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Our Key Commitments to Our Students
Excellence
in Training and Development
- Team Player: Our students work as part of a
team with Minden Gross lawyers, and that means
all lawyers, whether they are senior partners or
associates. We are proud of our
non-hierarchical atmosphere where all members of
the firm work closely with one another at all
levels. And, more importantly, students are
given substantive work so that they truly are a
respected and integral part of the team.
Working on a corporate deal means that our
students are working right in the trenches with
the other lawyers. Whether it be drafting
documents, gathering information or attending at
client meetings, students are an integral part
of the actual closing.
-
The Client is Always Right: Contrary to
what you may think, Minden Gross
students are exposed to clients from the
very beginning. Client relationships
are highly valued at Minden Gross, and
part of a student’s training involves
learning to develop and nurture client
relationships. Which means that
students will be attending client
meetings, helping in closings and going
to court with clients.
-
“Your honour”:
Students do not have to wait until they are
a 2nd or 3rd
year associate to be given the opportunity
to go to court. Our students are able to
conduct their own small claims trial or
attend at Court to speak to motions, whether
ex parte or contested.
-
From A to Z: It’s our hope that our
students are able to see the end product of
the files that they have worked on. Not
only do they get to be an integral part of
an ongoing file, but they will be part of
the grand finale, whether this means
attending court for a trial or participating
in a corporate closing. Although our
program involves a rotation system, if a
student has been actively involved in a
litigation or corporate file that won’t
finish until after the student has changed
rotation, we do our best to let the student
enjoy the experience of the trial or closing
despite the rotation. Because, truly, there
is nothing more satisfying than seeing your
hard work materialize at the close of a
file.
-
No Homework, we promise!: We offer a series
of student oriented continuing
legal
education seminars throughout the year on
various legal issues, including Tax 101, How
to Draft a Pleading, How to Review a Minute
Book etc. All seminars are put on by our
own Minden Gross lawyers. Quick Tip: Our
lawyers like to top each other with who can
put on the best seminar (i.e. who has the
best food!) Our students do their best to
keep that threshold high!
Congeniality at the Office
-
Big Brothers and Big Sisters: Our
students benefit from student mentors, who are
there to help our students out in any way
possible, whether it is to help manage work
loads, guide in a specific area of law, or even
if it is just to have a lunch buddy.
-
Breaking Down the Door: If you walk
around our offices, chances are that most of
the doors are wide open. We encourage
students to pop into an office (yes, even a
senior partner’s office) if they have a
question on a file, or just to say hi.
Be warned – some of our lawyers may keep you
there for longer than you think, sharing a
tip or recalling past glory days!
-
All that and fun too?: All work and no
play can get quite tedious so we have a fun
social calendar aimed at the students
throughout the summer and articling year.
One night you could be centre court at a
Raptors game, or hob knobbing at the various
legal social events in the city.
Another day might find you scavenger hunting
on Centre Island, or checking out new wines
at a private tasting. We also pride
ourselves in putting together social events
aimed at all members of our firm, whether it
is the Winterfest party, or soaking up the sun at
our annual Family Firm Summer Picnic.
-
Not just Sandwiches: Every Thursday,
the firm holds an internal CLE lunch in the
main boardroom for all lawyers and students.
It’s a chance to see everyone over lunch,
while also learning about the latest cases
or statutory updates.
-
TGIFs: After a long week, our
lawyers and students enjoy a little downtime on
Fridays at 5 pm with drinks and goodies. It’s a
chance to wind down, enjoy a drink and chat
about that great file you got to work on.
Community Involvement
-
Minden Gross’ involvement with the community is
evidenced by our continued partnership with
various charities and community programs. We
encourage our students to also get involved at
this level and have been proud of some of the
great accomplishments achieved over the years.
Our firm supports various programs and
charities, ranging from Sick Kids to the LAWS
Student Job Program (a program for marginalized
high school students who have an interest in
law).
We
encourage our firm members, as individuals, to
get involved with the community and are proud
that many of us have chosen to give back by
working on a pro bono basis, serving on various
boards and participating in various fund-raising
activities. Our students are also encouraged to
take a lead in student specific events such as
The Daily Food Bank Holiday Food Drive and The
Yonge Street Mission Winter Clothing Drive.
Diversity
-
Minden Gross LLP is and always has been committed to providing equity in the workplace.
We have developed our procedures and policies
with a view to implementing the principles of
employment equity in our hiring practices,
business practices and community involvement.
This is not only the right thing to do but with
a global network of clients, it makes good
business sense.
Global Point of View
-
Minden Gross LLP is the Toronto member of the
Meritas Affiliation of Law Firms Worldwide. What
is Meritas? It’s a loose affiliation of law
firms, representing every major city in the
world. In fact, Meritas has 210 offices and
over 6,000 lawyers throughout the world. We
represent clients from around the world who are
doing business in Canada or who are here in
Canada and do business overseas. As the Toronto
member affiliate, we are the Canadian gateway for
incoming referrals from around the world. And
from our client’s perspective, we are only an
email or phone call away from connecting our
clients with global representation.
Our
students are involved in all sorts of files that
originate through Meritas connections which
translates into international exposure in all
areas of law, whether it is cross-border
structures, cross-border M & A or financing
files, international employment issues or
litigation issues that transcend Canadian
borders.
Minden Gross LLP is well represented within the Meritas organization, with many of our lawyers
in key leadership roles, including Chairman
Worldwide, Section Chairs, Directors, and
Leadership Institute Members. Minden Gross
LLP was
also the first non-American firm to host the Meritas Annual Meeting attended by over 300
lawyers worldwide.
Environment
-
Minden Gross LLP is committed to our environment
and we are constantly looking to improve our
firm practices to ensure a clean earth for
future generations. In keeping with this
mandate, we are focused on training our staff
and lawyers on green practices and how we can do
our part to encourage sustainable development.
In
our commitment to sustainability, Minden Gross
LLP has put in place an internal committee that
is working with the firm to do our part to
reduce our carbon footprint.
We are also proud to have been involved with the Meritas Leadership Institute, a year-long project that is studying how pro-environment / sustainability initiatives are creating new industries and changing the way many existing industries do business. The Institute also provided a “best practices” handout for law firms that wish to adopt sustainable business practices and unveiled a proposal for a Meritas-sponsored certification system for firms who become more environmentally conscious.
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Welcome
Our Commitments
