This isn’t a sit-back-and-observe opportunity.
When you work with us, you receive first-hand experience and encouragement to pursue areas that interest you. Bishop & McKenzie students meet with clients, amassing responsibility and experience until they can handle legal problems on their own.
It’s a particular point of pride that our students often remark how their work here is both more advanced and more practical than what their classmates receive at other firms.
We are looking for individuals who have a strong desire to expand their legal knowledge and demonstrate excellence, diligence, respect, and effort. Our goal is to identify individuals who can grow with our firm and become long-term members. Through our articling program, students will receive a well-rounded exposure to various practice areas and develop the necessary skills to become excellent lawyers.
The application deadline is May 21, 2024 using viLawPortal or by sending to Fay Obenauer at fobenauer@bmllp.ca. Applications should include cover letter, resume, and all post-secondary transcripts. Reference letters are not required but may be included.
We would like to thank all applicants, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be scheduled for during the week of June 3, 2024 in accordance with the Law Society of Alberta Student Recruitment period.
Here are the questions we most frequently receive regarding articling at Bishop & McKenzie. If you have a question that you don’t see answered on this page, please get in touch.
We usually hire two students each year.
We provide:
We hire two students and expect that both students will remain with the firm as associates. Our retention rate for students is very high.
Our policy is to allow our students to manage their own time for CPLED, and to give it as much time and attention as they need. Having a set CPLED day can cause problems if the student is busy on that day. We think our students should manage their CPLED assignments as they would any other file and take the time that they need to complete their assignments. The firm takes our student’s CPLED studies seriously and wants to give our students all the support they need to complete their assignments.
We will often invite strong candidates for at least a second meeting of some sort. This second meeting can take the form of a second informal interview with different members of our firm, a luncheon or dinner with a group of candidates or a reception at our offices. We strive to tailor our second interview process to suit the strong candidate’s availability. The second meeting is in a more relaxed, social atmosphere.
While we expect our students to keep track of their time (as this is an important skill to learn) we do not have billable hour expectations for our students.
There is no formal rotation over the summer. Instead, students tackle a variety of work and assignments from all areas of our practice. This is a great way to see what articling for the firm is like. We invite our students to attend legal proceedings and client meetings. When you’re a summer student at Bishop & McKenzie, you’ll gain valuable experience in advocacy and client relations.
At the end of your summer experience at Bishop & McKenzie, we’ll provide you with a formal evaluation. However, throughout your time here, you’ll receive ongoing feedback from the lawyers mentoring you.
What are your future goals? How will you get there? Bishop & McKenzie summer students work under an assigned mentor and meet throughout the term to discuss their paths to success.
As part of experiencing the firm atmosphere, we invite our summer students to our firm’s formal and informal functions. Summer students also assist the articling students in planning our Summer Party, a family friendly event for staff and lawyers.
Bishop & McKenzie summer students receive a compensation package competitive with other mid-sized Edmonton firms.