ARTICLING WITH US
The primary source for most of our future lawyers, our high-quality articling program will equip you with the tools you’ll need to become a great lawyer. We invest heavily in technology, training and development, and we are constantly striving to improve our processes to ensure our students get the very most out of their articling year and beyond. To further your individual growth, we provide you with ongoing opportunities to advance your interests and your career, and strive to offer you timely, constructive feedback through formal and informal reviews (see "Your Career Development" below).
Our articling program begins with an orientation week designed to introduce you to our office. This includes a series of seminars, introductions to our lawyers, management and staff, along with various social events. We address relevant topics such as time management, office procedures and the business of law. There’s also an orientation to our extensive legal library and a tour of the major courthouses in the city. Finally, our dedicated Research Department spends a great deal of time with you on the skills needed to be an effective writer and researcher and works closely with you on your initial research assignments.
This week is also an opportune time for you to meet other articling students, with whom you can share experiences and get acquainted. Since orientation usually coincides with Stampede Week in July, it includes numerous social functions where you can meet members of the firm in a more casual environment. At FMC Calgary, we believe our students are more effective when working as a group than as a number of individuals and we work hard to foster that sense of camaraderie from day one.
The initial orientation program is supplemented with seminars throughout your articling year that deal with issues of particular interest to new lawyers: chambers applications, drafting pleadings, wills and estates, real estate transactions, the basics of corporate and securities transactions, labour and employment law, and general practice tips. Our FMC University Program as well as other components of our Professional Development commitment are described in greater detail under "Your Career Development".
HOW OUR ROTATION PROGRAM WORKS
At FMC, we believe that your articling year represents the best opportunity for you to gain valuable exposure to a wide variety of practice disciplines.
While articling in our office, you will work in two distinct rotations, designed to maximize your experience with us and also reflecting the world that awaits you upon the successful completion of your articling year, described in greater detail under "Barristers and Solicitors Pool System":
- Barristers Rotation
- Solicitors Rotation
The rotation program consists of approximately six months in each of the two core areas. You’ll work closely with lawyers in each group, performing legal research, interviewing witnesses, meeting with clients, drafting documents, assisting with corporate transactions, and otherwise gaining experience by liaising with members of the firm. We also encourage you to meet with clients from the outset and to gain practical, first-hand experience working on their files. We do not patronize our students. We treat you as a valuable member of the team from day one.
While eventually each of our lawyers will focus on specific areas it is extremely important that you acquire a basic understanding and appreciation of other areas of law as well.
THE TWO PRINCIPAL APPROACH
To support you during your articling year, we will offer you as mentors both a principal, usually a more senior partner with the firm, and a co-principal, who is typically a junior partner or senior associate. Together, they ensure that you are exposed to as many aspects of the practice of law as possible and that you receive formal and informal evaluations on your progress and development from the lawyers with whom you have worked. Typically, one of the principals is a solicitor and the other a barrister. If you have an interest in a particular area of practice, we will try to provide you with a principal who practises in that area.
Additionally, other senior members – including nationally recognized leaders in their areas of practice – participate actively as informal mentors. Our Director of Professional Development and Recruitment is also available to address your concerns and needs throughout the year.
OUR HIREBACK POLICY
At FMC, we make it our practice to only take on as many summer students as we can realistically hire back for articles and as many articling students as we can take on as associates. Unlike some firms in Calgary who hire upwards of 20 students, we hire fewer than we probably need (between 8 and 10 per year). This ensures you receive high quality work under close supervision and do not feel the added pressure of a "numbers game."
Historically, over 90% of our articling students in Calgary have been invited back as first-year associates and have progressed in their careers with the firm. Approximately 50% of the lawyers in our office articled with FMC.