Note: This article was originally published in Beyond Big City Law, a publication of the CBA Alberta Branch Access to Justice Committee. It has been edited for length. It is reprinted with permission.
Recruiting students to Lloyd (as we call our fair city) presents specific challenges. Lloyd is located on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, which means that lawyers here practise in both provinces. We are some distance away from Edmonton and the closest Queen’s Bench Judicial Centre. Weather can be brutal, especially during winter. But we also have two nearby law schools to recruit from, the University of Alberta in Edmonton and the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Our location gives our firm a tremendous breadth of opportunities and makes for an exciting practice serving a diverse range of clients, from individuals to municipalities to businesses; from family law to real estate, corporate and criminal issues.
Here are some general pointers that might prove to be useful if you’re looking to attract a student to practice in your community.
Be honest and realistic about the community you live in
Lloyd – like any smaller centre – isn’t for every student, at least not at first blush. You have to outline the pros and cons and create a recruiting strategy.
If you want to advertise your community, find out what the prospective student is looking for. It could be the nightlife (restaurants, bars/clubs), fitness (gym, yoga or dance classes, conditioning classes), the opportunities for community involvement (churches, volunteer opportunities), or the outdoors, and play up those aspects. Or it could also be many of those quality-of-life issues that might be less apparent: good schools with a great student-teacher ratio, affordable housing, employment prospects for a spouse, and various child care options.
Give the interested student an honest and realistic idea of what life in your community looks like. Don’t downplay the great opportunities that come with living in a small centre, but don’t sugar-coat it either.
If you don’t have students knocking at your door, they might not know you are there.
Law firms in smaller communities usually don’t have annual summer student or articling positions. Similarly, these firms don’t have the exposure created by large advertising campaigns or the sponsorship of law school activities. If you are interested in attracting a student, your law firm will have to take the first step. Gather the information about your firm and community that they’ll need and get it out there.
Think long-term: get involved with the youth in the community
If you want to be a mentor for a young student who might become a prospective summer or articling student with the right guidance, act like one. Volunteer to speak at a career day or career fair at a Junior High or High School. If you step forward and offer your time to speak to students to discuss career options in law, you might be surprised by how often you’ll be taken up on that offer. At a minimum, your community involvement will demonstrate that there is an opportunity for that student to live and work in your community and earn a living as a lawyer. While you may not remember every student you appear in front of, someone out here will remember you if they’re thinking about writing the LSAT and applying to law school – or when they’re looking for an articling position.
Contact the career services offices of law schools
Career services offices want information from you about opportunities in your firm or community and they will work with you to get that information out to students. I highly recommend that you look there first for information before advertising any recruiting opportunity.
Find out what recruiting events the career services offices put on and inquire generally about the services they offer. It may be as simple as putting an email out to students about an opportunity in your community, or attending at a career fair and talking about your experience, or hosting your own recruitment tour.
Be creative in the way you market your community
Law firms in Lloyd participate in the Rural Project Initiative which is supported by the CBA in Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan’s Small Urban and Rural Committee. The law firms in our community planned a day of information and networking (lunch, tour of the city, walking tour of firms, and wine and cheese). The U of S organized and paid for the transportation and promoted the event on campus.
Stay committed
Think ahead and provide your student with information before they ask for it. If you can sell your community through the articling or summering period, generate enthusiasm and be knowledgeable about life in that community, students will feel less like they’re taking a leap into the great beyond.
Money matters
At some point, the question of compensation is going to arise, so be prepared to answer it. Find out the salary range in your community for articles and for first-year associates. If there is no comparable, ask at the university or phone some of your colleagues. A smaller firm in a smaller community won’t be able to pay the top salary paid by a larger regional or national firm, but that won’t be expected.
All students have basic living expenses, but they may also have specific needs such as student debt, a family to support, or kids’ activities. A smaller firm or sole practitioner likely can’t “carry” the cost of a student or associate forever, and this should be clearly communicated. If you are looking to transition or slow down and you’re looking to hire a motivated student, explain what the earning potential from a full practice might be and give the student opportunities to develop and expand their practice. The busier they become, the lighter the load for you, and the reward for the motivated student will be higher earnings and better pay.
About the Author
Ryan Armstrong is a lawyer with Robertson Moskal Sarsons in Lloydminster, Alberta.