What To Expect During Your Articling Term
Most of our posts focus on bar exam prep (we are in the business of practice tests, after all). But in this post we want to address a different, albeit related, topic: What to expect during your articling year. As anxious as you might be for the bar exam, you’re probably equally as anxious about your articling term. So it makes sense to address the topic and provide some advice that will (hopefully) calm your nerves.
Let’s begin with the basics. None of this is intended to make you feel uneasy—it’s just a simple reality that you need to come to terms with. Casting aside things like the current economic environment and its impact on the job market, the impression you leave during your articling term will go a long way in determining whether your firm wants to hire you back as an associate. And so it’s important that your firm comes to see you as an asset rather than a liability. The question thus becomes: How do I get my firm to view me as an asset?
First, while it’s TOTALLY OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES, it’s important to try and avoid basic ones. Let’s be real: When you come out of law school, you know virtually nothing about the practice of law. As a result, you’re going to feel like you have no idea what you’re doing A LOT during articling. RELAX! Firms know this and expect mistakes—particularly if it’s your first time attempting a new kind of task. What’s less excusable, however, is repeatedly making basic mistakes. Wondering why the partner is frustrated that you turned in a memo ridden with spelling and grammar mistakes? You shouldn’t be. Failure to proofread your work is the perfect example of a preventable mistake. Even if you’re pressed for time, then, make an effort to ensure that ALL of your work is free of basic spelling and grammar errors (NOTE: this is true EVEN IF your boss tells you that it’s okay to hand in an assignment in draft form).
Second, while asking questions is totally fine (and in fact encouraged), you shouldn’t be asking the SAME QUESTION over and over again. At best, this shows you’re forgetful. At worst, it demonstrates a lack of understanding on your part. Neither of these are desirable qualities. One good way to ensure that you’re not asking the same question over and over again is to make notes while the assigning lawyer is explaining a task to you. That way, if you do forget something, you can simply refer back to your notes (rather than having to go back to the lawyer for another explanation). After the lawyer explains the task to you, you can also summarize it back to them to make sure that you’re both on the same page (“As I understand it, you want me to do ‘X’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’. Do I have that correct?”).
Third, don’t say “yes” to impossible deadlines. As an articling student, you’re going to get worked relatively hard. It’s therefore important that you KNOW YOUR CAPACITY or, more particularly, WHETHER YOU DO/DO NOT HAVE TIME TO TAKE ON ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT. Obviously, as an articling student, you’re going to feel pressure to always say “yes”. But this is going to do more harm than good if you initially say yes only to miss a deadline down the road. So, instead of reflexively saying yes even though you lack the capacity to take on another task, try saying something like: “This task sounds super interesting and I’d love to help out. At the moment, though, I’m working on several other assignments, all of which have urgent and non-flexible deadlines. Is there any flexibility surrounding the deadline for this assignment?” Saying something along these lines let’s the lawyer know that you’re more than happy to help even though you’re busy at the moment. Chances are, the deadline will not be that urgent and the assigning lawyer will adjust it to align with your current capacity.
All said and done, you’re going to work hard during your articling term. BUT, it doesn’t have to be stressful. Instead, look at it as a learning experience and as an opportunity to start building a positive professional reputation. Also, remember that many of the lawyers you’re working under went through the same experience—so don’t be afraid to pick their brains for advice or seek out shadowing opportunities if you find a particular file they’re working on to be super interesting!!! Oh and don’t worry too much about the whole “hire back” thing. If you get a job offer at the end, fantastic! But if you don’t, you WILL land on your feet somewhere else (trust us, you will!). And the place you do end up at will probably be a better fit.
