We have all complained at some point about the articling process. Well here’s your opportunity to do something about it if you’re in Ontario. The Articling Task Force, created by the Law Society of Upper Canada to address the articling crisis, is holding a series of consultations. Â Information on how to attend is included below.
Former Ontario Bar Association (OBA) President Lee Akazaki is also soliciting your input in a poll on his new site. Â Here are the results at the time of posting:
ÂÂ
Articling Task Force Consultation Sessions Start January 16
In December 2011, Convocation approved the dissemination of the Articling Task Force Consultation Report to the profession. The Articling Task Force will be holding consultation sessions across the province starting in January. The goal of the consultation is to consider practical solutions to the issues the Consultation Report raises. The profession and all interested parties are invited to attend the sessions.
To register, please rsvp for the session you wish to attend at the email address below. It is important to pre-register (and to include your contact information) so that we can contact you in the event that a session has to be cancelled or rescheduled.
Light refreshments will be served.
Oshawa
January 16, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Quality Hotel & Conference Centre Oshawa
1011 Bloor Street East
Oshawa L1H 7K6
rsvp Oshawa@lsuc.on.ca
Sudbury
January 17, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m. Radisson Hotel Sudbury
85 St. Anne Street
Sudbury P3E 4S4
rsvp Sudbury@lsuc.on.ca
Toronto
January 18, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.The Law Society of Upper Canada
130 Queen Street West
Toronto M5H 2N6
rsvp Toronto@lsuc.on.ca
Thunder Bay
January 30, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Victoria Inn
555 West Arthur Street
Thunder Bay P7E 5R5
rsvp ThunderBay@lsuc.on.ca
London
February 13, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Best Western Lamplighter Inn
591 Wellington Road South
London N6C 4R3
rsvp London@lsuc.on.ca
Windsor
February 16, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m. Hilton Hotel Windsor
277 Riverside Drive West
Windsor N9A 7C5
rsvp Windsor@lsuc.on.ca
Barrie
February 27, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Holiday Inn Barrie Hotel & Conference Centre
20 Fairview Road
Barrie L4N 4P3
rsvp Barrie@lsuc.on.ca
Hamilton
February 28, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Sheraton Hotel
116 King Street West
Hamilton
rsvp Hamilton@lsuc.on.ca
Ottawa
February 29, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Delta Ottawa City Centre
101 Lyon Street
Ottawa,Ontario K1R 5T9
rsvp Ottawa@lsuc.on.ca
Kingston
March 5, 2012
5 to 6:30 p.m.Radisson Hotel Kingston Waterfront
1 Johnson Street
Kingston K7L 1A2
rsvp Kingston@lsuc.on.ca
The Task Force is also accepting written comments. Written comments are welcome until March 15, 2012. Please direct them to:
Sophia Sperdakos
The Law Society of Upper Canada
130 Queen Street West
Toronto, M5H 2N6
ssperdak@lsuc.on.ca
I find it really hard to believe that many practicing lawyers (so those who are neither academics nor students) would actually be in support of doing away with articling under any circumstances. Nothing prepares students for practice like articling, and no new lawyer is competent to be sent out in the world without it. If any part of the process is superfluous and can be done away with it is third year.
And I don’t think Ontario necessarily has an articling problem per se. It has a “I refuse to move away from Toronto or Ottawa” problem. There are a lot of smaller communities going underserviced.
As a third-year law student at an Ontario law school, I believe that it is NOT a problem of location.
I attended the Articling & Beyond career fair, where a number of practitioners from smaller communities told me and other students that they wanted to hire new calls and not articling students. Others told us that they were not interested unless we could demonstrate strong ties to their respective families (e.g. family, elementary school, etc.).
Moreover, I know firsthand of students at Osgoode, Queens, and the University of Toronto who have expressed their willingness to go to smaller communities – but are still seeking articling positions.