If you’re looking for a student experience that is stimulating, challenging and rewarding, consider joining our team.
We invite you to submit your application online.
Our current and incoming students are your best source for information. We encourage you to reach out to them directly to learn more.
If you have specific questions, please email our student recruitment team directly:
Visit the pages below to learn more about our summer, articling and stagiaire programs, including application tips and answers to some FAQs.
For students entering their first year of law school, learn more about our virtual law school mentorship program.
Why Davies?
Generalist approach
We develop well-rounded lawyers. There’s no need to narrow your focus when you’re starting your career.
Flexible path
You get to explore a variety of practice areas based on your interests.
Learn by doing
You’ll gain hands-on experience – and real responsibility – from day one.
Minimal hierarchy
You’ll work alongside lawyers and across disciplines as you help to achieve the best client outcomes.
Collaborative spirit
You’ll be part of a cooperative, collegial culture.
Merit is everything
We don’t set competitive targets based on billable hours. If you’re talented and do great work, we have a place for you.
The six key reasons for joining our student program reflect the values that define Davies and the people who work here:
Well-rounded v. narrow
Agile v. inflexible
Hands-on v. theoretical
Collegial v. hierarchical
Collaborative v. solo acts
Qualitative v. quantitative
If our values align with yours, we hope you’ll take the next step: apply to join our diverse, multi-talented team.
What we look for
We’ve built Davies into one of Canada’s – and the world’s – leading law firms by bringing together passionate, creative problem solvers: people with a deep commitment to excellence and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We are fearless in approach and methodical in execution, taking our clients’ issues as seriously as they do. Excellence isn’t a talking point for us. It’s our starting point.
To begin with, you must be highly motivated. You have excellent communication skills and a fierce attention to detail. You have also demonstrated an ability to tackle complex problems – along with a talent for finding innovative, sometimes unexpected solutions.
Beyond these fundamentals, there’s no single model for the kind of student who thrives here. We’re interested in people who will enrich and strengthen our firm with their diverse experiences, achievements and personal stories. Over the years, students with remarkably varied educational backgrounds have launched successful careers with us.
Educational backgrounds
Navigating complex client problems
Approaching problems in law with analytical precision
Analyzing themes and devising solutions
Recognizing client motivations to drive decision-making
Understanding industry trends in pursuit of client success
Connecting complex concepts to exceed client expectations
Humanizing the client experience through effective communication
More about joining us
From day one, you’ll do meaningful client-facing work – just as you will as a young lawyer. Taking responsibility for assignments from start to finish, you’ll develop close working relationships with colleagues and clients while gaining valuable insights and hands-on experience.
Your intellectual curiosity doesn’t follow a fixed schedule, and neither do our programs. We don’t have a dispatcher who assigns work because we have no preconceived notions about what students can or can’t do. In our Toronto office, we recommend a five-month Corporate rotation along with exposure to at least one other practice during articling. But in both Toronto and Montréal, our approaches are flexible by design. In our open-door culture, you’re welcome to accept and request work from any lawyer as you expand your knowledge and skills.
We see you not as a student but as a future Davies lawyer. So we make it a top priority to support you. After an intensive orientation, you’ll participate in training sessions as well as our Davies Academy program. And you’ll be learning constantly on the job.
You’ll be paired with a mentor who’s responsible for helping you integrate into the firm. You can count on them for ongoing advice and guidance throughout your development. And beyond this formal program, you’ll find that open doors and helpful conversations are a hallmark of our firm.
We value the relationships we foster with clients and professional contacts. Equally important are the personal connections you’ll forge within our firm. As a student, you’ll build strong working relationships and lasting friendships. We have frequent team lunches and cocktail hours, as well as special events like wine tastings, barbecues, sporting events and small group dinners hosted by various partners. Our close-knit firm is drawn together by shared values and a friendly, collegial culture. We want you to feel part of it.
In our firm, students aren’t evaluated using quantitative metrics such as billable hours. We gauge your abilities and achievements in terms of the quality of work you complete and the creativity you bring to it. Just as important, we assess your communication and interpersonal skills, along with your judgment and sense of responsibility. We’re looking for people
who mesh with our team as we pursue our ultimate goal: meeting clients’ needs while exceeding their expectations.
At the same time, feedback goes both ways. As we work to deliver our best, we count on our students to tell us where they feel we’re succeeding – and where we may have opportunities to improve.
Being a lawyer is not a 9-to-5 job. We’re in the service business, and the cycle of client activity has peaks and valleys that we all learn to manage. Being responsive to client demands is our highest priority. We focus on producing quality work and meeting deadlines, not on hours logged. Everyone here is a team player ‒ we pitch in but don’t feel pressure to stay once the work is done.
Both collectively and individually, we pursue community service and pro bono initiatives throughout the year. We also support lawyers who teach courses, publish papers and speak at law and business conferences – activities that enrich us personally as practitioners while contributing to the profession and to the broader public conversation on legal issues.
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