While some articling students are looking for lifetime internships, the position sometimes serves as a bridging role that lawyers use to gain experience. Articling students do not need to pass the bar exam to qualify for their job, but they can choose to do so to practice legally. Her education prepares her for many careers in the legal industry with many opportunities for advancement. A college diploma to become an articling student usually takes two years and is a full-time program of study. At the end, students receive a legal trainee diploma and can then apply for their bachelor`s degree. Large companies also need paralegals. As such, a paralegal can assist an in-house legal team, draft contracts, conduct mergers and acquisitions, or provide assistance with licenses and trademarks. While it is possible for someone to work as an articling student at a law firm, they are more likely to work for a practicing judge. You are more likely to find paralegals working in a company. However, your work is very important to ensure that your case goes as smoothly as possible. Becoming a paralegal involves one step more than a legal internship due to licensing requirements, but you must first participate in an LSO-accredited paralegal program, which typically lasts two years and is hosted by many colleges in Ontario. Topics include Small Claims Court, administrative law, summary criminal convictions, provincial crimes, immigration law, labour law, landlord-tenant law, litigation and the courts.
Students also learn advocacy, legal research and writing, ethics, and other skills that help them start their own legal services business. All accredited programs offer field placement, which is a prerequisite for the licensing process. Here are some general responsibilities of articling students: In Ontario, articling students can work in most areas of law, while paralegals can only work in their limited field of practice, as regulated by the Law Society of Ontario. This is an important distinction because paralegals can work independently of lawyers, unlike articling students. Many paralegals have their own practice. “The main danger is the unauthorized exercise of the law, which is a criminal offense,” Green adds. “Every trainee lawyer and paralegal must know the rules and follow them.” Some responsibilities that paralegals are expected to take on: A major difference between articling students and paralegals is training. Articling students typically have a law degree, while paralegals have relatively little technical training in this area.
In addition, paralegals are limited to legal research and writing under the supervision of a lawyer – they cannot provide legal advice. If you`re trying to choose between an articling or paralegal career, some areas to consider are the subject, the type of job you want, and the type of service you want to offer. Paralegals and articling students often get into different areas of the law, so deciding what`s right for your interests is a good first step. Then decide if you prefer to be hired by someone or if you want to have the opportunity to start your own business. Finally, it should be borne in mind that the main task of a paralegal is to provide legal advice, and the main task of a trainee lawyer is to provide a legal service. Determine where your comfort level is. Most articling and paralegal positions also differ in their experience requirements. Paralegals may not need prior legal experience to qualify for their position, although experience and a degree in a related field are often helpful. On the other hand, trainee lawyers may apply for legal internships if they work under the direction of a judge or lawyer for a year or more. Previous experience as an articling student, legal assistant or paralegal can also help articling students qualify for positions. Articling students who work for companies ensure that the company complies with regulations and meets its filing requirements. An articling student may also be asked to help other departments such as public relations, advertising or marketing, especially if a company makes large public announcements.
Trainee lawyer training is much more targeted. The student learns the procedures of the legal department, such as client invoicing, planning and administrative tasks. Articling students and paralegals use their problem-solving, research and analytical skills in their work to advise and support lawyers and judges, but skills related to their specific duties may vary. Since articling students are generally unable to practice law unless they have passed the bar, they devote most of their time and energy to finding and assisting a judge or lawyer. To achieve this, communication and interpersonal skills are often beneficial. Although paralegals and articling students perform similar support tasks, their roles and training differ significantly. In addition to supporting legal roles, licensed paralegals are allowed to represent clients independently and set up their own firm, while articling students always work under the direct supervision of a lawyer or team of lawyers. Those with a legal articling qualification have many work environments to choose from when deciding on their career path. You`d think it would be different, but it`s actually pretty much the same thing. Paralegals and articling students both need the same level of education.
What they learn, however, is quite different. Benjamin Green, a paralegal at Halunen Law, says a differentiating factor is that law clerks are usually law students who want to become lawyers or who are recently graduated in law. Articling students who work as summer employees are well paid for their work, as law firms use these temporary jobs to fill their future legal positions. Salaries for summer jobs as a legal articling student will average $45,770 in 2021, according to Law Crossing. Summer employees who are deemed satisfactory by law firms may receive job offers at the end of their summer stay, depending on the completion of the law school with high grades. Paralegals work with lawyers in law firms or operate their own firms. While articling students cannot run their own practice, they do benefit from a little more flexibility. They are often hired: Interestingly, in a LinkedIn search in an incognito browser (read: no history and not logged into an account), the first 75 results after searching for “articling student” in Ontario yielded 75 full positions as a articling student.
When conducting the same test for paralegals, only 21% of the results resulted in paralegal positions, while the remaining 79% produced legal assistant and articling positions, among others. At first glance, it appears that the demand for articling students exceeds the current demand for paralegals. In contrast, paralegals typically act as auxiliary staff for lawyers, with specific education and training designed for this role. An articling student can provide routine administrative and legal support to a single lawyer or a large team within a law firm. In this role, depending on the size of the company, there may be a whole team of legal interns, junior and senior, who support the company. While paralegals are primarily concerned with supporting lawyers, there are many activities they must perform to fulfill this critical role. Here are the steps you need to take to qualify and work as a legal articling student in Canada. Now that we`ve defined each profession and the training associated with it, let`s look at the differences between a practicing articling student and a P1 paralegal in terms of suitability and career opportunities.
We have outlined a few personal reasons why someone might choose one and not the other. Newly qualified paralegals in Canada can expect a starting salary of $35,000 per year. This can be as high as $73,000 per year, depending on an individual`s experience and the number of years spent in the field. Articling students cannot represent clients independently. But they certainly have a number of other career opportunities, including working at: Clark believes that articling students and paralegals are essential to the practice of law. As we have seen, there are many similarities and differences in the education, career and work environment of paralegals and articling students. We hope we have clarified how these two professions differ and what you can expect from a career in both fields. Before choosing an educational option, you need to know what you expect from your legal career and take the time to research the areas you need to study to get the specific role you want to pursue. Articling students and paralegals are lawyers who provide valuable support to the law firms, lawyers and judges for whom they work.
