While nerve-racking at first, every novice litigator looks forward to their first day speaking in Court.After all, advocacy is our passion. However, it is important to not confine the definition of advocacy to fit within any particular four walls. In my time as an articling student, I saw time and time again how effective a pen (or a keyboard!) can be. Whether it is a carefully drafted email ..read more

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual court hearings have become the norm, and in-person court attendances are harder to come by. That’s why when I got assigned to attend Small Claims Court in Burlington in person, I was overjoyed! While I have made several court appearances virtually during my articling term, I had not attended any in-person hearings, so I was hit with a wave of excitement.& ..read more

I’ll always remember the day when I stepped into the managing partner’s office, and he said, “Nick, you’re going to trial.” A rush of adrenaline and nerves flushed through my body.This was a two-day small claims court trial where I was responsible for defending an action brought by homeowners against a general contractor. Half the battle was trying to understand the nuts and bolts of ..read more

As an articling student, you can assume day-to-day carriage of your own small claims court matters. This provides a great opportunity for you to understand the “big picture” of the litigation process by working on a file from start to finish.One small claims case I was working on involved the defence of a negligence claim brought against a medical professional. The first step was to prepare a ..read more

When I told a friend that I would be articling at a full-service litigation firm in the heart of Toronto, he did not hesitate to respond with “Enjoy standing behind the photocopier all day!” While that may be many people’s perception of what students do in firms like MB, here it could not be further from the truth.  My very first assignment, 30 minutes into articling, involved ..read more

One of the largest courtrooms I’ve seen. A large, vaulted roof. There must have been eight rows of three long pews. 24 in all. Each one was filled from end to end with people, to the point where they lined up along the back wall as well. In total, there were likely around 150 people in that room. Sitting in the back, I recognized 90% of them, if not more. Why? Because today was jury selection ..read more

Ottawa Articling Student PositionsMcCague Borlack's Ottawa office is looking for 2-3 articling students to join our 2024/2025 Articling Student cohort of 4. This will be an in-person position located in our OTTAWA OFFICE. We are seeking articling students who are motivated and passionate about civil litigation. We offer a hands-on articling experience with exposure to all facets of litigation ..read more

As I began my journey as an articling student, I quickly realized that all the same feelings I had when starting 1L came back to hit me like a brick wall. The excitement of starting a new chapter in my life, the nerves associated with the what-ifs and of course, the unrelenting sense of existential dread wondering if I really have what it takes to be a lawyer. "These were only a handful of the ..read more

Many people believe that the fields of law and social work are opposites. As a summer student having spent even a short amount of time in a law firm, I can attest that there is in fact a fascinating overlap between the two disciplines. Within the tight-knit MSW/JD community, I’ve heard it put this way: Law is public regulation and social work is public administration. I’ve also heard that “An MSW ..read more

During my short stint as a summer student thus far, one thing has become abundantly clear about the legal profession: planning my time is unpredictable. It sounds like an oxymoron; trust me – I know. However, while it may sound paradoxical, the sentiment is true. Even though you may plan your day, working in the legal profession means you must accommodate short-term court deadlines, urgent tasks ..read more