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
