Thinking about articling in Canada? Learn how to look for a possible placement, win interviews, and build the skills firms want from day one
Articling in Canada is where law school meets real life: beyond casebooks, you handle actual clients and their legal problems. To help current law students plan for this crucial period in their careers, this article explains the basics of articling, shows how it works in one province, and offers practical advice to make the transition easier.
What is articling in Canada?
Articling is part of the lawyer licensing process in Canada, where you work under a supervising lawyer for a set period. Your law society requires this step and also sets the rules for:
- requirements before you can do articling in Canada
- the exemptions, which in limited cases allow you to skip articling
- what to do during or after articling, and policies that apply
While articling in Canada helps you get practical experience before you are licensed, law firms also use it to identify future associates and decide who should be hired back. That is why it makes sense to look for a strong articling environment and to treat the role as a serious audition.
Hear more from past articling students for more tips on how to apply, do the interviews, and the articling itself:
Current and future law students can prepare for law school by checking out our complete guide to law schools in Canada.
Example: Articling in Ontario
To get a picture of how articling works, let's look at the specific steps and details of the articling process run by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO). Here are the things to take note of when applying for an articling placement in Ontario:
- term: must be at least eight months, but not longer than 10, starting after you complete your JD or LLB, or receive your NCA Certificate of Qualification
- types: aside from the full-time position, articling placements can be:
- joint: where a student serves two principals at the same time
- part-time: but must still be continuous and comply with the required term
- national: when articling is done in another Canadian province or territory
- international: when articling is completed outside of Canada
- fees: payment of $2,800 is required within 10 business days of starting your articling placement
- records: you must submit a Start of Placement Record within 10 days before starting articling, and an End of Placement Record within 10 days when it ends
Policies when articling in Ontario
As an articling student, you must abide by some policies set by the LSO during your articling placement. Below is the summary of these policies:
- time off: you are allowed 10 business days off during your articling placement without affecting the required term; if you exceed the 10-day limit, the extra days must be added to the end of your term
- exam study: you are also entitled to seven business days (within your 10 business days off) as exam study days when you're preparing for your solicitor or barrister licensing examination, including the day of the exam
- withdrawal by principal: if your principal cannot fulfill their articling commitment, they are responsible for helping you find an alternative placement
- termination: if the articling placement is terminated either by you, your employer, or by mutual agreement, it will be your responsibility to look for another placement
- placement changes: the following must be reported to the LSO:
- if your placement was withdrawn, terminated, or changed from full-time to part-time
- if your principal has changed
- if you will take a leave of absence
Where can I find articling jobs in Canada?
Many students plan ahead for articling because it is the first time they practise law for an extended period just before becoming full‑fledged lawyers, beyond the usual law student summer jobs.
Commonly, you can find articling jobs in Canada through the following types of workplaces:
- private practice, such as law firms and boutiques
- government offices, including the prosecution
- corporate legal departments
- law societies, plus the Canadian Bar Association (CBA)
- legal aid clinics and not‑for-profit organizations
We'll discuss these options below.
Law firms and boutiques
Law firms of all sizes are still the go-to employers for articling in Canada. Within these law firms, articling programs can either be full‑service, subject‑specific like litigation, or focused on certain regions or client types.
There are many ways to look for available articling posts in law firms:
- directly asking peers and lawyers
- getting a summer job, and hoping to be offered an articling position
- searching directories of lawyers and law firms
We'll discuss them one by one below.
Lexpert's lawyer directories
Our sister publication, Lexpert, maintains a directory of leading lawyers and law firms in Canada, which can be filtered by practice area, province or territory, and city. This can help you find articling opportunities near you, and narrow down firms that fit the practice areas you want to focus on.
Canadian Lawyer's Special Reports and Careers pages
You can also check Canadian Lawyer's Special Reports, which lists the different top law firms and companies from different industries, which list leading law firms and companies across industries that may offer articling jobs in Canada. Just like Lexpert's directories, these Special Reports are also tagged per practice area and province, helping you look for specific establishments to apply for.
In addition, Canadian Lawyer's Career page is updated regularly and may include current articling postings from different employers. Check out this video of one of the top personal injury boutiques as ranked by Canadian Lawyer, which has one of the outstanding mentorship programs for articling students:
More articles for lawyers and law students can be found in our Professional Regulation page, including updates from law societies and law schools across Canada.
Government offices
The federal government's Job Bank is a useful resource for articling roles and can be filtered by province or territory. Other examples of federal and provincial government offices offering articling in Canada include:
- Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) and its regional offices
- Alberta Justice's articling programs under the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) stream and Legal Services Division (LSD) Civil positions
- British Columbia's articling student programs for its Ministry's Legal Services Branch (LSB) and BC Prosecution Service (BCPS)
- Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice and Attorney General
Law societies
Law societies also maintain their own job centres or job registries, where you can find articling placements. Employers such as law firms and other legal organizations can also post job opportunities on these sites. One example is LSO's Job Registry where you can look for possible articling placements in Ontario.
CBA Career Centres
The CBA posts job opportunities for both lawyers and articling students in their Career Centre. In addition, you can check the provincial and territorial branches of the CBA for a more intentional job search. Here are some of links to the Career Centres of provincial bar associations:
Legal clinics and not-for-profits
Check out these legal clinics and not-for-profit organizations that are looking for articling students:
- Canadian Hispanic Bar Association (CHBA): this Toronto-based human rights and fundamental freedoms organization regularly hires articling students
- Legal Aid Ontario (LAO): the LAO posts job opportunities within and outside the organization, including possible articling jobs in Ontario
- Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF): this women's organization usually hires a Public Interest Articling Fellow for its Toronto office
How can I prepare when looking for articling jobs?
Here are some key points that can help you in landing your first articling position in Canada:
- start planning early: as early as 1L in law school, ask how articling works through your law school's career services, your peers, and other advisers
- cast a wide net across employers and practice areas: apart from Bay Street firms, you can also explore small and mid‑sized firms and other organizations that need legal help
- use summer and part‑time work to your advantage: many firms expect articling students to have worked with them as summer students first, and this experience is valuable on your résumé
Articling in Canada: Preparing for a critical time for a law student
Articling in Canada is a key time to test your interests, build your habits, and see how real files and cases move. With planning, feedback, and the right mentors, it becomes less about fear and more about growth. What matters now is having a plan for how you will handle that change, especially when it is time to apply for articling placements.
Bookmark our Legal Education page for more news, articles, and updates for Canadian legal professionals, including resources on articling in Canada for law students.
