Student Program: Toronto

Work Allocation

A group of designated lawyers will be responsible for your work allocation and will monitor the type and number of matters in which you are involved. The lawyers will call the workload coordinators to ask them for the name of a student who has capacity to take on work. The lawyers will then call the student directly to assign the work. We will ask you before the summer starts to let us know if you are interested in any particular area(s) of practice, and the workload coordinators will take these interests into account when they are assigning work. You will have weekly group meetings with the workload coordinators at which you can discuss your work and your interests, as well as get a sense of what is happening at the firm generally. We also have an online workload system that allows you to update your status on an ongoing basis and that provides the coordinators with an up-to-the-minute sense of the students’ capacity.

The workload allocation system for articling students is very similar. In addition to the four workload coordinators who attend the weekly meetings and monitor student workload, each practice has a representative to whom lawyers in that practice can go to find students available to assist them. The practice representative will also be responsible for ensuring students with interest in that practice are integrated into the group, and invited to practice group meetings and events.

Although this formal workload allocation system is in place to ensure that each student receives a well-rounded and diverse experience, we encourage you to approach lawyers with whom you are interested in working. Similarly, once a lawyer gets to know you, he or she will also approach you directly for assistance, rather than going through the workload coordinators.