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Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - Vancouver, British Columbia
Recruitment & Hiring
| 1st Yr. Summer | 2nd Yr. Summer | Articling Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you hire: | No | Yes | Occasionally |
| How many did you/will you hire for: | |||
| 2021 | |||
| 2022 | |||
| 2023 | 0 | 22 | 20 |
| 2024 | |||
| 2025 | |||
| Rotation | |||
| Split/Secondment | |||
|
First Year Summer Students |
|
|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR SUMMER STUDENTS:Do you recruit first year summer students? | No |
| When is the application deadline for first year summer students? | NA |
| When is the interviewing period? | NA |
| Do you participate in on-campus interview (OCI) programs to fill such positions? | No |
| Description of first year summer program: | NA |
| Comments | NA |
| How many weeks is the first year summer program? | N/A |
|
Second Year Summer Students |
|
|---|---|
| SECOND YEAR SUMMER STUDENTS:Do you recruit second year summer students? | Yes |
| When is the application deadline for second year summer students? | As governed by the Vancouver Bar Association (typically early September) |
| When is the interviewing period? | Our recruitment dates are set in accordance with the VBA guidelines (typically mid-October) |
| Do you participate in on-campus interview (OCI) programs to fill such positions? | Yes |
| Description of the second year summer program |
The Vancouver office is currently hiring only second-year summer articled students. When commencing summer articles at Blakes, students attend a series of orientation and training sessions that introduce them to the Firm and its resources and ensure the students are well integrated into the Firm.
We seek input from our summer articled students regarding areas of particular interest and encourage them to seek out work in any and all practice groups throughout the Firm. This allows them to have a rich and well-rounded summer-student experience. Summer articled students are provided with a mentoring team that aligns with the students’ areas of interest. Mentors are actively involved in training students and ensuring they receive interesting and varied work assignments. Blakes has a long tradition of providing a strong foundation for legal careers through top-notch mentoring. Our lawyers have benefited from the introduction and wise counsel of more senior members of the Firm, and the Firm benefits further when those lessons are passed onto our summer articled students. Throughout the summer, students have the chance to participate in a range of social activities and gatherings that are a great way to get to know the lawyers and other students at the Firm. At the end of the summer, the students receive an evaluation to help them develop their skills as lawyers in training. |
| Comments |
At Blakes we recognize that you are more than your application package. We make a significant effort to get to know students personally and host a variety of student-based events throughout the year.
Students who interview with Blakes will meet with lawyers from our Student Committee and will be paired with a junior lawyer who will act as their “tour guide” and will accompany them through the interview process. The Vancouver office’s student program has built a reputation for providing students with a rewarding and educational experience by offering students: • The opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge by working with lawyers who are at the top of their game • A chance to participate in a leading professional development program • A non-competitive environment in which students may form lasting friendships with a large group of law students For more information about our student programs, please visit www.joinblakes.com or view our profile on the NALP Canadian Directory of Legal Employers at www.nalpcanada.com. To learn more about Blakes, please visit www.blakes.com. |
| How many weeks is the second year summer program? | 12 weeks |
|
OCIs |
|
|---|---|
| Will you be participating in OCIs this year? | Yes |
| Schools: | Dalhousie University, Dalhousie Law|McGill University, Faculty of Law|Lakehead University|Osgoode Hall Law School, York University|Queen's University, Faculty of Law|Thompson Rivers University|University of Alberta, Faculty of Law|University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law|University of Calgary, Faculty of Law|University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law|University of New Brunswick, Faculty of Law|University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section|University of Saskatchewan, College of Law|University of Toronto, Faculty of Law|University of Victoria, Faculty of Law|University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law|University of Windsor, Faculty of Law|Ryerson University, Lincoln Alexander School of Law |
|
Other Campus Recruiting |
|
|---|---|
| We will be recruiting students from the following law schools (outside of the OCI process) | |
| Comments | N/A |
| 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of 1st Year Summer Students | NA | NA |
| No. of 1st Year Summer Students Offered Articling Positions (region dependent) | NA | NA |
| No. of 2nd Year Summer Students | 20 | 22 |
| No. of 2nd Year Summer Students Offered Articling Positions | 20 | TBD |
| Quebec: Number of future articling students working as a 2nd year summer student | NA | NA |
| Atlantic: No. of articling students hired during 2nd year January recruitment | N/A | NA |
| No. of additional articling students hired (in some regions, in addition to students hired through the summer process) | 5 | TBD |
|
Articling Students |
|
|---|---|
| When do you hire articling students? | Our recruitment dates are set in accordance with the VBA guidelines (typically in August). |
| Do you still have any articling positions open for this year (starting 2023)? | No |
| Do you anticipate having articling positions open for next year (starting in 2024) for external candidates outside of your current student hires (if any)? | No |
| If so, how many positions do you anticipate having for external candidates? | |
| Do you allow students to work during the licensing process in your jurisdiction? | Case-by-Case |
| Description of articling program |
At Blakes, we try to ensure that students receive well-rounded articles by getting experience in different areas of law. We have a rotation program for our articled students which ensures that our students obtain broad exposure to the principal areas of our practice under the individual guidance and supervision of experienced lawyers in each of these areas.
