How to Apply
All recruitment occurs in accordance with the guidelines set by the Law Society of Ontario.
All applications should be submitted online through the viRecruit Portal. You may access the portal via our website. All applications should be addressed to Christopher McKenna, Director, Junior Associate & Student Programs.
Our students have prepared My Future in Law: Student Recruitment Guide, a guide to the application and interview process. We invite you to review the guide as it may answer many of your questions.
Applications for summer positions should include:
- Cover Letter
- Resumé
- Undergraduate transcript (photocopy of original transcript)
- Law School transcript (official or unofficial transcript, official if available due to the pandemic)
- Post-graduate transcript, if applicable (photocopy of original transcript)
- List of upper year courses
- Reference letters (optional)
- Please do not include a reference list or writing sample.
We will acknowledge receipt of your application by email. For 2L summer applicants, if we are conducting virtual on-campus interviews at your school, we will follow the procedures set out by your Career Development Office to advise if we will be able to meet with you for a virtual interview. We will also advise you by email shortly after your on-campus interview whether we will be contacting you on "Call Day" to schedule an in-firm interview.
We will not be hosting a virtual open house this summer, but we encourage you to contact any of our current summer or articling students, or the Director or Student Coordinator with your questions.
Work Assignment/Rotation System
We believe that the summer is a time for you to experience as much or as little of a practice area as you desire. As a summer student, you are free to work deeply in an area of your choosing or accept work from multiple areas.
During articles, we employ a rotation system. During this time, you will spend your articles working in areas such as mergers and acquisitions, securities, banking, structured finance, real estate, mining, tax, environmental, competition, customs/international trade, technology, corporate commercial litigation, securities litigation, employment, fraud, class actions, IP and bankruptcy and insolvency. While we believe an exposure to business and advocacy are fundamental to your early learning as a lawyer, we understand that student interests, needs and learning objectives vary year-to-year. As a result, we reassess the composition of each rotation annually to ensure students are getting the best opportunity to maximize their exposure to areas of interest.
In addition to articling rotations, we have and continue to offer secondments with regulators and clients to enhance the student learning experience.
Mentoring System
Each summer student is assigned a mentor who is an associate. The role of the mentor is to act as your host, introduce you to the firm and to assist with your workflow and work assignments. The mentor/mentee are placed into a pod with the other mentors/mentees to enhance student connectedness and create greater exposure for the student to other lawyers and students at the firm. While mentoring remains a 1:1 relationship, the pod structure enhances and supports a greater mentorship experience.
Each articling student is assigned to a similar pod mentorship structure as well as a principal (a partner) whose job is to help you continue to integrate into the firm.
Both the Director and Coordinator work closely with you when selecting your mentor to ensure you receive your desired assistance and guidance.
Professional Development
Through our own Bennett Jones Academy, we offer a series of in-house, in-person and virtual seminars and programs to supplement the summer and articling experience. This begins with an in-depth orientation and continues with regular programs designed to build your substantive and practice management skills and provide you with introductions to specific practice areas. We also encourage our students to attend Bennett Jones Academy sessions designed for associates.
Feedback
We recognize that feedback is essential to your development. Our students receive regular informal feedback from assigning lawyers, principals and mentors. The Director also organizes two (2) reviews during the summer and four (4) reviews during articling.
Social Events
Our students are encouraged to take part in social events while at the firm. Our events focus on our commitment to the community and building lasting relationships amongst the students and lawyers. Past events have included lawyer dinners, Blue Jays games, Niagara bicycle tour, and Lawyers Feed the Hungry.
Salary & Benefits
Our summer and articling salary in Toronto is $1,900/week. We also offer paid LSO bar exams study day and a tuition bonus (if the student returns to article).
During articles, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including extended health care, vision, dental, employee assistance plan, short and long-term disability and a fitness subsidy. We also pay all LSO articling fees during the licensing process.
Start Dates
Summer Program
Our summer program usually runs from early May to mid-August.
Articling Program
Our articling program usually runs from early August to mid-May.
Bennett Jones