Articling information

Role of the Articling Student

The Public Interest Law Centre normally consists of 3 legal counsel, an articling student, an administrative secretary, and various temporary students and volunteer interns. The student's principal will be the Director of the Centre.

The student works under the general supervision of the Director who conducts periodic file reviews, monitors workload, and is available as a resource to answer general questions. The Director and other counsel assign work to the student on particular files. The student's role will be to assist, doing research, interviewing witnesses, drafting pleadings, motions and arguments and helping counsel in court. In addition, the student's duties include both attending the Legal Aid Drop in Centre to give legal advice and take applications for Legal Aid, and also providing legal advice as duty counsel to individuals in police custody. This is done on a rotating basis with the other Legal Aid articling students.

In addition, the Deputy Director of Legal Aid is responsible for the overall articling experience of the students and will meet with all students at least three times in the year to review their progress.

The articling experience can be tailored, to some extent, to the interests of the individual student. All of the Centre's staff meet regularly to review files and assign work. Moreover, at their option students may wish to take on some other duties for increased variety, such as a rural duty counsel circuit, accompanying other Legal Aid Manitoba lawyers on criminal or family matters, or assuming individual responsibility for minor criminal, civil or administrative law files.

We recognize that the articling year is intended to be an educational experience. We strongly encourage students to attend classes and in accordance with Legal Aid policy, exam days are to be kept free for study purposes. Legal Aid also conducts periodic staff training conferences to which the student is invited.

Facilities

The student is provided a private office with phone and dictation equipment. Secretarial staff is shared. The Centre has a small law library with good holdings in administrative, constitutional and native law topics.

Each staff member, including the articling student, has a personal work station on the Centre's computer network, which is connected to the Internet and QuickLaw.

The working environment is comfortable and modern, but not fancy. A new arena and entertainment complex is be available across the street, connected by skywalk.

Salary and Benefits

The student's annual salary will be $25,000.00 (under review). Benefits include three weeks vacation (at year end or as otherwise arranged), sick leave, paid indoor parking, paid mileage on office business and a small personal budget for conferences and seminars. Bar Admission Course fees will be covered for the student. The Centre is a Manitoba Bar Association universal membership firm, so that the student's Bar Association membership fee is paid.

Future Employment

No guarantee of future employment can be given. The Public Interest Law Centre has had articling students for about the past 15 years, and five students have been hired as junior attorneys during that time. Other students have readily found employment after their articles, sometimes in private practice and sometimes in other public law fields: for example, the Federal and Provincial Departments of Justice, Federal Court clerking, public legal education, law reform agencies, etc.

It is very difficult to project what the situation will be in one or two years, but because we wish to continue to attract top quality students, we will make every effort to attempt to hire our students or assist with other employment prospects.

What To Expect From An Interview

If you apply for a job with the Public Interest Law Centre, the interview will focus on your interest and experience. We will want to know what kinds of courses you have been taking and why you have been taking them. We will ask about your activities and successes, both academically and outside of school. We will be interested in what is attracting you to the Public Interest Law Centre and we will also give you an opportunity to ask questions about the Centre and the articling experience which we offer.

Based on past experience in hiring students, the Centre places particular weight on academic and writing ability, advocacy skills, interest in public law and public policy issues and enthusiasm to become involved in a public interest practice.