Recruiting Future Partners

We are an internationally recognized full-service Canadian law firm focused on principles of professional excellence, integrity, respect and independent thought. We are leaders in the fields of corporate and commercial, litigation, energy, bankruptcy and restructuring, IP, technology, banking and finance, tax, international trade, employment and competition law.

We take student recruitment very seriously. When we recruit, we are hiring our future partners and leaders. As a result, we design our student program to provide the best legal training and hands-on experience.

Ranked for the 22nd consecutive year as one of the best places to work in Canada.

Canada's Top Employers for Young People 2022

Recognized for the 10th consecutive year as a Top Employer for Young People.

Alberta's Top Employer 2022

Recognized for the 13th consecutive year.

While our My Future in Law: Student Recruitment Guide remains a helpful resource, it does not address virtual recruitment or how students can best prepare for that process. Because we all hope for an eventual return to in-person interviewing, rather than rewrite the Guide, we scoured the internet and decided to prepare this addendum with some additional tips to help students with remote interviewing. We hope you enjoy.

Read our Virtual Interviewing Tips.

 

Calgary

Initially, our reputation in Alberta was built upon our work in the oil industry. While this work is still prominent in our Calgary office, students can also expect to work in bankruptcy, competition, securities, M&A, commodity tax, customs/trade, corporate tax, public infrastructure projects, energy, financial services, IT, IP, litigation, environmental, fraud and commercial real estate. Calgary remains our largest office with over 190 lawyers and business advisors.

Key Contacts:

 

Toronto

Our Toronto office is recognized for both its leadership position in high-end transactional work and for its rapid rate of growth since 2000. Today we have over 160 lawyers and business advisors. Our students can expect to work in bankruptcy, climate change, competition, M&A, commodity tax, international trade, corporate tax, public infrastructure projects, energy, mining, financial services, IT, IP, litigation, environmental, fraud and real estate.

 

Edmonton

With 40 lawyers and business advisors, our Edmonton office offers the best of both worlds. As a smaller office, it provides you with the entrepreneurial and creative experience of a boutique while still giving you access to the work and resources of a major national firm.

Key Contacts:

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What sets Bennett Jones apart?
  • Students assume a great deal of responsibility on files and can expect to interact directly with lawyers, clients, draft documents, attend court and generally be an active and productive member of the team from day one.
  • We have a robust continuing legal education program through Bennett Jones Academy.
  • We are a great place to work. We have been ranked as one of the best places to work in Canada for 20 consecutive years. We were also recognized for the 10th consecutive year as a Top Employer for Young People in 2022.
What do you look for in a candidate?

We aim to recruit our future partners and look for individuals who possess the following attributes:

  • strong analytical skills
  • good judgment
  • excellent oral and written communication skills (including attention to detail)
  • a strong academic record and motivation to learn
  • a genuine interest in business and a passion for the law
  • varied outside interests and life experiences
What is the best way to apply to the firm?

We encourage you to apply through the viRecruit Portal.

Do you recruit first year summer students?

We hire first and second year law students in our Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto offices. We hire only second year law students in our Vancouver office. Presently we do not have a student program in our Ottawa office.

Will I have a life outside the office?

Yes. We strongly believe that a good lawyer leads a balanced life. Family, personal commitments and recreation are important. However, law is not a "9 to 5" job and there are times where the team is required to work late hours to meet a deadline.

What will my target hours be?

We do not have targeted billable hours for students. While you can expect to work hard, our focus is on the quality of your efforts and ensuring that you are receiving the best educational experience possible, not the number of assignments nor the length of time you take to complete them.

Do you have a rotation system?

All of our offices offer a rotation system during articles. For summer students, our program is less structured and you can expect to work on assignments from different departments.

Do students receive secretarial support?

Yes, students have dedicated secretarial support during the summer and during articling. In addition, the other resources of the firm such as document processing, document production and librarian and research support are also available to students.

How is work allocated?

Summer and articling students receive work directly from lawyers in their assigned practice groups. To make the most of the summer and articling experience, we also encourage students to seek out work in the practice areas in which they have a particular interest. We do not utilize a 'gate keeper' system in which the Director distributes work to students. We think that students benefit from interacting directly with lawyers and develop essential practice management skills by having to manage their own workload. That being said, the respective Student Director and Student Coordinators in each office do monitor each student's workload to ensure equal distribution of work and variety of experience.