Frequently Asked Questions

Clerkship Applications
Clerkship Interviews
Clerkship Offers
Terms and Conditions of Employment
Law Society Requirements
The Clerking Experience
Post-Clerkship Opportunities

Clerkship Applications

What sort of clerks are you looking for?
The court is looking for well-rounded students with strong academic records, excellent research, writing and analytical skills, and the ability to work well with judges and other staff.

Can I apply if I am in third year?
Yes, you can apply if you are in your final two years of law school, including the final two years of a joint program.

What kind of writing sample should I submit?
You should submit a writing sample that best demonstrates your abilities as a legal writer and your research and analytical skills. Essays are preferable. If you do not have a legal essay to submit, you may submit a memo or factum that features substantive legal analysis. You are welcome to submit a paper that is in the process of being graded. You should not submit anything written jointly or anything in published form. There is no word limit on writing samples but please do not submit more than one writing sample.

Is it an asset to speak French?
Yes, we hire at least one clerk who is able to work in French and English.

Is the application process different for in-province and out-of-province students?
Yes, the process is slightly different. Students at Ontario law schools must first submit their applications to their law school for review by the dean. The dean of each school writes a letter, commenting on the relative merits of the school’s candidates. Candidates from outside the province submit their applications directly to the court without a letter from the dean.

What type of reference letters should I submit?
Each candidate must submit two letters of reference. At least one should be from a law professor. The letter from the dean commenting on all the candidates does not count as one of the candidate’s letters of reference.

Should I take particular courses if I want to clerk?
The Court does not require that clerks take any particular courses. However, given the broad jurisdiction of this court, it is helpful to have taken a wide range of courses.

Clerkship Interviews

Who conducts the interviews?
Each interview is conducted by two judges. A staff lawyer and a law clerk also sit in on each interview.

When are the interviews conducted?
The interviews for the 2013-2014 clerkship year will be conducted the weeks of February 20th and February 27th, 2012.

Do you pay travel expenses for those travelling to Toronto for the interviews?
We pay up to $100 for travel expenses within Ontario and up to $200 for travel expenses outside Ontario, upon submission of travel receipts.

Clerkship Offers

I am concerned about the timing of the offers since I have applied to other courts. When does the Court of Appeal make its offers?
We do not make our offers until after the Supreme Court of Canada has finished its hiring process.

Terms and Conditions of Employment

When do the clerkships start and end?
Clerks are given the option of starting their clerkships either at the beginning of August or just after Labour Day. All clerks are required to stay to the end of June to satisfy the 10-month articling requirement.

I will have articled prior to clerking. Does that make any difference?
If you have articled and been called to the bar prior to commencing your clerkship, you will be paid as Crown Counsel I, not as an articling student. The salary differential and salary rates are governed by the collective agreement that applies to law clerks at the court.

Do you cover the cost of the bar admission course?
The court does not cover the cost of the bar admission course, but clerks hired as articling students receive a $4,500 educational stipend.

Law Society Requirements

Does clerking at the Court of Appeal satisfy Ontario’s articling requirement?
Yes, a clerkship at the court satisfies the full requirement.

Do I have to write the licensing exams prior to clerking?
All clerks are encouraged to write their exams before commencing their clerkships.

Are there any special requirements if I have attended a law school outside of Canada?
If you attended a law school outside of Ontario, you may have to satisfy additional requirements before you can article in Ontario. You are advised to contact the Law Society directly for information.

The Clerking Experience

When do I find out who I will be working with?
Clerks are given their judge/clerk assignments after they arrive at the court.

How many judges will I work with over the course of the year?
The court has a rotation system. Clerks will be assigned to work for one or two judges for half the year, and then switch and work for another one or two judges.

What kind of training do clerks get?
Clerks undergo a multi-day orientation program upon their arrival at the court. Clerks also receive training throughout the year – for instance, there is a seminar on editing and the clerks are given an opportunity to do a moot in front of judges to work on their advocacy skills.

Will the types of cases I work on depend on who I am assigned to?
The Court typically hears more than 1,500 appeals per year in the areas of criminal, civil, family, administrative, and constitutional law. Judges are assigned to sit on cases randomly. That means that all judges sit on cases involving a wide range of legal issues, resulting in clerks having a broad exposure to different types of cases.

What type of work do clerks do?
The primary tasks of law clerks are: (1) preparing pre-hearing bench memos; (2) conducting research; (3) editing judgments; and (4) assisting with papers and speeches. In addition to their work for their judges, the clerks each have a “special task”, such as helping with recruitment, conducting tours, and organizing the clerks’speakers series.

Does the job involve any traveling?
Each clerk has the opportunity to go to Kingston with a panel of judges to observe inmate appeals. For many clerks, this experience is one of the highlights of their clerking year.

How much contact will I have with judges?
Clerks have regular contact with the judges to whom they are assigned. They also have the opportunity to interact with other judges throughout the course of the year, informally and in the context of various events over the course of the year. The events include a welcome lunch, informal coffee sessions with the judges, a lunch for incoming clerks, and various other social events throughout the year.

What opportunities do clerks have to attend educational seminars?
Clerks have the opportunity to attend internal and external educational programs. The clerks have their own speakers series, which gives them an opportunity to meet with prominent members of the legal community. They are also invited to attend the judges’ educational seminars. In addition, there is a budget for clerks to attend external educational seminars.

Will I have the opportunity to attend court?
Clerks are encouraged to observe Court of Appeal proceedings. They are also encouraged to watch trial proceedings at the nearby Superior Court and Ontario Court of Justice.

Post-Clerkship Opportunities

What is the MAG Hireback Pool?
All students who article for the Ministry of the Attorney General (which includes Court of Appeal law clerks) are eligible to apply for internal law jobs for a two-year period following completion of the articles with the recommendation of their articling principal.

What assistance are clerks given in searching for jobs?
Judges are supportive in helping clerks find jobs, and may help put clerks in touch with potential employers and provide references for them.

What sorts of things do clerks do after leaving the court?
Former clerks go on to do work in a wide variety of areas in different settings after leaving the court. For instance, recent clerks have gone on to work in big firms, in small litigation boutiques, in Crown jobs, in criminal defence firms, in public interest settings, and on commissions of inquiry. A number of clerks have also gone to graduate school.