Labour & Employment Assignment

Labour & Employment Assignment

I used a portion of my time this summer to explore the work available in the Labour & Employment Group. I had not taken a course in either employment or labour law at school, but the partner worked for was very encouraging. One of the assignments I completed for him involved a tax issue, which catered nicely to my tax interest and highlighted the reality that legal issues often cut across courses and practice groups.

To my surprise, the advice he provided to the client ended up being substantially based on my research. McCarthy Tétrault provides its students with top-tier research tools and assistance, which means that you have all the support at your disposal to ensure you can produce high quality legal work. Consequently, lawyers entrust students with important legal work and have confidence in the finished product.

Faizel Gulamhussein, Summer Student 2010, Vancouver

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to article at both the Toronto and Montréal offices of McCarthy Tétrault. I was recruited as a summer student into the Toronto office. After graduating from law school with both civil law and common law degrees, I completed the École du Barreau du Québec and the Barrister and Solicitor Exams of the Law Society of Upper Canada. I then completed five months of articles at the Toronto office followed by five months of articles at the Montréal office in order to be called to the Bar in both Ontario and Québec.

Each articling experience was uniquely valuable. There was a great sense of camaraderie in my articling class of 28 students in Toronto, and it was wonderful to have such an immediate, large social network at work. My cohort of four articling students in Montréal was tight-knit, and experiencing articling in a small group led to its own special type of camaraderie. Having worked at two offices of McCarthy Tétrault has given me a broad network of professional contacts, and I expect that this will be useful to the firm and to me as my career progresses.

While each office has a unique culture, both produce excellent work and are staffed by lawyers I respect and am very proud to work with. I ultimately realized that the firm's Montréal office provides unparalleled opportunities for students with backgrounds in both civil and common law. While a lawyer working in Ontario will almost never look to Québec law in conducting legal research or crafting arguments, Québec lawyers must continually look beyond their jurisdiction in the course of their practice. The Montréal office is a vibrant multi-lingual work environment, and I have come to find the special challenge that is bilingual practice to be deeply rewarding.

I recommend that students who are interested in being called to both the Ontario and Québec bars take advantage of an opportunity to article in both jurisdictions as opposed to securing their second call to the bar through an inter-jurisdictional transfer. The experience of working in both jurisdictions was challenging and enriching, and provided me with a means of making an informed decision regarding the right place for me to begin my career.

Claire Ezzedin, Associate Montréal ( Articling Student 2008-2009, Toronto and Montréal)