The Canadian Section is for NALP members with a particular interest in Canadian legal education, Canadian law school career services, and issues surrounding legal employment and admission to the bar in Canada.
Join Section Group on NALPconnect
2019-20 Section Chair: Julie Banting, Queen's University Faculty of Law, jbanting@queensu.ca
July 2019 Board Report (PDF)
Work Groups:
Strategic Planning
Collect feedback and prepare a memorandum to the Board of Directors highlighting strategic goals for the Section and its subject matter and/or area of interest.
Canadian Directory of Legal Employers (CDLE)
Continue to market CDLE to employers who have yet to sign up, particularly employers in rural, western Canadian regions and among small and mid-sized firms. Continue to monitor and track membership and usage of the CDLE.
Diversity Working Group
Next Canadian Diversity Summit will be in late 2019.
Mid-Winter Meeting
Develop content, arrange speakers, and coordinate logistics with NALP staff for the End of Year Canadian Section Meeting.
National Recruitment Survey
Collect feedback on the structured summer and articling law student recruitment processes in major urban centers across Canada to improve the recruitment experience of law students and legal employers.
Collaborate with the Summer and Articling Work Group to identify best practices in the design and implementation of future surveys.
On-Campus Interview Advisory Group
Coordinate national OCI schedule on an ongoing basis, with input from both law schools and employers, with representation across regions.
Industry Data Collection
Continue to identify and assess where the working group may partner with the NALP Foundation to secure Canadian data. Continue to profile and encourage participation where NALP has an existing survey. Current focus is the open School Salary Survey.
Summer & Articling Recruitment - Toronto
Continue to revise, as needed, the “NALP Best Practices Recruitment Guide” for Summer and Articling Recruitment for regions throughout Canada and the “NALP Summary of Best Practices.” Provide feedback to the Law Society of Ontario on Recruitment Procedures and suggest improvements where warranted. Set viLawPortal electronic application service dates for students and employers in markets across Canada and report dates to Section.
Monitor developments in articling alternatives (e.g., experiential learning curriculum at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Law Practice Program). Review documentation provided as part of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Dialogue on Licensing. Provide feedback to the Law Society by gathering key issues and concerns regarding potential amendments to the licensing process in Ontario and making a formal written submission to convey issues and concerns.
Vancouver Summer & Articling Recruitment
Provide both employers and law students with guidance regarding the Vancouver Bar Association’s guidelines with respect to interviews for regular and summer articles. Just like the Toronto SAWG, we do so through a “Best Practices” document. Set viLawPortal electronic application service dates for students and employers in local markets and report dates to Section.
2018-19 Section Chair: Danica Steadman, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, danica.steadman@gowlingwlg.com
April 2019 Board Report (PDF)
February 2019 Board Report (PDF)
July 2018 Board Report (PDF)
November 2018 Board Report (PDF)
Work Groups:
Summer & Articling Recruitment - Ontario
Continue to revise, as needed, the “NALP Best Practices Recruitment Guide” for Summer and Articling Recruitment for regions throughout Canada and the “NALP Summary of Best Practices.” Provide feedback to the Law Society of Ontario on Recruitment Procedures and suggest improvements where warranted.
Set viLawPortal electronic application service dates for students and employers in markets across Canada and report dates to Section.
Monitor developments in articling alternatives (e.g., experiential learning curriculum at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Law Practice Program). Review documentation provided as part of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Dialogue on Licensing. Provide feedback to the Law Society by gathering key issues and concerns regarding potential amendments to the licensing process in Ontario and making a formal written submission to convey issues and concerns.
Summer & Articling Recruitment - Vancouver
Provide both employers and law students with guidance regarding the Vancouver Bar Association’s guidelines with respect to interviews for regular and summer articles through a “Best Practices” document. Set viLawPortal electronic application service dates for students and employers in local markets and report dates to Section.
Canadian Directory of Legal Employers (CDLE)
Continue to market CDLE to employers who have yet to sign up, particularly employers in rural, western Canadian regions and among small and mid-sized firms.
Continue to monitor and track membership and usage of the CDLE.
Diversity Working Group
Next Canadian Diversity Summit will be in late 2019.
Mid-Winter Meeting
Develop content, arrange speakers, and coordinate logistics with NALP staff for the End of Year Canadian Section Meeting.
National Recruitment Survey
Collect feedback on the structured summer and articling law student recruitment processes in major urban centers across Canada to improve the recruitment experience of law students and legal employers.
Collaborate with the Summer and Articling Work Group to identify best practices in the design and implementation of future surveys.
On-Campus Interview Advisory Group
Coordinate national OCI schedule on an ongoing basis, with input from both law schools and employers, with representation across regions.
Industry Data Collection
Continue to identify and assess where the working group may partner with the NALP Foundation to secure Canadian data.