Mentoring: Our program differs from others in that, in addition to their principal, at each stage of a student’s rotation, they are under the supervision of two to three mentors from different practice groups and levels of seniority. The mentoring team ensures that the student receives a variety of work and helps to train the articled student. As a result, we integrate our articled students into our day-to-day practice. Professional Development: When articled students start at Blakes, they receive a series of orientation sessions. We also provide in-house training seminars to supplement our rotation program. The seminars cover topics ranging from the development of basic practice skills to introductions to specific practice areas. Our librarian is available on an ongoing basis to assist students and associates with legal research and writing and issues of substantive law. We are strongly committed to the principle that our students and lawyers keep current in their practice and that, as a firm, we stay on the cutting edge of new areas of law. Our lawyers and students are encouraged to participate in conferences and seminars, as speakers and as attendees. Conferences sponsored by professional bodies and industry are supplemented with our Firm, student and office-wide seminars. First-year associates participate in a week-long national training program that allows them to meet their colleagues in other offices, while developing key practice skills. Further, mid-level associates participate in a national training program to teach skills that focus on practice development. Social Events: Throughout the articling year, students have the chance to participate in a range of social activities and gatherings that are a great way to get to know the lawyers and other students at the Firm. The “Nuts and Bolts” of Articling: We have two fixed start dates for our articled students: either August (with PLTC taken in May or February) or November/December (with PLTC taken in September). The Law Society of British Columbia requires students to complete an articling term (a nine-month period) and successfully complete the Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC). Feedback and Evaluation: Our lawyers give students regular, ongoing feedback on their performance on an informal basis. Articled students will be formally evaluated twice during their articling year. These evaluations provide useful and constructive information for the students and afford articled students a forum to express their views on the Firm, the opportunities given to them and the direction they would like to see for the balance of their articling year. |
| Comments |
At Blakes we recognize that you are more than your application package. We make a significant effort to get to know students personally and host a variety of student-based events throughout the year.
Students who interview with Blakes will meet with lawyers from our Student Committee and will be paired with a junior lawyer who will act as their “tour guide” and will accompany them through the interview process. The Vancouver office’s student program has built a reputation for providing students with a rewarding and educational experience by offering students: • The opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge by working with lawyers who are at the top of their game • A chance to participate in a leading professional development program • A non-competitive environment in which students may form lasting friendships with a large group of law students For more information about our student programs, please visit www.joinblakes.com or view our profile on the NALP Canadian Directory of Legal Employers at www.nalpcanada.com. To learn more about Blakes, please visit www.blakes.com. |
| Do you offer internships? | No |
|---|
|
Summer/Articling |
|
|---|---|
| Do you accept applications for summer/articling positions from foreign trained students/lawyers? | Yes |
| If yes, do applicants need to have an Assessment Report from the National Committee on Accreditation (in Québec, an attestation from le Barreau du Québec) before applying? | Yes |
| Comments | |
|
Required Application Materials |
|
|---|---|
| Required Application Materials |
Resume cover letter post secondary transcripts law school transcripts |
| Comments | NA |
|
Preferred Method of Application |
|
|---|---|
| Preferred Method of Application | viDesktop Portal |
| Comments | NA |
| 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| How many articling students did you offer a first year lawyer position? | 19 | TBD |
| How many articling students in your articling program were seeking a position? | 19 | TBD |
| How many additional first year associates did you hire outside of your articling student program? | 0 | TBD |
| How many of the additional students clerked? | 0 | 0 |
