Ottawa

With more than 750 lawyers, BLG is one of Canada’s largest firms, serving diverse clients in many practice areas. Approximately 95 lawyers work in our Ottawa office.

We typically hire eight summer and articling students for our litigation and business groups and four summer and two articling students for our IP group.

After the OCI, selected candidates will participate in an interview at our office, where you’ll meet with the Manager, Professional Recruting and two practising lawyers.

At that time, you’ll have an opportunity to tour the firm, speak with our lawyers and current students, and get a feel for the office culture.

Finalists will be invited to a social event, such as a lunch or dinner, where you’ll meet a larger group of associates and partners.

We were Canada’s first law firm to introduce game-based assessment in our recruitment process. This innovative recruitment tool gives us an objective way to help understand our candidate’s natural strengths and preferences, and helps us remove bias and create a level playing field for all candidates. We also provide unconscious bias training to everyone involved in recruitment.

We recruit from law schools across Canada, with the goal of building our firm over the long term. Regardless of where you grew up or went to school, if you want to establish your law career in Ottawa, we want to hear from you.

Our students receive salary and benefits competitive with large Ottawa firms.

Summer students generally start before the Victoria Day weekend in May and stay for 13 weeks. Articling students start the day after the Civic Holiday in August for 44 weeks, and receive 10 vacation days.

We want students who:

• have the potential to grow into associates and then partners
• have solid leadership and entrepreneurial skills in addition to strong academic achievements
• possess sound judgment and excellent oral and written communication skills (bilingualism is an asset, but not required)
• have exciting, fulfilling interests outside their career ambitions

In short, we look for exceptional people.

Yes. Each summer and articling student is assigned a mentor. Every articling student is also assigned a principal responsible for signing off on your articles. Many students also develop rewarding mentor relationships with other legal professionals in the firm.

In your first week, you’ll learn about the firm and become familiar with its systems during orientation. As a summer student, you’ll attend weekly seminars led by lawyers in a variety of practice areas.

Articling students attend regular professional development training sessions to increase knowledge on topics such as preparing for trial, mediations and settlements, and to improve important practice-related skills (i.e., drafting, business development and practice management).

We offer a summer program designed to provide students with direct and in-depth involvement in the Business/Litigation and Intellectual Property departments.

You’ll receive assignments in two ways: through email and directly from lawyers as you develop relationships and specific interests within the firm.

Yes. Our professionals volunteer regularly as pro bono counsel for people who could not otherwise access legal services. You’ll have the opportunity to work on pro bono projects and cases in a variety of practice areas.

Summer students receive one formal evaluation; articling students get two. You can also ask your mentor and other lawyers for informal feedback at any time during an assignment.

Summer students can always rely on their mentors for guidance and support. Articling students can turn to both their mentors and principals.

The Manager, Professional Recruiting meets with all students regularly, both one-on-one and in groups, to check in, answer questions and monitor work allocation.

We provide all the resources of a large national law firm: IT services, corporate and library services, a copy centre and facilities support.

You’ll be invited to a wide variety of social events, some specifically for law students and their mentors and principals, and others celebrated firm-wide, such as department socials and the annual holiday gala.

Our workforce and clientele reflect Ottawa’s multicultural community. We have established:

• a National Diversity and Inclusion Council
• diversity-related training sessions
• name pronunciation resources, including audio clips attached to BLG bios
• affinity groups to foster mutual support for religious, cultural and social communities within BLG
• monthly diversity bulletins for sharing information
• a diversity calendar highlighting cultural and religious observances
• programs to retain and advance our women professionals
• the gathering and review of statistics on retention, leadership and advancement of our professionals
• seminars and social events for our women professionals

We also support initiatives and organizations such as:

• the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers
• the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada
• Pride at Work events

We are also signatories of:

• the Catalyst Accord
• the Justicia Projects of regional law societies of Québec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia
• the Canadian Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network