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TDS ARTICLING STUDENT
PROGRAM
TDS Articling Student Program
General Information
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP has its offices at 201 Portage Avenue at the corner of Portage & Main. Our
approximately 88 lawyers are assisted by a staff of 100, including paralegals, legal assistants, accounting staff, title
searchers, systems operations, a marketing department, a librarian and personnel administrators.
Our firm maintains three full-time offices, including one located in Brandon and one in Portage la Prairie. We also
have four satellite offices in smaller communities around the province.
Our Objective
Our objective in hiring students is to identify individuals who will join the firm, initially as associates and, ultimately
becoming our partners. We hire students with the intention of developing them into excellent lawyers. The offers
extended to students to stay on with the firm as associates have historically reflected the firm’s objective to retain
students who will carry on the firm’s tradition of excellence. Our Marketing Department helps lawyers to build their
practice by offering a wide range of marketing and professional development support.
Areas of Practice
We serve a variety of small and large, local, national and international clients. The practice of law at TDS is diverse,
challenging and personally rewarding. Most of our lawyers restrict their practices to specific areas, while several carry
on very broad practices. Further information on our 25 areas of practice can be obtained from the Practice section of
our website.
The Articling Year
We provide our students with extensive practical experience and regular exposure to clients and to other lawyers so
that their legal and interpersonal skills can be appropriately developed and assessed. Each articling student is assigned
to a small group of lawyers for the year who act as “principals” and we aim to provide each student with principals
who practice in different fields. We believe that this is superior to a “rotation” system, as it allows articling students
better opportunities to build relationships with their principals and to maintain continuity with files. It also fosters a
collegial atmosphere among students. Mentorship is a key value during the articling year and beyond. We give students
an appropriate level of responsibility, and we ensure that they have the necessary assistance and support that is required
in order to properly complete the work that they have been assigned. Regular meetings are held among our students
and the firm’s Articling Committee to provide continual feedback with respect to performance, in addition to the
ongoing feedback received directly from principals. Our practice of open-door access to lawyers, which continues
long after the Call to the Bar, is just one feature of the firm’s collegial approach to the practice of law which is of great
benefit to students.
Students commence their articles in mid-June. We pay our articling students a salary which is competitive with other
large downtown Winnipeg firms. The fees for the CPLED program are paid by the firm, and the firm pays Law Society
practising fees and Call to the Bar fees for those students who are retained as associates. Our articling students are
entitled to participate in the firm’s group insurance benefits package, which includes health, dental and disability
insurance coverage.
TDS provides lawyers and students with access to a wide variety of research tools including our multi-floor library
and research area, online research tools such as Quicklaw, Carswell and others. TDS uses sophisticated document
management software and Client Relationship Management (CRM) software to provide quick and easy access to client
and research information.
TDS Articling Student Program
The Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) Course
Many of the lawyers in our firm participate in various segments of the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal
Education (“CPLED”) course, and we recognize the demanding nature of the course and its workload. We believe
that it is important to both the student and the firm that the student devotes the required time to the CPLED course
and the assignments. We consider attendance at the in-person segments to be compulsory, and we make every effort
to ensure that the student’s workload does not conflict with the requirements of the CPLED course.
Professional Development Training
Along with frequent in-house seminars, TDS encourages students to attend outside CLE programs, including
webinars, and pays the fees for such programs.
Number of Students
We are looking to hire 5 – 6 students for our Winnipeg office.
Our Firm Culture
One of the advantages of working with a large firm such as TDS, is that students benefit from having access to larger
and more sophisticated clients. Our transactions provide an opportunity to gain experience with matters involving
other Canadian jurisdictions and our Manitoba-exclusive membership with Lex Mundi extends our reach
internationally.
Certain myths exist among law students with respect to larger law firms, one being that larger firms are impersonal
organizations. This misconception ignores the fact that law firms are comprised of individuals, with differing interests
and personalities. The greater the number of individuals in the firm, the more interesting and well-balanced the firm
becomes. The lawyers in our firm are very approachable and make a conscious effort to provide any required assistance
to students. TDS students have access to a broad base of experience and expertise.
Although we do not deny that we (together with all other firms) expect our students to work hard, we have many
social, sporting and professional opportunities over the course of the year to get to know our lawyers. Our firm has
a team in the lawyers’ hockey and soccer leagues. As well, a significant number of the lawyers in the firm participate
in events such as the Manitoba Bar Association Golf Tournament, our own annual golf tournament, the Manitoba
Marathon, and in cultural endeavours such as the Manitoba Bar Association/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
fundraising plays and musicals. Our lawyers are active in the community as volunteers and board members of
organizations such as the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, the Winnipeg Humane
Society, the Rainbow Society, Rainbow Stage and the Family Centre of Winnipeg. Our firm also reflects the diversity
of our larger community. We have lawyers who are active in the Portuguese, Italian, Jewish, and Franco-Manitoban
communities.
Practice Building Support
During the first two years as associates, the primary focus is learning the practice of law. After two years from the
Call to the Bar, we encourage associates to start thinking about practice building. Initially the main focus is on internal
marketing with our partners, and over time associates place a greater focus on external marketing and business
development.
TDS Articling Student Program
TDS has an extensive range of marketing and business development tools and resources. This support is available to
all associates and can be customized to each associate’s needs. The goal is to provide all of the tools, resources and
support possible for every aspiring rainmaker.
Ask Us
One of the primary purposes of the process upon which you are about to embark is to ensure that you receive complete
and accurate information about the firms involved so that you can make an informed decision about where you would
prefer to article. For further information about articling with TDS, contact the Chair of the firm’s Articling
Committee, Lisa Stiver, 204.934.2375 or [email protected]. You can also visit our Facebook page by going to
http://www.facebook.com/TDSlaw.
Apply
To apply, please click here to fill out the application form. You will be required to submit your resume, cover letter,
undergraduate transcript and law school transcript in PDF format. We realize you may have marks outstanding from
your transcripts. Please upload what you have available as of this application.
We will also accept transcripts mailed to us or dropped off at one of our offices. Transcripts must arrive no later than
Friday, May 12th, 2017.
Transcripts can be mailed to:
Lisa Stiver
Student Committee Chair
201 Portage Avenue, Suite 2200
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3L3