TLA offers a ‘head start’ for licensing and articling candidates

By Paul Russell, LegalMatters Staff • Those starting a career in law will benefit from the Licensing and Articling Candidates Head Start Program offered by the Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA), says executive director/library director Joan Rataic-Lang. 

“When you are articling, you have to make yourself invaluable to the firm,” says Rataic-Lang. “Hearing how others have done that and what firms are looking for will help articling and licensing candidates understand what the expectations will be when they start, and how they should be approaching the work environment.”

This is the 10th year the TLA has offered this program, usually held in-person for four hours. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she says this year’s program will be entirely virtual and held from noon to 1 p.m. for three consecutive Fridays, starting Sept. 25.

“Running the program on Zoom presents its own challenges, but we are excited to see how it goes,” Rataic-Lang tells LegalMattersCanada.ca.

 Lawyers telling it like it is

The first session, Lawyers Telling It Like It Is: What, How and Why, is designed to give participants insight into what firms expect from licensing and articling candidates, she says. The speakers will be Mary Paterson, partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, and Jennifer Arduini, an associate at Dutton Brock.

“They will talk about what you can do to make yourself indispensable,” says Rataic-Lang, with topics including communication, collaboration, managing expectations, work habits, and networking.

“Large firms such as Osler and medium-sized firms such as Dutton Brock have programs in place to orient their articling students, so these two speakers will bring some of that knowledge to this seminar,” she says. “That is especially important for anyone articling at small or solo practices, where they will not be given that guidance.”

Rataic-Lang says candidates will learn how to cope if they are given too much work or what to do if they make a mistake.

“You can learn all this yourself by trial and error, but by taking part in this program, articling students will get a helpful heads up,” she says.

How to deport yourself in public is another area that will be discussed, Rataic-Lang says. 

“In a small firm, no one will say, ‘You shouldn’t sit in the food court and talk about a case you are working on.’ That may seem like common sense, but it happens all the time,” she says.

LawPRO information

The second session on Sept. 30, will focus on LawPRO, which provides primary errors and omissions insurance coverage for Ontario lawyers. It will be led by Ray Leclair, vice-president of public affairs at LawPRO.

“After they finish their articling, candidates will be paying LawPRO fees, so it benefits them to have good management practices instilled early in their career,” Rataic-Lang says.

Effective legal research is the focus of the third session on Oct. 9, led by Rataic-Lang and Linda Zardo, a reference librarian at the TLA. Together they will give tips on the best sources of free research and how to do that work efficiently and exhaustively. 

“I know that nobody wants to do research, but it is really an invaluable skill for lawyers to have, especially at small firms that don’t have their own research staff,” says Rataic-Lang.

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She explains the fundamentals of legal research really haven’t varied in 30 years.

“Sure, the technology has changed, but the intellectual process hasn’t,” says Rataic-Lang. “Thirty years ago we just had books, whereas now a lot of information is available online, but the way to efficiently and effectively approach legal research has not changed at all.”

Each of the three sessions will be recorded, she says, allowing candidates unable to attend to view them on their own time.

Masters’ motions and financial advice

The TLA offers other programs to assist those at the start of their careers, including a Masters’ Motions for Licensing Candidates and Recent Calls workshop on Oct. 6 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., led by two Ontario Superior Court of Justice Masters.

“How to make Masters’ motions is something not covered in many firms,” says Rataic-Lang. “Yet many Masters have told us new calls need guidance in this area, so in this workshop two Masters will talk about what they see every day, making this a valuable session for new calls and articling students.”

She says those starting their careers will benefit from a Finance for Young Lawyers workshop on Oct. 28, held in conjunction with CBIA/Lawyers Financial.

“We’ve partnered with the CBIA/Lawyers Financial, to do this free program, as we think it is important to help those at the start of the careers with finances,” she says. “When they start to get paid, young lawyers have to decide if they should be saving money for a down payment, or paying off the student loans. What should the priority be?”

Registration for that workshop is offered here, and information on all TLA education programs can be found here.