Students

2020/2021 Articling Students

London Office

Toronto Office

2021 Summer Student Positions (London & Toronto)

Our summer law student program runs from the end of May to mid-August. The program begins with scheduled sessions with senior lawyers with the goal of providing our students with the key skills required to transition from being a law student to a valued associate at a law firm.

For our summer program, our students are not assigned to specific practice groups or rotations. However, our students in our Toronto office will focus on class actions with some exposure to other areas of law.

Students obtain work directly from lawyers and are encouraged to seek out work in areas of interest. Student work is overseen by the lawyers directly. Each student is also assigned a senior mentor and a junior mentor who are available to answer questions and assist the student to integrate into the firm. Siskinds will also host appropriate activities during the summer program to help integrate the students into the firm.

If you are applying for a summer law student position, we will only be accepting applications electronically and you must submit your application through the viRecruitPortal (viglobalcloud.com)

Key dates:

London: Siskinds will begin accepting applications through the viRecruitPortal on Friday, December 18, 2020.  

Application Deadline: Monday, January 18, 2021 at 5:00 pm;

Call Day: Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 8:00 am;

Interviews:  Monday, February 8, 2021 at 8:00 am to Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 5:00 pm (if you are a student who will be out of Ontario during the interview period, please contact Siskinds should you require an interview before February 8, 2021);

Offers: Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 8:00 am.

Toronto: Application Deadlines: Group “A” schools – Monday, January 18, 2021 at 5:00 pm; Group “B” schools – January 25, 2021 at 5:00 pm, as  determined by  the Law Society of Ontario.

Call Day: Monday, February 22, 2021 at 8:00 am;

Interviews:  Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 8:00 am to Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 3:00 pm;

Offers:  March 4, 2021 at 5:00 pm.

Toronto OCIs:  We will be participating in OCIs at the University of Toronto, February 17or 18, 2021  , Osgoode Hall Law School, February 9, 2021 and University of Western Ontario, February 4, 2021. We encourage applications from students at other law schools. For 2L students attending schools that participate in OCIs and in which we are participating, you will hear directly from your law school as to whether or not you have been offered an OCI.

Post OCIs, for those students who attend schools that do not conduct OCIs or whose OCIs we are not participating in (as well as for articling applicants), we will advise you in advance of Call Day if we will be inviting you to the firm for an interview and will provide you with further particulars regarding our process at that time and in accordance with the LSO Guidelines.

Our Articling Program

Our pursuit of excellence begins with our Student Programs. We view each new student hired as a future associate and partner. Our goal is to see students grow with us and become part of our future success. At Siskinds, we realize that we are only as good as the people who work with us. We encourage individualism and creativity while providing a work environment that is enjoyable as well as rewarding.

Thank you for your interest in our Articling Program, we have filled our 2020-2021 Articling Student positions and our 2021-2022 Articling Student positions.

Our Students

Even in an era of specialization, it is important for new lawyers to have a broad foundation of exposure to many different areas of the law. Our articling program gives students an opportunity to explore a broad range of areas of the law during the articling year. We also attempt to take students’ specific interests into consideration to provide an opportunity to develop areas of personal legal interest.

Program Structure

Siskinds is proud of its wide range of practice areas that encompass both business law and litigation. During articles, our students are exposed to:

• Estate Planning and Administration
• Estate Disputes
• Franchise
• Commercial Litigation
• General Litigation
• Insurance Defence
• Labour & Employment
• Business
• Class Actions
• Real Estate
• Family
• Personal Injury
• Medical Malpractice
• Environmental
• Municipal

Our lawyers welcome the opportunity to involve students in interesting and unique cases to further their practical experience. Students work closely on more complex projects which may include civil motions, trials, administrative hearings and labour arbitrations, as well as mediation and arbitration hearings. They are encouraged to function as independently as possible, taking into consideration their own comfort level and that of their supervising lawyer. They also handle Small Claims Court files from start to finish where they are expected to meet with clients, develop a management plan and see the file through to completion.

Feedback and Mentors

Each student is matched with a mentoring team composed of a partner and an associate. The teams meet regularly with the student to discuss workload, provide feedback and monitor the student’s exposure to the areas of law within the various departments. This structure promotes two-way communication where students are encouraged to provide their mentors with feedback relating to their experiences in the articling program.

Student Lecture Series

At the beginning of each articling year, a series of skill and knowledge building sessions are arranged on a variety of subjects. The topics cover all of our areas of practices as well as practice management. There are approximately 35 skill- and knowledge-building sessions throughout the year. Beyond providing valuable information, these sessions give our students a great opportunity to meet with many of Siskinds’ top lawyers in a small group setting.

Library and Research Support

Students receive direction on their research from a variety of sources. We have a full–time Manager of Information, Research & Knowledge, Information Technology and maintain a substantial library of in-house materials. We also subscribe to various computer research databases. Students are also encouraged to make full use of the MLA library and the UWO law library.

Our Technology

Siskinds is committed to continually updating its technology to enhance all aspects of our legal practice – from communications to sophisticated litigation support and extensive information resources. Our advanced technological culture and top-of-the-line computer systems are fully supported by our Information Systems Department. We utilize a wide range of software, including imaging systems and databases, public and private research databases, calendar systems and remote access systems. Our high-speed, firm-wide internet access, custom databases, intranet and internal knowledge base have all contributed to our ability to easily and cost-effectively manage our data.

Compensation

Compensation packages are competitive with the top firms in Southwestern Ontario and include a comprehensive benefits package with two weeks’ paid vacation during the articling term.

Involvement

We encourage students to become an integral part of our firm. Students are invited to share in such activities as our firm dinners, summer B.B.Q., Memorial Boys’ and Girls’ Swim-A-Thon as well as our holiday celebration. Once a month, all lawyers and staff at Siskinds are invited to attend a catered lunch to socialize and get to know each other.

Fitness

At Siskinds, we support and encourage the physical well-being of all members of the firm. As such, we offer a fitness credit to all articling students which may be applied towards an annual fitness membership or class.

Hire-Back Procedures

In early spring, the Articling Committee presents its recommendations to firm management and students may be offered positions at that time. Our hire-back ratio is competitive with the other top firms in Southwestern Ontario.

Articling Committee

Anthony O’Brien, Partner, 416.594.4394, [email protected]
Anna Szczurko, Partner, 519.660.7784, [email protected]
Dagmara Woznaik, Partner, 519.660.7892, [email protected]
Michael Polvere, Partner, 519.660.7708, [email protected]ds.com
Paula Lombardi, Partner, 519.660.7878, [email protected]
Monique Basso, Articling Co-ordinator, 519.660.2099, [email protected]