Make It Matter
You’re becoming a lawyer because you want to make a difference. You want to have a positive impact on the lives of people who, on their own, might not have a strong voice, or any voice at all, in the Canadian justice system. And you want to see that the results of your efforts are tangible and lasting – changing society for the better.
Through the Summer and Articling Student programs at Koskie Minsky, you can make your aspirations a reality. Every day, you will be working directly with many of the country’s most accomplished lawyers in their fields, representing groups ranging from labour unions, employees, pensioners and investors to injured patients and institutional abuse survivors. You’ll get hands-on experience participating actively in every aspect of a matter, including research, drafting, client meetings, discoveries, witness preparation and attendance at trials and hearings; and you’ll have (supervised) responsibility for substantive legal work and file management, allowing you to develop the professional and practical skills that will form the groundwork of your career.
Our mid-sized firm, located in the heart of Toronto’s downtown core, is unique in its service offerings and client base. Originally founded in 1981 as a small union-side labour boutique, Koskie Minsky’s progressive social justice values have guided its growth. Today, our four pillar practices are: union-side labour, plaintiff-side class actions, pensions/benefits and commercial litigation, and each work in tandem with one another. We are passionate driven advocates looking for future colleagues who will thrive doing challenging work in this exceptionally collaborative and engaging environment.
Hear It First Hand
Some of our recent Articling Students share the highlights of their student experience:
- “The most fulfilling and meaningful assignments I have taken on as a student involved getting hands-on experience on all aspects of a file. On one particular assignment, I got the opportunity to conduct the initial legal research, review documents, prepare witnesses, meet the client and the grievors, attend multiple days of hearings, and work directly with the partner on the file. I was able to oversee the file’s development and in turn saw my own legal education progress over the course of the matter.”
- “During my articling year, I got to assist in drafting submissions for an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court on an employment law case. I was given the first stab at drafting our factum. It went through a lot of edits, and I learned a ton from working with great lawyers in crafting our arguments. It felt like I was part of something big.”
- “As a summer student, one of my favourite experiences was helping class members complete applications to receive their portion of the settlement funds in our Huronia case. Huronia was a class action against the Provincial government where we represented former residents of a residential institution for people with developmental disabilities who experienced abuse. It was really rewarding for me to meet with the class members one-on-one and help them tell their stories.”
- “I’ve had quite a few of my own small claims files and attending motions before Masters and Judges by myself. This is valuable litigation experience that’s rare at bigger firms.”
- “I attended at several consent and ex parte motions before Masters and opposed motions before the Small Claims Court. Other opportunities to get on my feet included Small Claims Court settlement conferences and damage assessment hearings.”
- “I had the opportunity to interview class members for both the Schools for the Deaf and the Motherisk class actions. The chance to work directly with vulnerable people on these meaningful files was awesome.”
To learn more about what it’s like to be a student at Koskie Minsky, feel free to contact any of our current Articling Students or junior Associates:
Padraigin Murphy
University of Toronto ’17
pmurphy@kmlaw.ca
David Ragni
University of Windsor ’17
dragni@kmlaw.ca
Janeta Zurakowski
Western University ’17
jzurakowski@kmlaw.ca
Rob Alfieri
Western University ’17
ralfieri@kmlaw.ca
Lauren Tarasuk
Lakehead University ’16
ltarasuk@kmlaw.ca
Amy Tang
University of Toronto ’15
atang@kmlaw.ca
How Our Programs Are Structured
Summer
Koskie Minsky typically hires four to five Summer Students for the period from May through August. Summer Students are not committed to any particular practice and have the opportunity to work in all areas. We encourage our summer students to have as broad of an experience as possible and get involved in a variety of diverse matters and projects. Most of our Articling Students have worked as Summer Students at our Firm.
Articling
Koskie Minsky’s Articling Student program currently provides employment for four to five Students each year, with two Students dedicated to two of our practice areas over the Articling term: Labour, Pensions, Litigation, and Class Actions.
In addition, our Firm has recently participated in Ryerson’s Law Practice Program (LPP) by employing a Student from that program in January for a four-month term.
Candidates for Summer Student and Articling Student positions are expected to demonstrate strong academic performance and have a keen interest in advocacy. We place great weight on our personal interviews with applicants.
Koskie Minsky’s Articling positions are unionized with C.U.P.E., Local 1281. The collective agreement offers a very competitive wage and benefit package comparable to larger firms.
Contact
Please direct all student inquiries to:
Sara Starr
Student Program Coordinator
beastudent@kmlaw.ca
