Practice areas
The primary objective of our articling program is to provide each student with a comprehensive and thorough exposure to the practice of law. Our students are treated as lawyers. Students can expect a full range of assignments with varying degrees of difficulty. As required by the Law Society of Alberta, each student is articled to a principal who is a lawyer selected for the student from the practice area in which the student has expressed the greatest interest. In addition, the student lecture series offered throughout the articling year introduces students to common substantive and practice issues in many areas of the law through the expertise of the firm's lawyers.
Articles in Calgary are designed to facilitate a student's individual interests and strengths. To this end, Gowling WLG encourages students to seek out work consistent with these factors. It is our experience that the rewards of articles are directly related to the interest and initiative of the student.
With a broad clientele of national and multinational organizations, Gowling WLG provides students with exposure to a wide variety of industries including; Energy, Financial Services, Infrastructure, Mining, Manufacturing, Technology and Life Sciences.
In Business Law you will be exposed to most, but perhaps not all, areas of business law, which includes:
- General corporate/commercial
- Technology
- Tax
- Energy
- Corporate finance
- Financial services
- Real estate
- Environmental law
In Litigation, you will gain experience in most areas of our litigation practice, such as:
- Commercial litigation
- Banking litigation
- Employment and labour law
- Insurance and professional liability
- Product liability
- Health law
- Construction
- Class actions
And finally, our Intellectual Property practice covers areas such as:
- Patents
- Trademarks
- Copyright
- Industrial design
- Marketing/advertising
Application process
Each year, the Calgary office hires approximately five or six students to do their articling at the firm. In selecting articling students, our criteria include:
- academic performance;
- the interview, as indicative of personal qualities and abilities;
- employment experience;
- interests and activities;
- references; and
- any other relevant factors, such as fluency in other languages and academic background.
Gowling WLG seeks students who thrive on challenges and the multi-faceted legal experiences of private practice. We regard the articling experience as an investment in a long-term relationship, and an exciting future, for the student with Gowling WLG.
We recruit according to the Law Society of Alberta guidelines.
Gowling WLG Calgary is an equal opportunity employer. That said, our firm is dedicated to providing equitable opportunities for employment and advancement, and to creating a more inclusive workplace for all our people, as we believe that diverse professional and administrative teams make better decisions. Applicants who are Indigenous, racialized BIPOC, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and persons with a disability are encouraged to self-identify.
Successful applicants are selected based on individual merit and input from across the firm.
Student workload
We do not set students a target number of billable hours. While we expect our students to record their time and to carry a workload similar to that of our associates, the emphasis of our articling program is on learning and skills development. The annual budget for associates is 1750 docketed or billable hours.
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Professional development
Gowling WLG provides a rewarding and educational experience. We actively develop our articling students through educational programs that provide insight, evaluation and experience with various areas of the law. Our mentoring program provide you with opportunities to work with – and learn from – our diverse and experienced professionals. Our articling students are also encouraged to define their own development, and to seek out and experience the work in which they are most interested.
Compensation & benefits
Our commitment to our students includes a competitive salary, plus vacation pay. Furthermore, Gowling WLG established a guideline for agile working. The goal is to ensure a balance between working in the office and working remotely. Articling students also receive generous medical and dental benefits. In addition, Gowling WLG Calgary pays the Bar Admission Course (CLPED) tuition fee for our articling students, as well as their salary during the teaching term.
Social programs
We recognize that the demands of the practice should be balanced with a lawyer's need for satisfaction and fulfillment in other areas. Firm activities include a Family Fun Day, children's and staff/professional holiday parties, participation in the K-100 Relay Race, golf tournament, and firm ("TGIF") get-togethers throughout the year.
Involvement in community affairs
Lawyers at Gowling WLG participate in a variety of political activities and have served on the boards of numerous charitable, cultural and sports organizations including the Glenbow-Alberta Institute, the Calgary Centre for Performing Arts, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Theatre Calgary, the Alberta Ballet Company, and the Alberta Science Centre. For Calgary, in addition to numerous pro bono files relating to individual matters, many of the firms lawyers volunteer for the Civil Claims Duty Counsel (CCDC) program at Provincial Court (Civil Division) and The Court Assistance (Amicus) Program at the Court of Queen's Bench in partnership with Pro Bono Law Alberta. Our lawyers also volunteer and mentor with a number of other public legal service organizations, including Calgary Legal Guidance, University of Calgary Venture Development Clinic and Student Legal Assistance. Interests and activities outside the practice of law are of importance to our lawyers and are encouraged by the firm.
Our facilities
The firm's research, telecommunications, computer and word processing facilities have been designed to support our commitment to high-quality legal services. Indexed legal memoranda and opinions, advanced computer management and legal information systems plus an in-house law library provide instant access to the most recent developments in the law. Years in its design and implementation, our Gowling WLG precedent document system is one of the finest of its kind in North America. We provide the resources required to organize, document and complete large, complex projects in an efficient manner.
Student directory
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