Overview
It's not all about research.
McCague Borlack LLP's student program is one of litigation immersion where students will gain an enviable background in advocacy litigation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
At some firms, students are expected to do little more than research, while the lawyers handle the more interesting work. We believe that students learn best by doing, therefore, our program provides our students with practical, hands-on experience, seeing files from start to finish. Students are entrusted with a great deal of responsibility early on and supplied with all the support they need.
Our students are exposed to all facets of the litigation process, from the initial client meeting to attendance at trials and appeals. They regularly accompany lawyers to discoveries, mediations, arbitrations, pre-trials, and trials. Students handle a variety of assignments including conducting legal research, drafting pleadings and factums, preparing motion records, and attending court on opposed and unopposed motions.
Read Our Students' Blog to get a feel for "A Day in the Life" at MB.
Client Contact
Training includes developing relationships.
McCague Borlack LLP's students are encouraged to develop relationships from early on with lawyers of all levels of experience, and directly with our clients.
During a student's exposure to the litigation process, they will attend initial client meetings, discoveries, as well as trials and appeals.
Students are rewarded for their hard work and skills and may be given motions and carriage of Small Claims Court matters, up to and including trial, to handle independently.
Development
Every day is a PD day.
Upon arrival, McCague Borlack's students participate in a multi-day comprehensive orientation, including computer skills training, introduction to the firm's basic policies and procedures, and a series of seminars on various substantive and practice matters including legal research, docketing, file and practice management; and motions.
Our program is designed to provide students with the tools they will need during their time with us and throughout their legal careers.
Students are encouraged to attend all in-house continuing legal education seminars, conferences and practice group meetings to build their knowledge base.
Mentoring
MB's has an open door policy.
Lawyers assign work directly to our students and this work is monitored by the Student Committee to ensure each student's work experience covers a wide range of legal issues and practice areas.
Informal - Informal feedback on the student's work is provided directly from the assigning lawyer as assignments are completed wherein the student can ask for any further comments at that time.
Formal - Articling students have two formal evaluations during their time with the firm. Summer students receive a formal evaluation mid-summer. For these formal evaluations, the Student Committee canvasses all lawyers for written feedback on any of the students they worked with.
Resources - Further to all evals, students are always encouraged to ask questions and seek guidance from any lawyers in the firm. Additionally Ashley Faust, Associate Lawyer and Director of Student Program and Audit, is a dedicated resource who is available to all students and provides firm integration assistance, advice and guidance and takes an active role in student professional development.
Hire Back
Students are the firm's future.
McCague Borlack has one of the highest hire-back rates in the profession. Many of our associate lawyers started with our firm as summer or articling students.
While some firms base their willingness to hire on the volume of files available, that's not how we work. If someone has talent and drive, we'll hire them—and then find the work for them to do!
We pay our students (and those returning as associates) a competitive salary comparable to those paid by large metropolitan firms. We also offer our articling students a dental, health and life insurance plan, and a paid vacation.
How to Apply?
MB has one of the highest hire-back rates.
MB participates in the Toronto on-campus interview (OCI) process for summer student recruitment. We then hire our articling students from our pool of summer students.
Social Life
Social events are an important aspect of MB life.
A big part of success in law comes through informal interaction. After-work drinks, special lunches, firm breakfasts, and evening events, are all part of our "Right Balance" philosophy—working hard while engendering a sense of community and enjoyment in our careers.
Students are invited to participate in all aspects of firm life, including, attending all firm activities and client events.
Here's a sampling of some past events: