Student Programs

The Blakes Montréal office recruits articling students during the Course aux stages. The dates and parameters of this process are set out in the Entente de recrutement.

Students who accept an articling position with the Montréal office can also work full-time during the summers prior to articling. 

Students may also work part-time during the school year, and many get to go on secondment in the legal department of a Blakes client.

The summer programs do not have rotations. During their summers, students can work with lawyers in all our practice areas, which include: 

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Corporate & Commercial
• Capital Markets
• Securities
• Financial Services
• Information Technology
• Intellectual Property
• Commercial Real Estate
• Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Tax
• Infrastructure
• Environment
• Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation
• Employment & Labour
• Restructuring & Insolvency

Articles last six months in Quebec. During this time, articling students work closely with lawyers and partners in many of our areas of expertise. The articling program is divided into three rotations, each lasting two months. One rotation is spent working with the Corporate, Tax, Technology, Commercial Real Estate and Financial Services groups and another with the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Employment & Labour groups. 

Articling students select the focus of their third and final rotation based on their interests and the needs of each practice group.

Blakes is committed to mentoring and supporting young talent. We put careful thought and consideration into our mentorship programs. Through formal and informal mentorship, our students benefit from the guidance and experience of more senior members of the Firm from day one. 

In addition to weekly meetings with their principal (a supervisor for the term), each student is assigned a mentor, usually a partner or senior associate. Each student is also assigned a “buddy,” a more junior associate who has worked as a summer and articling student at Blakes. Together, the principal, mentor and buddy ensure students are integrated into the group, receive interested and varied assignments, and progress well. 

There is a strong culture of learning at Blakes. We believe that training our people and providing continuing education are key to our success. Students benefit from a comprehensive professional development program throughout their time with the Firm, in addition to their orientation program.

Upon arrival at the Montréal office, students attend a two-week orientation that introduces them to our offices, resources and the type of work done in our different practice areas.

Articling students complete a week of training at the beginning of their articles. Many of the sessions complement and dive deeper into topics covered during the summer program and prepare students for the type of work they will do during their articles. Sessions are also offered on topics such as diversity and inclusion, time management and business writing.

Our goal in the feedback and evaluation process is to help each student develop their skills as lawyers in training.

Summer students receive informal feedback throughout their term and participate in a formal evaluation process at the end of the summer. Formal feedback comes from legal professionals who can evaluate each student’s work performance. The feedback is then discussed with each student in a performance review meeting with their principal.

During the articling term, we meet with each articling student more formally to review their performance and provide feedback. These formal evaluations take place shortly after the first rotation and toward the end of articles.