If you’re looking for a career, MLT Aikins is looking for you. The vast majority of the firm’s articling students stay on as associates and many of our partners, including Don Wilson, our managing partner, articled with us.
Opportunities at MLT Aikins
Learning is the focus of the MLT Aikins student experience. Our range of clients and work complexity provide exceptional opportunities to learn about the practice of law from experts in numerous fields.
At MLT Aikins we hire students we think have the qualities and potential to become tomorrow’s partners. We provide a supportive work environment where students can seek assistance from any lawyer and are provided the highest quality legal and technical support. Students are provided with an associate mentor and a partner principal that serve as a constant source of guidance.
We are committed to making our communities better places for all, and we encourage our lawyers, staff and students to volunteer with charitable and community organizations. You will also have numerous opportunities to develop your legal knowledge, expand your professional network, and socialize with colleagues through our frequent firm activities.
- Learn from experienced lawyers and interact with clients.
- Contribute to challenging work projects in a collaborative environment.
- Belong to a team that values family and community engagement.
2018 Summer Student Program – Winnipeg
We are currently seeking students who share our commitment to the highest standard of professional performance to participate in our 2018 summer student program in Winnipeg. Law students who are currently in second year and intend to article in Winnipeg, Manitoba are eligible to apply.
Our summer student program is designed to provide students with practical exposure to the various practice areas within either our advocacy department or business law department, and it provides the opportunity to work closely with members of our firm at all levels of seniority. The program allows students to explore their department’s practice areas, and helps students prepare for their articling year. A summer student’s experience at MLT Aikins will not, however, restrict opportunities in the other department or practice areas, should the student subsequently article with us.
Position start: early May 2018 | Position end: late August 2018
We provide our summer students with the chance to experience all areas of legal practice within our firm, and facilitate direct exposure to our clients. Our program introduces students to the practical aspects of law, including attending discoveries, court hearings and client meetings, drafting pleadings and commercial agreements, and assisting in a wide variety of commercial transactions.
Apply online on or before September 15, 2017.
Your electronic application package should include your cover letter, resumé and transcripts. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will take place in early October 2017.
Questions? Contact KK Pinkowski
2018 Summer Student Program Chair, Winnipeg Office
(204) 957-4641 | kpinkowski@mltaikins.com
The Student Experience at MLT Aikins
At MLT Aikins, we understand that our capacity to offer exceptional legal service is dependent on our ability to attract, mentor, develop and retain the best legal talent across Canada.
We view today’s students as the future of our firm and seek students whose personalities, values, work product and work ethic fit with our work and practice philosophy. We believe our very high retention rate for students over the last ten years speaks to the success of our student program.
Learn from experienced lawyers and interact with clients.
Learning is the focus of the student experience at MLT Aikins. As a summer or articling student, we encourage you to learn about the law and its procedures. We will vary your work experience to provide you with exposure to everything from attending trials, hearings and questioning, to drafting correspondence and research memorandums, meeting with clients, developing strategies for negotiations, and preparing commercial and corporate documents.
As an articling student, you will be exposed to as many of our lawyers and clients as possible. Your principal will be a partner who has expressed an interest in mentoring young lawyers. We will also assign you an associate mentor. The mentor’s role is to provide guidance on office and practice procedures, client relations, file management, and ethics and professional responsibility, as well as work performance.
For articling students in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta who are enrolled in the CPLED bar admission course, you will be granted specific days off to work on assignments, and will continue to receive your salary during your studies. The firm will also cover the cost of the CPLED enrollment fee.
For articling students in British Columbia who are enrolled in the PLTC bar admission course, MLT Aikins covers the cost of the enrolment fee, and you will continue to receive your salary during the months when you are attending the course.
Finally, our firm’s commitment to teaching and learning extends beyond the student experience. We encourage all our lawyers to attend professional education conferences and seminars, including the regular in-house seminars we offer to our lawyers and students.
Contribute to challenging work projects in a collaborative environment.
MLT Aikins services clients who are at the forefront of change in Western Canada. As a result, our students have the opportunity to participate in complex and challenging work. The complexity of the work assignments at MLT Aikins provides exceptional opportunities for our students to learn and grow as lawyers. We have expertise in a wide variety of business-oriented practice areas and students have the opportunity to be exposed to diverse areas of the law during their articling year.
We provide a supportive and collaborative work environment where students are invited to tap into the expertise of any lawyer in the firm and make full use of our high quality legal and technical support.
In short, MLT Aikins provides the environment, resources and people necessary for students to become outstanding lawyers.
Belong to a team that values community engagement and collegiality.
We are committed to bettering our various communities across Western Canada and we encourage our lawyers, staff, and students to volunteer with charitable and community organizations suited to their interests. The firm is actively involved in several community initiatives that enhance the culture, health, and well-being of our communities. Learn more about our community involvement on our About Us page.
Strong working relationships require opportunities to socialize with one another. MLT Aikins offers many social and recreational events allowing our students to become acquainted with our lawyers and culture. These include firm retreats, receptions, holiday parties, family outings, sporting events and other informal social events throughout the year.
Additionally, MLT Aikins offers numerous opportunities to develop your legal knowledge and expand your professional network through internal professional development sessions on interesting and important legal issues and practice management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does your firm usually hire back articling students as associates after they have completed their articling term?
