Your Interests

Your interests shape your experience at Fasken Martineau.

As part of our collaborative approach, we consult with our students prior to their arrival at the firm to discuss their goals and objectives. Student programs can be tailored to match each student's expectations and interests. Summer students have the opportunity to gain experience in a variety of areas or can choose to focus on an area of specific interest. Articling students have the freedom to choose rotations during the articling term. This flexibility also allows you deeper involvement with the files that you are working on. Under the guidance of experienced lawyers and staff, you will improve your drafting problem solving, negotiation and oral advocacy skills.

Fasken Martineau has sizeable documentary resources to support the research work of the Montréal and Québec City articling students and law students. Our primary mission is to deliver the best information within tight deadlines required by the practice of law for a business clientele. 

Arranged over two floors, our Montréal office library is a comfortable place to work in and very conducive to research. Computers are available for articling students and law students. Our collection is accessed through our computerized catalogue and we have a panoply of data banks designed to facilitate research. Our Québec City office also has its library as well as full access to all available electronic data banks and tools.

Library Orientation

At the beginning of summer and at the beginning of each articling period, our librarians review the essential techniques of legal research and introduce you to the resources available, in both print and electronic formats.  Our librarians and documentation technicians will be pleased to put their vast experience at the service of lawyers, articling students and law students. We also provide personalized training in electronic tools and other documentary tools. 

Each student attends Quicklaw, Azimut, LawSource and REJB/DCL training seminars.

Our library is one of the largest private law libraries in Montréal. We have all the tools and scholarly works required for doing research in Québec and Canadian law. Thus, your research work can be fully accomplished in the library. We are updating a vast collection of doctrinal works, case reports and specialized periodicals as well as a collection of electronic products, CD-ROMS and specialized legal and business Internet links. In addition to our locally-available collection, you are entitled to access our Toronto and Vancouver office libraries, which can be consulted by anyone in the firm.  We have entered into agreements with the libraries of the Université de Montréal and the Barreau allowing us to access their vast holding of texts on foreign law, their numerous legal and business legislation databanks, case law and American legal doctrine and the laws in force in various Commonwealth countries.

 

Training

During the summer months, students participate in our Lunch & Learn meetings, an enriching experience where they meet with different lawyers who share with them their knowledge of the legal practice. Articling students also have the opportunity to participate in monthly Lunch & Learn each month of their internship, as well as weekly presentations on various topics during breakfast. All of them can also attend training sessions and workshops offered to lawyers.

Here are some of the topics discussed at the Lunch & Learn meetings in the past few years :

• The steps of a real estate transaction (Nicolas Leblanc)
• The networking and business development
• Court of Appeal and what is expected from the lawyer who is present (Honourable Louise Mailhot)
• The role and Canada's place in the world (Raymond Chrétien)
• The career of the Honourable Jean-Louis Baudoin and practice of a young lawyer in court (The Honorable Jean-Louis Baudoin)
• Public-Private Partnership (Lévy Bazinet)
• Securities (Christian Jacques)
• How well prepared to host a conference (Jean-François Lévesque)
• The use of social media at the firm (Mathieu Rompré)

 

Mentoring

While all members of the firm are available and expected to assist in the supervision and training of our students, your Student Program Supervisors and Maîtres de Stage are directly responsible for providing guidance and ensuring the quality of your experience.  Both teams will meet with you on a weekly basis to discuss the assigned cases and talk about the week's experiences. They make sure the program runs smoothly and are there to assist you throughout your training.  Mentors are also assigned for each area of practice.  They provide confidential advice and act as a sounding board to discuss all aspects of your experience, including workload, variety of work, feedback and any other areas of interest or concern. 

The Student Program Coordinator is always available to help you out and to ensure that the program runs smoothly.  Informal and formal feedback is communicated to the Coordinator and a formal evaluation is conducted by the Student Program Supervisors at the end of summer and by the Maîtres de stage after each rotation during your articles. 

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