MLT Aikins named Top Employer for new graduates

MLT Aikins has once again been heralded in the The Career Directory — Canada’s longest running employment guide for recent graduates — as one of the top employers for 2025.

“This is a huge honour and showcases the incredible opportunities that MLT Aikins offers for recent university and college graduates,” explains Shelly Antill, director of human resources. “This includes paid internships, summer jobs and co-op opportunities, as well as in-house training and mentoring, flexible work hours and transit subsidies.”

Jillian Klassen, who now has a practice in Red Deer, Alberta, recalls her early experience at MLT Aikins fondly.

“As a first-year student, entering a new firm can be somewhat intimidating, but the transition was seamless and the training specialist provided me with all the knowledge I needed to hit the ground running,” she recalls.

Yassir Alnaji, an associate lawyer at MLT Aikins with a focus on corporate/commercial business law in the Winnipeg office, says his eyes were opened the first time he arrived at the firm.

“You start out thinking that being a great lawyer means having every statute and precedent relegated to memory. But of course, that is not the case,” he smiles. “Working alongside great lawyers at our firm, I learned quickly that success comes from being a supercharged problem solver that knows how to navigate challenges, ask the right questions, and craft solutions that meet the needs of our clients.”

Sarah Bidniak recalls her journey from law student to having a broad corporate/commercial practice in the MLT Aikins Edmonton office, focusing on commercial transactions and Indigenous matters.

“There was a lot of versatility to the career—no one day is the same, no one client is the same, and I really knew this was where I would thrive,” she recalls. “MLT Aikins has helped open many doors for me.”

MLT Aikins spans Western Canada with offices in six cities, including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. Graduates have come from across the country to work at the firm.

The 2025 Career Directory shares its annual list with career centres at universities and colleges across Canada to aid students and recent graduates seeking job opportunities in various professions at an entry level. Every year, an editorial team reviews thousands of employers across various industries to determine what academic qualifications they demand from young job seekers.

The annual guide was born in the summer of 1989 by two University of Toronto graduates frustrated by their job search. The duo originally assembled a list of a dozen employers on how best to land a job there. Today, The Career Directory is managed by the Canada’s Top 100 Employers team at Mediacorp in Toronto and reaches more job seekers than ever online.

Find out more about opportunities for students and recent graduates at MLT Aikins, where Sarah Bidniak and Yassir Alnaji give their first-hand experiences.

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