Canadian Lawyer 4Students

Spring 2013

Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training

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Legal training has been fairly static for the last few decades but that's changing fast and the articling shortages in Ontario are going to push it at an even brisker pace. O By Heather Gardiner C A N A D I A N Law yer 4 students Spring 2013 Huan Tran ntario's articling crisis is no secret. Statistics show 15 per cent of applicants were unable to get an articling position in 2012, and that number is expected to rise. Some blame the law schools, others point at law firms, but there isn't any one reason for this problem. More applicants than ever are seeking entry to the legal profession, including those who have studied abroad — possibly because they couldn't get a spot in a Canadian law school — and fewer law firms are offering articling positions as a result of the recent economic downturn. Many have been looking to the Law Society of Upper Canada for a solution and, now that a potential resolution has been passed, naturally not everyone is happy about it. On Nov. 22, 2012, the LSUC approved its articling task force's motion to implement a three-year pilot project starting in 2014. It includes a law practice program to run simultaneously with articling, but provide an alternative path to licensing and culminating in a final 15

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