Cox & Palmer is dedicated to providing a comprehensive Education Plan for Articled Clerks, which meets and exceeds the standards set forth by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. We also offer summer employment to first-year students, second-year students, as well as students who will be articling with us upon graduation. Our summer students and articled clerks become familiar with the practice of law by working with experienced senior lawyers. You are provided the opportunity to meet with clients, address client needs and manage complex legal issues. Your experience with Cox & Palmer will be rewarding, collegial and dynamic, and allow you to develop the skills to become a competent, successful and satisfied lawyer.
We recently completed a very successful recruitment season and are extremely pleased to have hired nine students. Presently, all articling positions for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 are filled. We will begin recruitment for 2012-2013 articling positions and 2011 summer student positions (1st year students only) in the Fall of 2010.
For further information about joining Cox & Palmer's Halifax office as a summer student or as an articled clerk, please contact our Partner responsible for articled clerks, Joe Burke, at 902 491 4123.
Representatives from Halifax conduct initial interviews in November at the University of Toronto and in January at the University of New Brunswick Law School and Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law.
Second-round interviews are conducted at our Halifax office with offers for positions at the Halifax office being made in early February.
Applications should include:
- Cover letter
- Résumé
- Pre-law transcript (official copy)
- Law school marks (unofficial copy accepted – request official copy when available, if necessary)
Applications should be directed to:
Karen Hughes
Interim Director of Professional Development
Cox & Palmer
PO Box 2380
Halifax, NS B3J 3E5
coxandpalmer.com
Cox & Palmer is committed to employment equity. To learn more, visit employment equity self-identification.
Your work as a first or second-year summer student will be similar to that of an articled clerk, but with no formal rotations. From the outset, summer students are immersed in ongoing cases and matters and are involved in a wide range of our lawyers’ activities.
Each summer student is assigned a Mentor (an associate). These individuals will meet regularly with the student and provide guidance throughout the summer.
The articling year currently consists of two rotations in which articled clerks spend six months working in our Litigation practice group and a total of six months in the Corporate/Commercial and Labour & Employment practice groups. Articled clerks will also learn the Nova Scotia Land Registration System by working with our team of real property lawyers, title searchers and paralegals. Articled clerks with Cox & Palmer are assigned a Principal, a partner who works exclusively with the clerk to guide the articling experience, as well as an Associate Mentor. In addition, the Partner responsible for articled clerks holds periodic “round table” discussions to address any issues that may arise. While articled clerks receive regular feedback regarding their performance, formal reviews are conducted at the end of the first six-month rotation and again at the conclusion of the year.
Along with the offer to article comes the invitation to work as a summer student after second year of law school. The summer student position is optional and students are not obligated to accept it. However, many students find the summer student program to be a helpful introduction to the articling process.
The Partner responsible for articled clerks, together with our Director of Professional Development offer a comprehensive orientation and education program for articled clerks. Our focus is on the development of core competencies through education, experience, mentoring, coaching and observation.
To ensure that summer students and articled clerks utilize and benefit from Cox & Palmer’s extensive range of paper and electronic resources, our Librarian provides ongoing education and legal research seminars to ensure that you learn all the “tips and tricks” required to identify issues, research effectively, and produce thoughtful, well-written work. Summer students and articled clerks at Cox & Palmer will find their research and analytical abilities enhanced as a result of the sessions offered through our Library and Office of Professional Development.
We offer articled clerks and summer students a competitive salary. Articled clerks receive a benefits package, which includes a comprehensive health and dental plan, as well as life and disability insurance. Additional benefits include a study break prior to bar exams, payment of the Bar Admission Course fees, salary continuation while attending the Bar Admission Course, two weeks’ vacation during the articling year and a fitness club membership allowance. Summer students and articled clerks receive a car parking pass or reimbursement for public transit.