involved in the new associate’s development.

We constantly receive feedback from our associates that they enjoy the experience of learning to be mentors themselves through their involvement with students. Our hope is that by being involved in dual roles of mentor and mentee early in their careers, our associates will develop lifelong mentoring skills that forge strong bonds with their colleagues in the firm.

Is there a review process?

We encourage students to seek feedback directly from lawyers on each assignment, and to be pro- active in finding out what will be done with their work product. Our lawyers are committed to providing regular feedback to students as work is completed. If there is a problem, we want students to know about it right away and have the opportunity to try again. We recognize that when trying things for the first time, students face a learning curve and we seek to be supportive in this process. Our emphasis is on assisting students to do the best quality work they can do, at each stage in their learning.

In addition, articling students receive two formal reviews – one at the mid-way point in their year and one near the end of their articles. The review considers the student's legal skills, practice management skills, and communication skills. The Manager of Legal Talent meets with each student individually to discuss progress and to determine areas of development to target. Students are also welcome to set up a meeting of this kind at any time during the articling year if they wish to have further feedback on their progress.

What is the firm culture? Are there social activities?

Lawson Lundell LLP's culture is based on a tradition of collegiality, team work, mutual respect and superb client service. Put simply, it is a nice place to work. Our students are often surprised to find that a firm of our size can feel so comfortable. Our lawyers have open doors and questions are always encouraged.

We have a loyal and supportive staff, many of whom have been at the firm for many years. We have many social activities where all members of the firm have a chance to build interpersonal relationships which strengthen our working relationships.

All the lawyers at Lawson Lundell are committed to meeting the expectations of our clients in a timely way. While we strive to maintain a healthy balance between work and our personal lives, we understand that excellent client service may require us to help out at times when our colleagues need us. We hold our students to the same expectations we have of ourselves. However, we are not a firm that requires "face time" just for the sake of being here: when the work is done, and done well, we encourage students to spend time with family and friends outside of work.

We hold various social events during the year. While attendance is encouraged, we don't expect everyone to attend all events unless they wish to do so. Some of the events that take place each year include a winter holiday party, firm dinner, and a Calgary Stampede party. Every summer the students and lawyers are invited to participate in the Lawson Reasonaballers Slo-Pitch team. Students have a monthly lunch on the firm at a restaurant of their choice and often enjoy students breakfasts together. We participate in community events such as fundraising for the United Way, Calgary Pride, and volunteer days. We encourage everyone to take part in social, athletic and community activities both within the firm and outside it.

Describe your commitment to inclusion and diversity.

Read about our firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion here. 

What opportunities for advancement exist after articling?

Our students are our future and our primary source of future associates and partners.

We hire only as many students as we are prepared to keep on as associates. We have a policy of moderate, controlled growth. Because of the stability of our client base and our success in developing new clients, we expect this pattern of growth to continue. In recent years, we have hired back nearly all of our students. Hire-back decisions are made based on the input of all lawyers in the firm. We thrive to keep students who are a good "fit" within our firm over the long-term, rather than focus too narrowly on how busy we are at the time of the hire-back decision. We attempt to communicate decisions to students at least two months before the end of a student's articles.

Once a student becomes an associate with us, opportunities for advancement are always available. Our associates are encouraged to work with more than one senior lawyer in order to learn different styles of practice. Given our emphasis on team work, our files are staffed with the best teams of lawyers and students to solve a particular problem, rather than the same team every time. This gives rise to a number of exciting opportunities for learning and growth for all lawyers.

What can I expect in terms of salary and benefits?

Our articling salary is competitive with the other highest-paying major law firms in Calgary. Summer students are paid the same as articling students. We pay all of the CPLED tuition fees as well as paying the student's salary while they are in the Accelerated PREP program. Articling students are entitled to medical, dental, and extended health care benefits and $300 towards health club membership fees. Summer students receive a tuition and book allowance of $6,500 in addition to their summer salaries.

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Calgary

Applications

We comply with the Law Society of Alberta rules and guidelines for the timing of interviews and offers.

2023/2024 Articles:  For 2023/24 we have a full complement of students in our Calgary office and do not anticipate hiring additional articling students.

Summer Articles: We are participating in the 2024 1L Calgary recruit for summer student positions for the summer of 2024. The deadline for applications is January 29, 2024.

Applications should include a cover letter, resume, and copies of both undergraduate and law school transcripts. Reference letters are always welcomed but not necessary. Applications should be addressed to the attention of Katie Cooke and submitted via viDesktop.

Katie Cooke
Manager, Legal Talent
Lawson Lundell LLP
Suite 1100, Brookfield Place
225 6 Ave SW
Calgary, Alberta, TP2 1N2
E-Mail: kcooke@lawsonlundell.com

We will acknowledge receipt of your application.

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