Your career at Torkin Manes
When we interview law students, we look ahead. Not just to next summer, or next year’s articling intake, but further down the road. We think long-term, because our students are a long-term investment for us. We look for energetic team players who think on their feet, make the extra effort to achieve a goal, or have the creativity to suggest a different approach. We want you to become the best lawyer you can be. In fact, we want you to become our partner.
Find your talent
At Torkin Manes, we want our lawyers to develop successful practices. That’s why we let them find their talent, whatever it may be. We give our articling students significant responsibility on both business and litigation files. You will conduct client interviews, attend at motions, examinations, Small Claims Court trials, and you will participate in all aspects of corporate and real estate closings. Our associates and partners are always available to answer your questions.
Because we want our students to become our partners, we invest in your professional development. We take our teaching and mentoring obligations very seriously. Both summer and articling students are assigned a mentor to whom you may turn for questions, direction and guidance. You will receive regular feedback and evaluation from your mentors, as well as direct feedback from the lawyers assigning particular tasks. Mentoring is both formal and informal: there are biweekly meetings to review and record progress, but informal sessions can be held at any time to help with real-world problem-solving.
Our lawyers hold weekly lunch seminars for students, emphasizing both substantive knowledge and skill development. Through these seminars, our students become aware of the firm’s many different practice areas and the tools they need to become outstanding lawyers.
Our Program
We run a summer program for students who have finished their second year of law school and an articling program for those who have completed third year. Both programs are hands-on and introduce students to all aspects of legal practice.
Summer students are based in either Business Law (which includes Real Estate) or Litigation. Our summer students are with us from May to August.
Our articling students begin their articling year in August, spending approximately half of their time in Business Law and the other half in Litigation. This ensures that you receive a well-rounded, comprehensive articling experience.
In addition, each articling student participates in our unique and exclusive Partner Intensive Program. For an intensive, one month period, you are seconded to a Torkin Manes partner in a practice area of particular interest to you, to have an unparalleled opportunity to see, from the best seat in the house, how that partner conducts his or her practice. Invariably, our students find that they obtain a new and fresh perspective of what it is like to conduct a legal practice, and how to build a legal practice.
While we work hard at Torkin Manes, we recognize that there is more to life than work. We have firm-wide social events during the year which allow all of us to get to know each other better. There are special events just for students to relax together and recharge. Torkin Manes is also an active participant in many community and charitable fundraising events such as the Run for the Cure, the annual CN Tower Stair Climb, Becel Ride for the Heart; Canadian Paraplegic Association of Ontario Wheelchair Relay, Matthews Dinsdale Cup Ball Hockey Tournament (which benefits The Hospital for Sick Children), and Sporting Life 10K Run (which benefits Camp Oochigeas).
Compensation
Torkin Manes summer and articling student salaries are competitive with other large downtown Toronto firms. Summer and articling students’ compensation is currently $1,900 per week.
In addition to a competitive salary, articling students also receive:
- Extended health and dental benefits
- Life insurance
- Two weeks’ paid vacation