Yes. Our retention rate for students over the last ten years is very high. This is because we hire articling students whose personalities, values, work product and work ethic fit with our work and practice philosophy. In short, we hire students that we believe have the qualities and potential to become tomorrow’s partners, and we provide the tools and opportunities for this professional growth to occur.
Does MLT Aikins give time off for AB, SK and MB students to work on the bar admission course?
Yes. We recognize the importance of allowing time for articling students to complete CPLED and bar course assignments. During the duration of the course, articling students at the firm are permitted time each week to work on their CPLED assignment. Students can do this work at a place of their choosing; there is no expectation that they work on CPLED assignments in the office. Further details on the particular CPLED/Bar Course arrangements in each firm office can be provided by the recruitment contact in your province and city of interest. Students continue to earn their salary while attending to their CPLED assignments and at the Bar Admission Course work.
Does MLT Aikins give time off with pay for BC students to take the bar admission course?
Yes. Articling students in British Columbia continue to earn a salary while they are away from the office taking the Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC).
Will I get exposure to a range of practice areas during my articles?
Articling students at MLT Aikins spend dedicated amounts of time with both our litigation and corporate commercial groups throughout their articling year (the exact length of time varies depending on the office). Students are provided the widest possible array of experiences in the legal profession, while at the same time ensuring they meet their articling requirements with the law society.
We encourage articling students to seek out the type of work and experiences they are interested in throughout their articling year. They are encouraged to build relationships with the lawyers practicing in those areas. Students will often work on a particular matter that will last throughout the year.
What if I do not know what area of law I am most interested in?
No problem. While some students come to MLT Aikins with a strong interest in a particular practice area, it is expected that many students use their articling year to determine what area of the law they would most like to practice in. MLT Aikins works hard to match the interests of its students with the practice areas of its lawyers.
What types of mentorship opportunities are available to articling students and associates?
Articling students are assigned both an associate mentor and a partner principal. Mentors and principals serve as a source of guidance to our students throughout their articling year. Whether you have a question about a difficult legal problem or about office practice and procedure, your mentor and principal are there to assist you. Associates are also assigned a mentor to provide guidance and help during the early years of their careers. While you will be provided a specific mentor and principal, we have an “open-door” policy allowing students and associates to seek guidance from any of our legal professionals.
What areas of the law does MLT Aikins focus on?
MLT Aikins is a full-service business law firm that provides both litigation and corporate commercial legal services. The firm is an expertise-based firm with skilled professionals practicing in numerous areas of the law. Visit our expertise page to learn more.
Who should I contact to find out more about the student experience and recruitment events?
To find out more about the MLT Aikins student experience and upcoming recruitment events, please contact one of our student recruiting contacts, current articling students, or visit our student events page.
Is there an annual billable target that I am expected to meet as an articling student?
While students are required to record their time to develop timekeeping habits before becoming an associate, they are not required to meet an annual billable target. Learning is the focus of the student experience. Articling students will receive a well-rounded experience through a combination of legal research, writing, and hands-on involvement.
I did not summer with MLT Aikins. Do I still stand a chance of being hired?
Of course. MLT Aikins is always looking for talented applicants. We encourage you to apply even if you did not summer with our firm.
What type of work can I expect to do as an MLT Aikins summer student?
We understand that for many students, summering with a firm will be their first experience with the private practice of law. In this regard, we seek to expose our summer students to work that reflects the work done by MLT Aikins lawyers. Summer students will actively work on legal files with our lawyers and partners, often attending trials, hearings and questioning, drafting correspondence and research memorandums, meeting with clients, developing strategies for negotiations and preparing commercial and corporate documents during their summer with MLT Aikins.
The summer experience varies by office. Reach out to the recruitment contact in your province of interest for specifics.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary and Bonus
We strive to provide top of market salaries to articling and summer students.
Benefits
We offer an enticing benefits package to our articling students, including coverage for dental, vision, prescription, massage, physiotherapy and other health-related services.
Cell Phone/Laptop
We provide each articling student with a laptop as well as reimbursement for smart phone and associated phone/data plan.
Bar Course, Call and Bar Association Fees
The firm covers the cost of each articling student’s fees for the bar admission course and materials, as well as call fees for those students that continue with MLT Aikins after their call to the bar. Additionally, the firm also pay for Canadian Bar Association and provincial bar association fees.
Meet Our Students
Below are MLT Aikins’s current articling students. They would be happy to hear from you if you would like to learn more about the MLT Aikins articling experience.
Student Activities
Past Student Activities
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↳ Saskatoon Mix & Mingle Event – 2016 |
↳ Manitoba Law Students’ Association Welcome Breakfast – 2016 |
↳ University of Alberta Career Day – 2016 |
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↳ Saskatoon Softball Tournament – 2016 |
↳ Regina AlligatOARS Dragon Boat Team with MNP – 2016 |
↳ Saskatoon AlligatOARS Dragon Boat Team with MNP – 2016 |
↳ Manitoba Centennial Gala – 2016 |
↳ Regina Golf Tournament – 2016 |
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↳ Saskatoon Student Pub Night – 2016 |
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↳ Saskatoon Student Orientation – 2016 |
↳ Winnipeg All-Star Game – 2015 |
↳ Winnipeg Softball Playoffs – 2014 |
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↳ Winnipeg Goldeyes Game – 2012 |
