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Questions
from Students
> How many lawyers do you have at the firm?
We have approximately 55 in
Edmonton, 35 in Calgary and 1in Yellowknife.
> How many students do you generally hire?
Firm-wide we typically hire
between 6 and 8 articling students and 3 to 4 summer
students in total for all three offices. These numbers
vary depending on the suitability of candidates, changes
in the anticipated needs within our individual offices,
special articling arrangements between our firm and
clients with in-house positions (arranged from time
to time), and the hiring of students who split their
articles between our firm and court clerkships.
> How does your articling program work?
We have a rotation system that
is designed with a view to exposing our articling
students to a broad range of work and clients and
enhancing their learning experience. Our structured
articling program provides the students with opportunities
to learn, proper supervision, mentoring, flexibility,
diversity and real opportunities to learn.
> Do you offer associate positions to many of
your students?
We offer permanent jobs to the
majority, if not all, of the articling
students in any given year. We hire our students in
the hope that they will become associates and partners
in our firm, and because the firm's practice is always
changing and expanding, this translates into high
retention rates for students.
> What kind of firm resources will be available
to me?
Our students have access to
the best legal resources available. We have excellent
libraries and electronic on-line resources, including
a
comprehensive database of research memos. Our Edmonton
and Calgary offices have a librarian on staff to assist
our lawyers and students with research questions and
other issues. Of course, all students are provided
with an assistant. However, the most important resources
available to students at Field LLP are the lawyers
who work here. We have an "open-door" policy
in our firm, and encourage our students to ask questions
of our practitioners.
> How many women practise at your firm?
Our firm includes many women
as partners, associates and students. The first woman
to practise at our firm articled in 1943-1944. Women
comprise approximately one third of the partnership
and approximately half of our associates.
> What will my billable hours expectation be?
Our firm does not have billable
hour targets for our articling students.
We are more concerned with the effort exhibited by
the student, the quality of the work that is being
produced, and the education that is being received.
For associates, the billable hour target is 1500 hours
per year.
> What is your view on students clerking at
the courts?
We support students who are
invited to clerk at the courts, and believe this to
be an invaluable experience. Several of our current
students, associates, and partners have served clerkships.
Our articling program accommodates both the early
admission to the Bar of court students as well as
a complete articling experience.
> What is the time commitment expected of students?
Our firm sees no advantage to
placing unreasonable work loads on our students such
that they are not able to lead a balanced life. We
encourage all members of our firm to maintain a lifestyle
away from the office. We accommodate part-time and
special arrangements to meet the family and personal
concerns of our lawyers and staff.
> What does the firm expect while I'm at CPLED?
Since it was instituted in place
of the Bar Admission Course, the CPLED (Canadian Centre
for Professional Legal Education) program has consisted
of classroom components and correspondence components.
While attending a classroom component of the CPLED,
we do not expect the student to be working on firm
projects. Correspondence components of the CPLED are
to be completed while the student continues working
on firm projects. While you are at the CPLED, the
firm pays you your regular salary as well as the course
fees.
> What feedback is provided during articles?
Feedback is provided to our students at four levels
- the lawyer
supervising the file, the principal responsible for
the student, the
Students Committee responsible for the articling program,
and the partners and associates through a more formal
process.
> How will I be evaluated?
Student evaluations are based
upon an assessment of a variety of
attributes - quality of legal work, integrity, people
skills, analytical and organizational abilities, work
ethic, and co-operative effort.
> What benefits will I receive?
You will receive extended health
and dental care, disability insurance, life insurance,
and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
Our firm also has a maternity, parental leave and
adoption leave policy.
> How do I apply for a summer student position?
Resumes should be submitted
by January 14, 2008 to the Student Committee for the
Summer of 2008. We expect to hire one summer student
for our Calgary office and two for our Edmonton office.
Covering letters should indicate whether the application
is for Calgary or Edmonton.
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