Bartlet & Richardes llp - Articling F.A.Q.
Is there an articling position available at Bartlet & Richardes LLP (“the firm”) for the 2010-2011 year ?
Yes
I want to apply to your firm – what materials should I send; who should I send them to and when should they be sent ?
An application for an articling position at our firm should include the following:
(a) a cover letter providing your current contact information and a brief background outlining your legal interests and what you hope to achieve during your articles;
(b) an up to date copy of your university transcripts – both law school and undergraduate;
(c) letters of reference are not required – but if you wish to include same you may do so.
The materials should be addressed as follows:
Bartlet & Richardes LLP
1000 – 374 Ouellette Avenue
Windsor, Ontario
N9A 1A9
If you have any questions with respect to the materials to be forwarded or the timing of same you may contact Charlene at (519) 253-7461.
I’ve applied to your firm – what should I expect next ?
Once we will receive your materials, we will forward you a letter to acknowledge receipt of same.
As part of our articling student hiring procedure we conduct interviews of potential candidates. The timing of the interviews is dictated, on an annual basis, by the Law Society of Upper Canada (further information is available on its website ( www.lsuc.on.ca).
Given the number of applications we receive each year we are unable to interview all candidates that apply. If you are selected for an interview, you will be contacted by our office to arrange a mutually convenient time for same – within the permissible interview period set by the LSUC.
Are you hiring summer students (i.e. students between first year and second year)?
At this point, we intend to hire one articling student.
Why only one student ?
It’s a quality versus quantity analysis.
No matter the number of articling students we have in any given year, our goal is to provide each one of them with an “excellent” experience.
Given the number of lawyers currently working at the firm and the nature of their respective practices, we have enough “articling student appropriate work” to provide two students with a “good” experience or one student with an “excellent” experience.
We prefer the latter approach – and can state, with confidence, that when a student completes our program, the student will have acquired a tremendous amount of quality practical legal experience as well as a proficient understanding of the “business side” of the practice of law. In short, the student will be ready to enter the world as a competent legal practitioner.
In what areas does the firm practice ?
The firm is essentially “full service” actively practicing in every area except criminal litigation.
In broad terms, members of the firm are evenly divided between corporate and commercial law and civil litigation.
Our “corporate” clientele includes several manufacturers and tier one auto parts suppliers, transportation companies, contractors, hospitals, a community college, a railway as well as individuals. The subject matter of the day to day and transactional issues that our clients face is diverse and exciting. We are very much on the cutting edge of commercial activity in Essex County.
Our litigation department is primarily insurance based (insurer side). We also engage in estate, construction, family, commercial, labour (management side) and corporate governance dispute resolution (including litigation, mediation and arbitration).
What is the philosophy underlying the firm’s articling program ?/
What type of experience does the firm’s articling program offer ?
We view the articling experience as, effectively, your fourth year of law school. It is the first sustained opportunity that most students have to apply the substantive knowledge you acquired in law school to practical use – assisting in finding legal solutions to “real world” legal problems.
Our responsibility, as a firm, is to help the student make the transformation from “law student” to “practicing lawyer”.
We assist the student in developing the fine art of practical application of legal knowledge – and the appropriate “business/management” skills relevant to the practice of law, including:
(a ) written and oral advocacy skills;
(b ) appropriate interaction and communication with clients, support staff, witnesses, the court and opposing lawyers;
(c ) appropriate file management techniques;
(d ) appropriate time recording techniques;
(e ) (review of) appropriate bookkeeping methods as required by the Law Society of Upper Canada (the student will NOT be responsible for bookkeeping functions – but will learn what is required by LSUC);
(f ) systems to ensure your practice will always comply with the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Rules of Professional Conduct.
We believe that the two primary methods through which a student “learns” are observation and participation (ie. learning by doing).
In terms of observation, the student will have the opportunity to attend at various file “events” including meetings (client, expert, witness), examinations for discoveries, mediations, motions, arbitrations, settlement/pre-trial conferences, trials, transactional closings (and preparation for such closings).
Advocacy and interaction styles are different from lawyer to lawyer. Accordingly, the student is encouraged to attend as many of these types of events with as many different lawyers as possible in order to observe different styles at work. Over the course of time, the student will develop his/her own style – but with the benefit of observing different styles the student will have the opportunity to draw on the elements of each style which she/he feels are effective.
The student will also have a tremendous opportunity to participate actively in the conduct of legal matters at the firm (all within scope of tasks which are permitted to be delegated to articling students by LSUC).
For instance, the student will be primarily responsible for the conduct of a “mini practice” composed of the firms Small Claims court files – including opening the files in accordance with the firm’s file procedure, direct communication with clients, all legal matters (from pleadings to judgment and all steps in between – including the conduct of a trial, if necessary), as well as time tracking and account preparation.
While that may sound “intimidating” to some, fear not. The student will perform all of these functions under the direct supervision of a lawyer at all times. In other words, the student does not “work without a net”. The student’s work is reviewed at each stage with constructive feedback from the supervising lawyer. By the time the finished product reaches the client, the court, or opposing counsel – it will be well polished – having been vetted internally prior to release.
Involvement in corporate and commercial matters tends to be more task and transaction specific – and lends itself to supporting the duality of learning by observation and learning by doing on that basis.
