It was William Shakespeare who advised that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Unfortunately, this age-old wisdom does not seem to apply to a law degree. In the United States and many other countries, law graduates get a JD, but in Canada, it’s called an LLB. It’s the same thing, except for one problem — in some circles, an LLB has a slightly sour stench.

Law Student, F, 25, seeks high-interest summer position with Canadian law firm (remuneration a bonus). This smart, enthusiastic, in-debt law school student prefers law-related experiences, such as a trials or arbitrations, but is equally at home filing and researching. Seeking Big Law companion to settle down with forever (or at least through until articling).

Canadian Lawyer 4Students goes right to the top and seeks some words of wisdom from law school deans around the country. We asked these academic leaders for their thoughts on the following important matters of the day:

1. In your opinion, what makes a great law professor?
2. What advice would you give to students who are looking for their first summer position?
3. When you were a student, what was your favourite law school class?
4. Where do you love to go around  town for a quick and easy bite?
5. How do you deal with stress?

Providing articling students with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the court, judicial clerkships are proving to be a popular option not only for aspiring litigators, but for future academics and solicitors as well.

Navy Lt.-Cmdr. Gina Connor, 41, sits with Obidullah Sediqi, the chief prosecutor for the Kandahar High Courts in Afghanistan

Where else can you practise law and get the thrill of being shot at? Consider a career as a military lawyer with the Canadian Forces.

Three years ago Andrew Kirk walked through the doors of the Weldon Law Building at Dalhousie University. “It was,” he says, “like a homecoming. Being in the school felt right.”

Remember, back in public school when you came back from holidays everyone always got to tell the whole class about what they did last summer. Well here at Canadian Lawyer 4Students, we’d like to carry on that tradition, just for the bigger kids. So last fall, we launched our first ever “Tell us what you did last summer” survey. 

Practising criminal law, practising in Vancouver, practising IP law, practising solo.

Law school can be quite stressful, for most people anyway. But there are few things about the experience that can make your heart palpitate and your palms sweat like the on-campus interview process. It all starts off with the whole ordeal of applying for and waiting to hear if you’ve even managed to get interviews with any of the firms that will be on campus to interview potential summer students. Once that hurdle has been completed, there’s the actual interviews to wrap your head around, and then the quick-and-dirty interviews with their short window of opportunity to make your mark once you’re in front of a recruiter. Whew!

Canadian Lawyer 4Students goes right to the top of the class to get some tricks, tips, and all-round words of wisdom from the students who worked their way to the prize for best student at their law school for 2006-2007.