Practice areas
Our summer student will acquire experience in the following practices:
- Advocacy
- Banking litigation
- Business law
- Intellectual Property
- Estate Planning
- Administration and Litigation
- Real Estate
While there are no prescribed rotations for summer students, they benefit instead from receiving work from a broad variety of professionals in the firm. Students may also seek out work in which they are most interested. In addition, each summer student has a lawyer in the firm who acts as the student's mentor. Mentors assist students in managing their workload (including helping them to get work in which they have a special interest) and advise students about all manner of work-related and professional practice issues and concerns.
With a broad clientele of national and multinational organizations, Gowling WLG Hamilton provides students with exposure to a wide variety of industries including:
- Energy
- Financial Services
- Infrastructure
- Manufacturing
- Technology
Application process
The summer program at Gowling WLG Hamilton is generally limited to students who have completed their second year of law school. Each year, Gowling WLG conducts interviews in accordance with the Law Society of Ontario's Procedures Governing the Recruitment of Students. Please visit the Law Society's web site for further information on these procedures.
Gowling WLG Hamilton 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.
The Hamilton office hires up to three students each summer.
We are currently recruiting for summer 2024 and the application deadline is September 19th at 11:59pm.
Law students interested in Gowling WLG Hamilton summer programs are encouraged to submit their application package, including cover letter, résumé and both law school and undergraduate transcripts through the ViLaw Portal.
On-campus interviews
Gowling WLG Hamilton does not conduct on-campus interviews.
In-firm interviews
Call Day and scheduling
For the summer recruitment process, the Law Society of Ontario has not established any rules for Hamilton. "Call Day" will be on or after October 23, 2023.
The interview
The length and format of the interview will vary firm to firm. At Gowling WLG Hamilton, you will usually meet with a lawyer who is a member of the student committee who has selected you for an interview for 30 to 45 minutes. Students should leave at least two hours between interviews.
Student workload
While we do not set a target number of hours for our students, they are generally expected to carry a workload similar to that of our associates. The annual budget for Gowling WLG Hamilton associates is 1750 docketed hours, which means approximately 35 docketed hours per week.
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Professional development
Gowling WLG Hamilton provides a rewarding and educational summer work experience. We actively develop our students through educational programs that provide insight, evaluation and hands-on experience with various areas of the law. Our comprehensive seminar program spans a wide variety of practice areas, and our constructive mentoring programs provide students with opportunities to work with – and learn from – our diverse and experienced professionals. Our 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.
Social programs
As part of the Gowling WLG Hamilton social program, our students enjoy a range of activities and social events. In the past, these have included theatre outings, TiCat games, professionals' dinners, and holiday parties.
Student directory
2023
University of Cape Town
Andrew Hutchison
Dalhousie University
Liz Marr
University of New Brunswick
Devon Gallacher
Toronto Metropolitain University
Jojo Luel
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