CAREERS1. Articling program
Every year, STEIN MONAST L.L.P. welcomes two articling students. During their articling period, they will be given an opportunity to become familiar with all of the legal areas in which the firm practices, including: business law, financing, securities, corporate law, labour law, real estate, taxation, banking, insurance, civil and professional liability, Administrative and Municipal Law, disciplinary and penal law, Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions.
Work is assigned to the articling students by the lawyers who need their assistance. Thus, they become directly involved in files and receive personal mentoring from seasoned lawyers. The tasks they may be assigned are many and varied: research, drafting proceedings and contracts, preparing closing documents, appearing in Court, including presenting incidental motions. Articling students are also invited to attend, as and when available, various educational opportunities such as examinations on discovery, client meetings, closings and trials.
Articling is remunerated on a basis that compares favourably with the salaries paid by the other major firms in Quebec City.
STEIN MONAST L.L.P. offers articling students an opportunity to work as a student full time in the summer before they attend Bar School. If a student wishes, he or she may also work part-time while studying. However, the firm encourages students to put priority on their studies so it can welcome them as articling students when the time comes.
It is through the quality of their work, their professionalism and their enthusiasm that articling students will make a name for themselves in the firm and become indispensable. In this regard, STEIN MONAST L.L.P. welcomes a limited number of articling students in order to offer them personalized experience, an opportunity to perform varied and worthwhile tasks, and a better possibility of being hired as a lawyer after a successful articling period, depending on the firm’s needs and the student’s interests.
2. Orientation and training of students and articling students
STEIN MONAST L.L.P. has designed a specific program for the orientation and training of its students and articling students. The week-long program facilitates quick and optimal integration as part of our team.
As soon as they arrive, students and articling students are invited to a series of meetings intended to familiarize them with our administrative services, our filing system, our information technology procedures, and our research tools. A lunch reception attended by the young lawyers and mentors provides an opportunity for initial informal contact with their new colleagues. Students and articling students are also invited to the firm’s weekly cocktail hour for a warm welcome.
The training program continues, with educational tours of the Court House and the office of the Companies Registrar, and periods of familiarization with the Quicklaw and Soquij on-line research systems. Finally, to establish direct contact with the lawyers in each of our practice areas, five luncheon meetings are held, at which two lawyers make a presentation on their sector and offer advice and tips.
3. Mentoring
Supervision of students, articling students and young lawyers is aimed at their optimal integration into the professional life of the firm. It is through a mentoring system, on which all the lawyers place great emphasis, that this is achieved. Indeed, the time devoted by the mentors to the development, training and integration of a student, articling student or lawyer is highly valued and recognized as being absolutely essential to the firm’s long-term existence.
The mentors are partners whose role is to guide and supervise the students, articling students and lawyers. The firm demands a true commitment from its mentors, who take their role seriously and fulfil it diligently.
More specifically, every week the mentor must check the workload of the student, articling student or lawyer. He will regularly check their work and ensure that it is reviewed by the lawyer who assigned it to them. The mentor ensures that the work given to the student or articling student comes from several lawyers or practice groups so he will receive as wide an exposure as possible.
The mentor prepares a full written evaluation on the student, articling student or lawyer, which will be submitted to the partner in charge of the firm’s professional committee. He will talk regularly with the student, articling student or lawyer about any comments or remarks, both positive and constructive, received about their work, and will guide them in the pursuit of their professional objectives.
4. Available positions: students and articling students
We currently have the following positions to fill:
| Students | Articling Students |
| Spring 2013 (2)* | |
Each position is open to students of part-time during the school year and full time during the summer.
You are invited to submit your application (see next sections) by February 17, 2012 by mail to Mr. Charles G. Gagnon or by e-mail to recrutement@steinmonast.ca . The interviews will take place as of March 5, 2012.
5. Applications and interviews
The first stage of our recruiting procedure is an in-depth analysis of the applications received from students. A pre-selection process by a committee of the firm’s lawyers identifies which students will be called for an interview.
Applications must include a minimum of a presentation letter, a resume and the most recent transcript of marks from university. You are invited to add such other documents as you may feel will give us a better idea of who you are (letter of reference, publication, transcript of marks from another program, etc.).
The pre-selected students are called to a first interview, usually with two of the firm’s lawyers. At this meeting, the lawyers have an opportunity to make initial personal contact with you and learn more about your background. If a number of applicants capture the interest of the selection committee, there may be a second interview.
6. Contact information
To apply for a position as an articling student, send your application to Charles G. Gagnon, partner in charge of recruiting.
Me Charles G. Gagnon
Phone : 418-640-4411
Fax : 418-523-5391
recrutement@steinmonast.ca
70 Dalhousie Street
Suite 300
Québec, Québec
G1K 4B2
7. Questions and Answers
a) Do we have to work while studying for the Bar?
No. Students wishing to do so may work part-time while studying. However, the firm encourages students to put priority on their studies so it can accept them as articling students when the time comes.
b) What tasks are summer students assigned?
Various tasks are assigned to summer students: researching laws, case law and doctrine for purposes of drafting articles, conferences or legal opinions, preparing documents for closings, etc. Like articling students, summer students may be invited to attend examinations on discovery, client meetings, closings, preparatory meetings with witnesses and trials.
c) What tasks are articling students assigned?
The tasks that may be assigned to articling students are many and varied: research, drafting proceedings and contracts, preparing closing documents, appearing in Court, including presenting incidental motions. Articling students are also invited to attend various educational opportunities such as examinations on discovery, client meetings, closings and trials.
d) Is there a minimum number of billable hours for articling students?
No. STEIN MONAST L.L.P. trains future lawyers, and puts priority on that training. The accent is therefore put on the variety of tasks completed by the articling students and the improvement in their abilities, rather than the hours they can bill.
e) Do the students or articling students receive training upon their arrival at the firm?
Yes. STEIN MONAST L.L.P. has designed a specific program for the orientation and training of its students and articling students. The week-long program facilitates quick and optimal integration as part of our team.
f) Are assignments given to the articling students and students directly by the lawyers or is there a go-between?
Work is assigned to the articling students by the lawyers who need their assistance. Thus, they become directly involved in files and receive personal mentoring from experienced lawyers.
g) How and by whom are the articling students evaluated?
A mentor is assigned to each student and articling student. Mentorship is handled by a firm partner whose role is to guide and supervise the student or articling student. The mentor prepares two complete written evaluations on the articling student or lawyer, which are submitted to the partner in charge of the firm’s professional committee half-way through and at the end of the articling period.