We do not expect that the student will produce “perfect results” on the “first try” in each task assigned. Such expectations would be naïve and quite unfair to the student. We do however expect the student to lend a thorough and solid effort to all tasks assigned, and that after constructive feedback is given, further efforts will be lent. The key to the success in our program is a willingness to try, and learn from one’s mistakes. Experience dictates that if a student consistently applies that standard throughout his/her articles – the student will develop the skills necessary to become effective counsel.
We operate with a very open door policy at our firm. We encourage our student’s to ask questions – no matter the issue – and each of our lawyers is generally available for questions/discussion. We “run things” by one another informally on a day to day basis – and our student(s) is (are) encouraged to do so as well.
I’ve heard “horror stories” about articling students being subjected to long hours, mundane administrative tasks, deliveries, etc. (none of those stories involve your firm, of course) – should I be worried about those types of things ?
No – you should not be worried about those types of things at our firm.
The practice of law in Essex County is typically conducive to supporting a well balanced life style between work, and family and recreational pursuits.
That observation is predicated on working hard while at work. However, each of the members of the firm recognize the importance of having interests and pursuits outside of the practice of law and more fundamentally, having the time to engage in those pursuits. We believe that our firm maintains that balance quite well.
One has to realize that as a profession – the practice of law can never truly be characterized as a nine to five job. Often a lawyer’s hours are dictated by the immediate needs of his/her clients. With appropriate planning and time management skills, however, the lawyer can accommodate a demanding practice and still have a full and rewarding avocational life. We strive to teach our students these skills.
I am often asked by prospective articling candidates “What are the expected working hours of our student”. My typical response is that like the members of our firm – the student is a professional – and as such no one will be actively monitoring when the student starts and finishes precisely each day (however showing up consistently to start the day at noon is typically frowned upon).
If the student is present for business hours, meeting deadlines for assignments, has a firm handle on active files and is making a genuine effort to learn and improve his or her skills – we will be satisfied.
We make active efforts to avoid having the student perform mundane tasks such as filing, photocopying, or as a de facto courier service. Those types of functions are not conducive to our goal of assisting the student’s transformation to a competent practicing lawyer.
As an articling student, will I be paid a salary ? If so, how much ?
Yes you will be paid a salary. The salary amount is fixed each year and is best described as the “going rate” for Essex County. The specific number will be available during the interview portion of the application process (more on that below).
Is the articling student afforded medical benefits at the firm ?
Yes our student is placed on our Greenshield coverage for the duration of their articles (particulars will be available during the interview stage of the application process).
What is your firm’s hire back ratio ?
We do not have a mechanically maintained hire back ratio (ie. one out of every three students will be hired back).
As indicated above, the primary goal of our articling program is to assist our student in making the successful transition from “law student” to “practicing lawyer”. Having said that, our articling program is also a key component of the firm’s associate recruitment strategy.
When we evaluate potential associates we consider a number of factors including the firm’s current and probable future needs, ability of the candidate and general “fit” between the firm and the candidate. Each of these criterion is more readily determinable with a “in house” articling student – whom we have had the opportunity to interact with for 10 months. Similarly, the student is able to make an informed decision with respect to whether a practice with our firm accords with his or her long term career goals.
Currently 60% of the lawyers practicing with the firm, articled with the firm.
How much feedback will I receive throughout the year ?
Short answer – as much as you want.
Long answer – generally the student will meet with the principal at the beginning of the year to review the articling plan and identify the type of work the student is interested in pursuing.
The principal will follow up with lawyers practicing in the areas in which the student is interested and encourage those lawyers to involve the student in as much file activity as possible. The student will, of course, interact with and receive assignments from all lawyers at the firm.
The student and the principal will have 2 – 3 formal progress meetings throughout the year. At those meetings, the principal will provide general feedback on the student’s progress to date from the firm’s prospective, as well as receive feedback from the student with respect to the quality and quantity of work received to date (this includes a mid term evaluation meeting).
The student and principal will meet towards the end of the student’s articles to review, from the student’s perspective, the quality of the student’s experience in the articling program.
Consistent with the “open door policy” we apply to the articling program – the principal will be available for informal meetings and discussions at the student’s request to discuss any aspect of the articling experience or any file specific matter. The student is not limited to seeking advice and direction solely from the principal. The student is free (and encouraged) to discuss articling or file specific issues with any of the lawyers at the firm. The student can expect to have seamless daily interaction with many of lawyers at the firm.
How much research will I be expected to conduct throughout the year ?
Research is a component of the articling experience at the firm. However it is not the only component.
The student will be asked to conduct some research (students are often extremely adept at legal research). The end result of research is a “legal answer”. The role of counsel is to provide the client with a “legal solution”. Undoubtedly research is a critical element of a successful legal practice – but the “art of law” extends far beyond that.
We do not believe that having a student spend the majority of his or her time in a library or online conducting research assists the student in making the transformation from law student to practicing lawyer.
Instead the majority of the student’s time should be spent learning “the practice of law” by a) observation and b) actively “working on” files – in other words, developing the skills necessary to provide clients with not only legal answers but legal solutions.
Will I have independent responsibility for files (and will I have the opportunity to go to court) ?
Yes – the firm maintains a moderate volume small claims practice. The articling student is responsible for the day to day handling of those files – from pleadings to trial (and enforcement of judgements) under the direct supervision of one or more of the firm’s lawyers.
That practice affords the student the opportunity to develop not only written and verbal advocacy skills, but the practice management and time management skills that are essential to the successful practice of law.
In addition, the student will have the opportunity to prepare for and argue simple interlocutory motions in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.