Summer and Articling Programs - Overview

BLG offers summer and articling programs designed to provide students with the opportunity to choose a practice area that's right for you.

We help you make this choice by offering national opportunities, local presence and student-oriented programs.

National Opportunities

Students at BLG benefit from working in one of Canada's largest law firms. Our expertise in all core areas of law and our offices in six major Canadian cities afford opportunities for multiple career paths and a measure of mobility to both students and professionals.

Local Presence

Even before our merger in March 2000, all of BLG's founding firms were leaders in their own communities. We do not have a head office - each of our offices operate at a local level, as opposed to operating as the small regional office of a large national firm.

Whether you choose to work in our Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver or Waterloo Region office, you will be working in a recognized firm with a strong local presence.

Student-Oriented Programs

We recognize that, as a student finishing law school, you may not know which area of law interests you the most. That's okay. We don't ask you to make a choice up front.

BLG's summer, articling, and professional excellence programs are designed to help you sample a variety of practice areas. By exploring these areas, you will develop an appreciation for the way lawyers come together in multi-disciplinary teams to service clients' needs.

A firm as large and diverse as BLG lets you build a strong foundation in many different areas of law. As you develop your own expertise and interests, BLG will help you explore them in depth.

Career Flexibility

Exposure to the depth and breadth of practice areas at BLG, together with options such as split summers, client secondments and office exchanges, can help you make an informed choice regarding your path at BLG.

In addition, those of you considering clerking opportunities might like to know that BLG fully supports our students in broadening their experience and skills through clerkships.

Work Experience

At BLG, you will gain hands on experience and learn from lawyers with diverse backgrounds. BLG professionals play pivotal roles within Canada’s leading corporations, public institutions and not-for-profit organizations. Both articling and summer students have the opportunity to gain a broad range of business experience within a variety of legal practice areas across different types of organizations covering regional, national and international files.

To review BLG’s list of practice areas, click here.

To review a listing of recent and notable deals, suits and cases, click here.

During your articles at BLG individual lawyers assign work directly to you. There is no centralized work distribution system at BLG as one of the key purposes of the program is to help students learn first hand how to manage time and prioritize assignments and competing demands. However, we recognize as a student you may require assistance and guidance. Supervisors are therefore required to meet regularly with their students to discuss assignments and assist with workload management.

In today's business world, everyone struggles to manage the competing demands of work, home, family and friends. We understand these challenges. As such you will benefit from the tools and resources in place at BLG to help you to maintain control and design for yourself the right balance between an active life and a successful career.

All students have complete access to BLG resources including technology tools and systems, office services, word processing, translation and BLG libraries. Student Co-ordinators and experienced administrative assistants work collaboratively with our Directors of Recruitment and articling students to oversee all aspects of resourcing and support.