The Articling Student Program at Tierney Stauffer LLP in Ottawa

From the day our articling students join us, they are treated as part of our team. We view our articling students as potential future partners and invest a considerable amount of time and resources in our articling program. Our program is designed to ensure that our articling students receive the best legal training and hands-on experience in as many practice areas as possible while encouraging them to discover and develop their individual strengths and interests. We believe that at the end of the articling term, students should be fully prepared for the challenges associated with the practice of law.

Providing a Well-Rounded Experience 

Tierney Stauffer LLP is able to offer our students a balanced workload while providing them with exposure to all areas of practice within our firm. A significant portion of the work our students will be exposed to comes from our Civil Litigation Practice Group. Students interested in working hard and obtaining a true hands-on litigation experience will be well suited to our firm. They will have the opportunity to gain practical legal skills from the day they join our firm.

Working With Your Mentor

For the past 20 years, our partner, Ian Stauffer, has acted as the articling student’s mentor. He works with the articling students to ensure that they receive a well-rounded articling experience and have satisfied all the necessary requirements. Ian, along with all of our lawyers, has an “open door” policy to assist our articling students with any difficulties, concerns, or general inquiries they may have during their articling term.

In addition to a mentor, we have a manager for our articling program. One of our senior associates meets with our articling students on a weekly basis. This service ensures that our students have as much support as they need throughout their articling term.

Professional Development

Our articling students are given a great deal of responsibility for the files they work on and the opportunity to be exposed or be involved in all stages of client work, including meeting with clients. Our lawyers run in-house seminars on different legal and practice management topics to complete the articling students’ professional development and to give them insight into the practical realities of the profession. We also highly encourage our articling students to attend continuing legal education seminars and to accompany lawyers to social and charitable events that will assist them in developing valuable contacts in the Ottawa and legal communities.

Student Reviews

Our articling students receive ongoing feedback and evaluations from their mentor, the manager of the articling program, as well as the individual lawyers who provide them with work. More formal reviews are given twice during the students’ articling term.

Law Firm Life

Our students are encouraged to take part in the social life of the firm, including lawyer luncheons and dinners, the Annual Partnership Meeting dinner, firm summer and Christmas parties, team-building events and firm outings.

Compensation and Benefits

Tierney Stauffer LLP offers a competitive salary to its articling students comparable to those paid by other similar-sized firms in the Ottawa region; a comprehensive benefits package; and financial support for professional development activities.

Articling students are entitled to two weeks paid vacation, which is included in the 10-month articling term. The firm will pay for one-half of the Licensing Program tuition for each of its students. In addition, the firm pays the Licensing Process fees and the students’ membership fees for the Law Society of Ontario and the County of Carleton Law Association.

Applying to Tierney Stauffer LLP

Tierney Stauffer LLP hires two articling students each year and strictly adheres to the Law Society of Ontario’s Articling Recruitment Procedures which includes deadlines for submission of applications. Please note that the Law Society of Ontario governs the application date, offer date and offer open period. For further details on these rules, please visit the Law Society website.

At Tierney Stauffer LLP, we generally contact 10 applicants for a first interview and ask about half that number of applicants back for a second interview.

If you are interested in applying to our firm for an articling position, we require a cover letter enclosing one copy of an up-to-date resume and one copy of your undergraduate and law school transcripts. Official copies of transcripts are not required. Letters of reference are optional but we do encourage that you provide them, if they are available, as part of your application.

Applications should be sent by email to Lesly Joseph

Ottawa

Fax: 613-728-9866
510-1600 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1Z 0A1

Cornwall

Toll-Free: 1-888-799-8057
340 Second Street East
Cornwall, Ontario
K6H 1Y9

Kingston

Toll-Free: 1-888-799-8057
556 O’Connor Drive
Kingston, Ontario
K7P 1N3

North Bay

Toll-Free: 1-888-799-8057