Canadian Lawyer 4Students goes right to the top and seeks some words of wisdom from senior in-house counsel around the country.

 

It’s 10 a.m. on a Saturday in January and University of British Columbia law student Jaime Sarophim is a bit nervous. Her mediation professor just asked the class to use their bodies to express how they felt in a moment of conflict. It’s early in the term and Sarophim doesn’t know many of her classmates well yet, but she’s a little tired of listening to professors lecture. She’s ready for a new style of learning. She stands up, holds her arms out in front of her, then crosses them blocking her face. It’s a protective stance.

Whether consciously or not, from the moment you start law school, getting a job — summer jobs, articling, associate positions — borders on an obsession. Everyone worries about it, even top students like Michael Rosenberg who is profiled in this issue and will be clerking for Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. The wretched state of the economy doesn’t help either.

Summer and articling students across the country can't help but worry as the economic storm pounds the legal landscape.

As part of a Canadian Lawyer 4Students’ annual tradition, we’ve once again gone out to law students to get their take on summer work-term experiences at firms across the country.

Law and politics are intimately intertwined. Canadian Lawyer 4Students went to four leading political figures to get their take on how law students with political aspirations should position themselves. We asked the following questions:

Daniel Ages

A decade ago, Lady Luck smiled on Daniel Ages.

Chad Skinner

The life of a typical Bay Street articling student isn’t an exciting prospect for everyone. Imagine this instead: After waking up, you head down to the local airstrip, where you’re joined by the rest of the court party — including the judge who will be presiding over your case later in the day.