Law clerks play an essential role in the practice of law in Canada. They may prepare documents, perform research, and provide an essential point of connection between lawyers or between a lawyer and client.
Qualifications typically required for law clerks include a law clerk certification from an accredited institution, time management, and communication skills, and the ability to work well both on a team and on individual projects.
Here are just a few of the law clerk opportunities currently available in the greater Toronto area.
1. Corporate Law Clerk
Corporate law clerks focus on business and corporate legal matters. They may spend their day drafting documents like incorporations, amendments, amalgamations, dissolution, and continuances. They may draft other corporate or business documents as well. Working with clients and other lawyers, as well as the ability to organize information quickly, are essential.
2. Litigation Law Clerk
For those who entered the legal field out of an interest in courtroom trials and similar dispute-resolution methods, working as a litigation law clerk may be ideal.
These law clerks typically support lawyers who engage in various forms of litigation. Like corporate law clerks, they spend time drafting various documents. Here, those documents tend to be related to the litigation process and include correspondence, pleadings, motions, affidavits of documents, and similar required items. A litigation law clerk may also attend examinations, hearings, and trials and otherwise assist lawyers when needed.
3. Plaintiff Law Clerk
As law clerks advance in their careers, they develop skills in certain practice areas. For instance, a law clerk who works in litigation may develop skills that are ideal for working as a plaintiff law clerk on behalf of those seeking to file suit against another party.
These law clerks also produce documents like statements of claim, trial records, and client correspondence. They handle pleadings, motions, and other items that must be filed with the court and/or distributed to parties in a case. As with other legal jobs, strong communication skills, good time management and the ability to work both on a team and independently are a must.
Ready For Next Steps?
At Kent Legal, our recruiters help connect law clerks to some of the best jobs and employers in Toronto and surrounding areas. If you’re looking for a new job or the next step on your career path, contact us today.