The Law Clerk Boom: Find Out Why Law Firms are Hiring More Law Clerk Program Grads
Law clerks play an invaluable role in law offices, governments and the legal departments of large companies. The tasks they perform are varied and depend on the particular role and setting, but some examples might include assisting with legal cases, drafting paperwork like briefs and agreements, preparing meeting notes and generally offering support to the legal team or lawyer they work with.
For anyone who’s good at multitasking, has a strong attention to detail and enjoys fast-paced and analytical work, becoming a law clerk can be a great career move. According to a recent poll from Robert Half Legal, now might be a particularly good time to enter the field.
A 2018 Poll of Canadian Lawyers Suggests an Increase in Demand for Law Clerks
“Hybrid” or “blended” positions for law clerks combine a variety of administrative responsibilities with more standard law clerk duties. According to a 2018 poll developed by Robert Half Legal – a legal staffing and consulting provider with locations in Canada, the US and worldwide – these types of positions could see increased demand in coming years as law firms seek to make efficiencies and transfer duties from first-year lawyers to trained law clerks.
According to the poll, 40% of Canadian lawyers surveyed said that, in their opinion, blended or hybrid law clerk/legal assistant positions had become “somewhat more common” in the two preceding years, with another 12% saying they’d become “much more common.”
In the same survey, Canadian lawyers were asked whether their law firm or company had plans to increase or decrease their hiring for blended or hybrid law clerk/legal assistant positions. More than one-quarter said they were planning to increase their hiring, with 26% saying they had plans to “somewhat” increase their hiring and another 2% saying they had plans to “significantly” increase it.
Canadian lawyers surveyed reported plans to increase law clerk hiring
Law Clerks Can Perform Many Duties Otherwise Falling to First Year Lawyers
Unlike secretaries or regular legal assistants, law clerks are billable employees according to the Law Society of Ontario (formerly known as the Law Society of Upper Canada). This means that tasks performed by law clerks can actually be charged to clients, making them cost-effective hires as their wages can be recouped through billing.
They can also save money for clients seeking legal services at more competitive prices, since law clerks receive extensive training during their law clerk program and are capable of performing many of the tasks that would otherwise fall to a first-year lawyer with a higher billing rate.
Law Clerk Training Can Give You the Skills You Need to Begin Your Career
A law clerk program can equip you with all of the skills needed to succeed in the field, giving you a broad base of knowledge with regards to legal research, contracts and litigation. Upon graduation, students are prepared to draft and prepare documents in several areas of law including real estate, litigation, estates and corporate law.
With the increase in demand for hybrid or blended law clerks/legal assistants, this means that law clerk training can be a great opportunity for students to get the experience and expertise they need to begin a rewarding career in the law.
Law clerk training prepares students to work in several different areas of law
Are you ready to start a new career as a law clerk?
Contact Canadian Business College for more information about our law clerk program.
