The articling program is designed to maximize student exposure to all aspects of the practice of law and our law firm.
It will provide you with the opportunity to experience our practice first-hand by working on transaction and advocacy documents, conducting research, attending client meetings, strategy sessions, hearings and trials. You will be encouraged to work independently on some matters, all the while having support and guidance.
Our informal approach enables you to work with many lawyers in each area of practice. At McCarthy Tétrault, there is a spirit of co-operation and mutual respect that promotes teamwork and encourages us to work together and develop important working relationships, within the Toronto office and within the firm. The Director, Professional Resources and the mentors work closely with our students to monitor workload and to ensure that students are getting a wide variety of work experience in each of their rotations.
In Toronto, our rotation system is designed to be flexible and offers a variety of choices. Each student typically rotates through Business Law and Litigation and has the option to choose one to two additional areas of practice as rotations. Students are also given the opportunity to participate in external rotations with significant clients. In each rotation, you will work on a wide variety of files and projects, and get exposure to a diverse range of expertise and styles.
All students will be assigned at least one mentor in each rotation. Our mentors are experienced lawyers who will provide general assistance, support and guidance throughout the articling period. They are responsible for assisting students in managing their workload, and for ensuring that students receive interesting and challenging work, as well as a balanced articling experience. Each student is also assigned a principal lawyer to oversee their progress and to provide assistance with their professional responsibility and practice obligations.