Canadian Lawyer

ing role, says he tries to balance the particular interests of each student with the requirement that they be exposed to all practice areas, so they have ample opportunity to gain extra experience in their chosen speciality and to form relationships with lawyers in the practice group they will likely join if they remain at the firm. He says he also ensures they have good quality assignments. "We don't want them just doing research. We want them involved in files," he says. This works out well, according to Fergusson. "You are in Curran McNicol, the partner who performs this gatekeep- constant communication with the gatekeeper, so you always feel you can bring stuff up and that your workflow is being managed, she says. The articling model is a strategic advantage for the firm, says " Peters, since Fillmore Riley recruits students with the expecta- tion that they will stay on as associates and eventually become partners. He says the retention rate over the last 10 years has been close to 90 per cent. And the model contributes to an easier transition from student to associate, as they are adopted into a workgroup even before they have completed their articling year. However, as with any model or system, what matters most is or in summarized form. At Fillmore Riley, every attempt is made to ensure students get extra exposure to work in their areas of interest, while familiarizing them with all practice areas and cul- tivating relationships with lawyers working in these areas. There are two key ingredients essential for managing such an articling program in a larger firm. One is that the students are encouraged to be entrepreneurial — which is a key value at Gowlings in any event — and seek out relationships on their own, putting themselves forward for the kind of work that most interests them. "We don't have a centralized system because that is not how we as lawyers get our work," she says. The other key element is that Mundy-Markell relies to a great s extent on documents she creates to record their interests and chart the progress of the students. She says colleagues call her "the queen of charts." And, she adds, "With 18 students this year, it' the only way to keep my sanity. It's the only way to really keep on top of what we think all the requirements are. . . . It's very impor- tant for keeping us focused." how well you execute it, observes Furlong. "In the rush of dead- lines, the crush of work, how well does this system hold up? Can the student count on the gatekeeper? And does the gatekeeper [have] standing and sway with the other lawyers?" In this respect, Fillmore Riley has a key advantage. A mid- will likely pay off for any firm, large or small, whose goal is to hire and retain their best students. As Fergusson puts it: "Knowing that they put that much effort and that much time into the arti- cling process just makes me feel comfortable in the years ahead. They are investing in their future and in me. And this kind of focus on the quality of the articling program " sized regional firm with 60 lawyers, it only takes on two or three articling students, handpicked not only for their qualities, but on the basis of their interest in staying on with the firm. So could such a system work well at a larger firm? Or can a big firm that takes on many more students still achieve similar goals in providing students with a well-rounded articling expe- rience that still takes their individual interests into account and helps them foster good working relationships with associates and partners? That is exactly what Anne Mundy-Markell has set out to do. A Freelance journalist and business writer Kevin Marron can be reached at kevin@kevinmarron.com. Forensic Engineering Expert witnesses are a key component of successful litigation. Having the right expert with modern analysis tools at their disposal is key. Why Choose HITE Engineering Corporation? lawyer and former teacher, she is now director of student and asso- ciate affairs in the Ottawa office of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP. She usually has 17 or 18 articling students under her wing and there are 180 professionals working in the office. Since there is not much attrition among associates, the firm is usually limited to hiring between half and two-thirds of the students once they have completed their articling year. But they are all hired in the hope that they will stay with the firm and, if that doesn't work out, Mundy-Markell does everything she can to ensure they find a good placement elsewhere. In any event, she wants them to be well-trained up to the standards her firm expects of its associates, since it' hopefully have some kind of ongoing relationship with Gowlings and may well be instructing counsel on future files. The goals and strategies that Mundy-Markell employs are s a responsibility to the law society and because they will similar in many ways to those of Fillmore Riley's gatekeeper model. Students are matched with a partner principal and an associate mentor with Mundy-Markell overseeing the whole pro- gram. She makes the lawyers' roles as easy as possible by ensuring any required paperwork is prepared for them in advance and information from the law society is presented to them verbally Established in 1997, the firm has investigated a large number of high profile accidents on construction sites and industrial establishments and provided successful litigation support. Highly qualified multi-disciplined professional engineers and technicians. Providing thorough, timely and efficient investigation reports. Extensive court experience as expert witnesses. High level of expertise in structural failure analysis and animation techniques. hite-engineering.com Contact: Ralph Balbaa, M.Eng., P.Eng. www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com A U GUST 2012 23 TE_CL_Aug_12.indd 1 12-07-13 10:36 AM

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