Continue to profile and encourage participation where NALP has an existing survey.
Current focus is the open School Salary Survey.
2017-18 Section Chair: Maryanne Forrayi, University of Calgary Faculty of Law, forrayim@ucalgary.ca
April 2018 Board Report (PDF)
February 2018 Board Report (PDF)
November 2017 Board Report (PDF)
July 2017 Board Report (PDF)
Work Groups:
Summer & Articling Recruitment
Continue to revise, as needed, the “Best Practices Recruitment Guide” for Summer and Articling Recruitment for regions throughout Canada. Continue to share emerging information regarding electronic applications that take hold in the Canadian market.
Review Report of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Taskforce on Articling, update Section on the report, consider implications of pilot law practice program (LPP).
Monitor implementation of LPP and report back to Section. Monitor other developments in articling alternatives (e.g., experiential learning curriculum at Lakehead U. in Thunder Bay).
Canadian Directory of Legal Employers (CDLE)
Continue to market CDLE to employers who have yet to sign up, particularly employers in rural, western Canadian regions and among small and mid-sized firms.
Continue to monitor and track membership and usage of the CDLE.
Diversity
Plan and present 4th annual Canadian Diversity Conference.
End of Year Canadian Section Meeting (formerly known as Toronto Winter Meeting)
Develop content, arrange speakers, and coordinate logistics with NALP staff for the End of Year Canadian Section Meeting.
NALPconnect/Bulletin/Annual Education Conference Planning
Through Bulletin articles and RFPs for conference presentations, share innovative Canadian employer and school initiatives designed to manage employment start dates, improve diversity and cut costs of interviewing and recruitment events; share pertinent information with NALP concerning Canadian key recruitment dates and holidays in order to prevent scheduling conflicts with other NALP events; encourage members to use NALPconnect to share pertinent resources and information, including trends with Canadian Section.
National Recruitment Survey Working Group
Collect feedback on the structured summer and articling law student recruitment processes in major urban centers across Canada to improve the recruitment experience of law students and legal employers.
Collaborate with the Summer and Articling Work Group to identify best practices in the design and implementation of future surveys.
On-Campus Interview Advisory Group
Coordinate national OCI schedule on an ongoing basis, with input from both law schools and employers, with representation across regions.
Industry Data Collection Working Group
Continue to assess whether the US NALP attrition survey can include Canadian data and whether to implement a Canadian NALP member survey.
2016-17 Section Chair: Lynn Iding, McInnes Cooper
April 2017 Board Report (PDF)
February 2017 Board Report (PDF)
November 2016 Board Report (PDF)
July 2016 Board Report (PDF)
2015-16 Section Chair: Stacy Keehn, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (Common Law)
April 2016 Board Report (PDF)
February 2016 Board Report (PDF)
November 2015 Board Report (PDF)
July 2015 Board Report (PDF)
2014-15 Section Chair: Leann Beggs, Gowling LaFleur Henderson LLP
April 2015 Board Report (PDF)
February 2015 Board Report (PDF)
November 2014 Board Report (PDF)
July 2014 Board Report (PDF)
2013-14 Section Chair: Jennifer Lau, University of British Columbia Faculty of Law
2012-2013 Summer Articling Best Practices Guide (PDF)
April 2014 Board Report (PDF)
February 2014 Board Report (PDF)
November 2013 Board Report (PDF)
July 2013 Board Report (PDF)
2012-2013 Section Chair: Marketta Jokinen, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
April 2013 Board Report (PDF)
February 2013 Board Report (PDF)
November 2012 Board Report (PDF)
July 2012 Board Report (PDF)
2011-2012 Section Chair: Michelle Gage, Norton Rose OR LLP
April 2012 Board Report (PDF)
Diversity Working Group Response to CBA Draft (PDF)
February 2012 Board Report (PDF)
November 2011 Board Report (PDF)
July 2011 Board Report (PDF)
2010-2011 Section Chair: Terri Karpish, University of Saskatchewan College of Law
November 2010 Board Report (PDF)
2010 Best Practices Guide for Toronto Summer and Articling Recruitment Activities (PDF)
July 2010 Board Report (PDF)
2009-2010 Section Chair: Kara Sutherland, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP
April 2010 Board Report (PDF)
February 2010 Board Report (PDF)
November 2009 Board Report (PDF)
July 2009 Board Report (PDF)
2008-09 Section Chair: Lisa Blair, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law
March 2009 Board Report - PDF
February 2009 Board Report - PDF
July 2008 Board Report - PDF
2007-08 Section Chair: Chantal Morton, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
July 2007 Board Report - PDF
November 2007 Board Report - PDF
February 2008 Board Report - PDF
April 2008 Board Report - PDF
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