Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50903
government has worked hard to bolster its ranks in recent years given the pres- sures both of retirements and the de- partment's expansion. "Over the last 20 years, we have almost doubled in size," she says. "Anyone that's wanted a job post-articles has had one," she adds, referring to hiring practices in the Ottawa region. Another jurisdiction that has been particularly eager to hire lawyers in recent years is Alberta. There, of course, the economic boom created pres- sures that led to labour short- ages across most sectors. On the legal side, population growth led to bigger caseloads for the courts, while the provincial government faced increasing competition for staff. But now, years of hiring lawyers as well as the rapid crash in the oil patch have allowed the govern- ment to fill most positions and therefore dampened the hiring spree. "The gen- eral approach that we've been following is that where we need more assistance, we're going out and getting it," says Grant Sprague, assistant deputy minister for the legal services division at Alberta Justice. Sprague's branch demonstrates the va- areas," says Sprague. "One of the things I think is attractive [about] the Justice De- partment is it's not a unidimensional law firm. It's a big place. There are lots of op- portunities to move around." One of the things I think is attractive [about] the Justice Department is it's not a unidimensional law firm. It's a big place. There are lots of opportunities to move around. — Grant Sprague, Alberta Justice In his own case, prior to his current po- sition, Sprague worked as counsel to the government's Sustainable Resource Devel- opment department. That role took him into a range of areas, including advising on where to place fire bans during forest fire season and interpreting fishing and hunt- ing regulations. Sprague also got involved in major legislation, such as the province's Public Lands Act. At the same time, he made representations as counsel before Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board, an agency that has the sometimes- controversial role of hearing applications for new oilsands developments near Fort McMurray. "Our lawyers aren't only the in-house backroom chaps," he says. "We also do the representation in court." In terms of law students, the department generally hires be- tween 10 and 12 people a year split between Calgary and Ed- monton. "They work on both the civil and criminal side," says Sprague, noting that like the federal government, the goal is to keep staff past their articles. "It's really about trying to keep them on and to re- ally become part of the department. We want the opportunity to be long-term, not short-term." Of course, while working for the gov- ernment offers stability, it does come with added public scrutiny of the decisions a lawyer makes, something that can be a riety of opportunities working as a lawyer for the provincial government can entail. Similar to the federal government's le- gal advisers, his staff work as in-house counsel to other government ministries. Recently, for example, the province had been looking for specialized lawyers with expertise related to public-private part- nerships. That's because the province has embarked on a major project to have private companies build 18 schools in and around Edmonton and Calgary. Re- cently, the government followed up those plans with a proposal for an additional 14 schools, making the P3 arrangement a key new model for Alberta. "There re- ally is an amazing amount of interesting work," says Sprague. In his division, lawyers work in teams covering everything from constitutional law to municipal and health issues. The idea, then, is that someone working on a particular file can also tap into those specialized areas for help. "What's great I think from a lawyer's perspective [is that] as issues come up, you have the ability to reach in and get resources from other Get Connected As a student at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP you'll experience a wide variety of complex and challenging assignments in a hands-on environment. We offer a well-rounded, real-world experience that puts you at the table and in the courts. For more information on our Student Programs, please visit our website at www.foglers.com. Student Program Chair, Myriah Graves, 416.941.8846, mgraves@foglers.com 95 Wellington Street West, Suite 1200 Toronto-Dominion Centre, Toronto, ON M5J 2Z9 T: 416.864.9700 F: 416.941.8852 C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS olger_4students_Mar_09.indd 1 SEPT E MB E R 2009 17 3/3/09 11:56:49 AM