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 high retention rate for students over the last 10 years speaks to the success of our student program.
Saskatoon lawyer Erin Bokshowan discusses the unique student experience at MLT Aikins, the firm’s team-based approach to servicing clients, and the opportunities the firm has provided her throughout her career.
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Current Student Opportunities
We are currently seeking students who share our commitment to the highest standard of professional performance to participate in our articling program for the 2022-2023 year. We presently intend to…
We are currently seeking students who share our commitment to the highest standard of professional performance to participate in our articling program for the 2022–2023 year in our Regina and…
The Student Experience at MLT Aikins
Learn from experienced lawyers and interact with clients.
We provide our articling students 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.
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.
We hire students we think have the qualities and potential to become tomorrow’s partners. In our supportive work environment, students can seek assistance from any lawyer and are given the highest quality legal and technical support. We assign each student an associate mentor and a partner principal who guide the student experience and help foster relationships and opportunities within the firm.
Belong to a team that values family and community engagement.
We are committed to bettering our communities, and we encourage our lawyers, staff and students to volunteer with charitable organizations. Students also have opportunities to develop their legal knowledge, expand their professional networks and socialize with colleagues through firm activities.
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 10 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 practise 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 practising 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 or current articling students, or see the “Student Activities” section below. You can also check the firm’s Twitter page (@MLTAikins) for announcements.
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. 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.
Cellphone/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 who 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.
