• Administrative Law
• Bankruptcy and Insolvency
• Charter/Constitutional Law
• Civil Litigation/Class Actions
• Construction Labour Law
• Criminal Defence
• Dispute Resolution
• Education Law
• Employment Law/Wrongful Dismissal
• Health Law
• Human Rights
• Inquests
• Interest Arbitration
• International Law
• Labour Law
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Pay and Employment Equity
• Pensions and Benefits
• Professional Discipline/Regulation
• Public Interest Law
• Workers' Compensation

Articling students, therefore gain experience in litigation and related legal work in a wide variety of practice areas and in a wide range of circumstances.

Our practice reaches across a broad spectrum of employment and social justice contexts and our clients include trade unions, professional associations of all sizes in both public and private sectors and provincial and federal jurisdictions, individual employees and organizations. Among those we represent are teachers, nurses and other health professionals, postal workers, communications workers, university faculty and staff, machinists, retail sales workers, public service employees, airline workers, lawyers and engineers. Our clients include individuals and organizations seeking justice in the workplace and in other areas of law. Back to Top

Our Lawyers

Several members of the firm are also involved in feminist legal practice. This area of the practice has included representing LEAF and other equality-seeking groups at the Supreme Court of Canada. Members of the firm have been involved in the ‘publication ban’ case, the ‘rape shield’ case, the ‘limitation periods and incest survivors case’ and, most recently, a case involving employment qualifications for firefighters. We have also worked on cases involving the rights of women prisoners and the disclosure of victim personal records in sexual assault cases. Back to Top

Our Unique Workplace

The Structure of the Articling Programme

• ensuring that the students’ work load is manageable
• ensuring that students are exposed to all of the firm’s lawyers and a broad cross-section of the firm’s work
• administering informal and formal evaluations and monitoring progress
• providing on-going and accessible support for students throughout the articling year
• coordinating informal meetings of the articling students to discuss issues of interest or concern to them
• coordinating social events Back to Top

Articling Student Duties

• direct client contact
• preparation of witnesses for hearings
• attendance at hearings with the lawyer who is conducting the case
• drafting correspondence, pleadings, and legal submissions
• performing research, frequently on novel points of law
• contact with opposing counsel

Students are frequently involved in a case from beginning to end and often become integrated into the case from top to bottom. Students do not merely shadow the lawyer on cases but take on their own responsibilities for file work. We are of the view that attending hearings with lawyers provides an important learning experience and direct exposure to lawyers’ styles and methods of practice. Students are encouraged to attend hearings where they have performed work on the matter and experience the satisfaction that comes with obtaining positive results. Occasionally opportunities arise for students to conduct parts of, or entire, hearings. Back to Top

Performance Evaluations

Articling is challenging and, for many people, a new and sometimes intimidating experience. Articling students are given a less formal initial evaluation approximately two to three months into their articles. The purpose of this brief evaluation is to reassure students that they are on track with the development of their skills and to provide the early identification of areas in which students feel they require more support. The Committee can then bring the firm’s resources to the assistance of students.

There is a formal performance evaluation at the mid-point in the articling year. Written evaluations are obtained from the lawyers with whom students have worked and the students then meet individually with the Student Committee to discuss the results. Once again students are provided with a valuable assessment of their areas of strength. Areas where students need more work are identified as are areas of practice where students simply have not been sufficiently exposed. The Committee then works with students to ensure that, by the completion of their term, they have achieved a well-rounded experience and have also been exposed to work that interests them.

A second formal performance evaluation is conducted at the completion of the articling term. Back to Top

Firm Resources

The firm has a group of lawyers specializing in research and written advocacy which provides the firm, including the articling students, with access to unparalleled research expertise. The presence of a top quality research department within the firm means that students are assured of access to research expertise resulting in a more positive working experience and honing of their own research skills.

The firm has an excellent group of support staff as well as a full-time law clerk who are also available to provide support for articling students. Back to Top

Remuneration

Hire Back

In addition to our solid record of growth from within, the firm has extensive connections in the community in which it practices. A review of current location of lawyers who articled with the firm in recent years reveals that they have obtained interesting and challenging employment, often with assistance from the firm. Examples include employment:

• at other law firms with practices similar to ours
• as in-house counsel to trade unions or professional organizations some of which are clients of the firm
• as counsel at the Human Rights Commission
• with university law faculties
• in policy positions with government or institutions
• with international NGOs Back to Top

This Year's Articling Students

Our 2008-2009 Articling Students:

Janet Borowy obtained her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and holds a M.A. in Political Science from York University. Janet is an experienced community organizer and union representative who has worked with public and private sector unionized and non-union workers. She has participated in numerous community coalitions and designed union campaigns and training sessions. While at law school, she was the recipient of the Sherrard Kuzz prize in Employment, Labour and Administrative Law. Janet was enrolled in the Osgoode Hall National Aboriginal Lands, Resources and Governments Intensive program where her research focused on issues faced by Aboriginal workers. Prior to law school, Janet researched and wrote extensively on the rise of precarious employment in the Canadian labour market. Janet has a special interest in international law, human rights and aboriginal rights.

Immanuel Lanzaderas obtained his J.D. from Queen's University and a B.A.(Hons) in French Literature and Political Science from the University of Toronto, St. Michael's College, where he won the Principal's Medal in 2005. While at Queen's, he was actively involved in Queen's Legal Aid as a caseworker and Pro Bono Students Canada, as part of their Small Claims Court Project. He also participated in the Society of Asians in Law, the Human Rights Unit, and organized a tennis round-robin tournament for students. He was a Dennis Marshall Award recipient for community and school involvement at Queen's. This past year, he helped form the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, a new organization for advocacy and professional development of legal professionals and students of Asian descent. Immanuel has a strong interest in labour law and has previously worked in unionized workplaces. Outside of the law, Immanuel’s interests include obscure indie bands, cooking, and photography.

Liam McHugh-Russell received his law degree from the University of Toronto. During his time there, he volunteered at the legal clinic representing clients on human rights, employment standards and criminal matters. He was also twice coordinator of the SPINLAW conference, a national student conference exploring the relationship between law and social justice. Outside of law school, he did activist training in the union movement, ran for federal office and helped organize for the rights of refugees and non-status people. He is currently editing a book written with other recent graduates exploring the International Labour Organization's fight against forced labour in Burma. Liam has a degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo, where he was a student union leader.

Ryan White is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School. During law school he received several academic awards, including class prizes in Torts and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Studies, and the Nick McCombie Prize for the best paper on the subject of workers’ rights. While at Osgoode Hall, Ryan spent time in the Workers’ Rights Division at Parkdale Community Legal Services and worked as a research assistant in the areas of access to justice and Aboriginal sovereignty. In addition, Ryan was a member of the York University Senate and Osgoode Hall’s Student Caucus. Throughout his studies Ryan volunteered with the Workers’ Action Centre. Before law school, Ryan was an executive member of the University of Guelph’s student union, the Central Student Association (CSA), where he was responsible for leading social justice campaigns and supervising the CSA’s human rights office.

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The Application Process

We follow the Law Society’s procedures governing articling recruitment by firms located in Toronto. We do not participate in the matching programme. Applications for the 2009-2010 Articling Term must be received by July 11, 2008. The firm will contact applicants to schedule interviews no earlier than July 25, 2008. Interviews will be held during the week of August 11, 2008.

Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton McIntyre & Cornish is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from women, members of racial minorities, aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation.

Applications should be sent to:

The Student Committee
Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton McIntyre & Cornish LLP
474 Bathurst Street, Suite 300
Toronto ON   M5T 2S6

Questions about the Articling Programme or the application process may be directed to either Tracey Henry or Patricia D'Heureux.

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Summer Student Programme

Applications for summer student positions will be accepted until Thursday, January 31st, 2008. We will be conducting our interviews and making hiring decisions in mid-February 2008.

Application packages should be directed to:

The Student Committee
Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton McIntyre & Cornish LLP
474 Bathurst Street, Suite 300
Toronto ON M5T 2S6

Application packages should include a covering letter, resume, undergraduate, graduate (if applicable) and law school transcripts, as well as reference letters and/or contacts for at least two references along with information about how we can contact your references in early February. If applications are submitted before your fall 2007 grades are available, please forward an updated transcript to us in January 2008 so that your application will be complete.

Any questions about the summer programme and the application process should be directed to Tracey Henry or Patricia D'Heureux.

Student Mentoring