Minden Gross LLP - Students

Welcome Who We Are Our Commitments Student Program Salary and Benefits The Hiring Process Application Tips Our Students The Student Committee Testimonials		The Hiring Process Like all law firms, Minden Gross LLP aims to hire the best students. Not surprisingly, our hiring decisions for our student positions are based on assessments of each candidate as a prospective associate and, ultimately, as a partner in the firm. Students hired will share our long term view and thrive in a relationship-building environment where their efforts and talent figure directly in their progress at Minden Gross LLP. We place great importance on attracting students to all areas of our practice in order to renew our expertise and ensure the continuing ability of Minden Gross LLP to offer a full range of complementary legal services to clients. Steps to Getting Started How can I make my application stand out? Your cover letter should be a page long and should tell us how what you have accomplished will make you an ideal candidate for our firm. Once you have prepared your letter, please PROOFREAD it carefully. And we don’t mean just spell check. As you know, that won’t uncover all of the errors. For instance, we occasionally get letters where students have improperly done a mail merge and have referred to us as a different firm. Not only is this embarrassing for the student, but it shows us that the student didn’t proofread their letter. Is this an indication of the legal work they will produce? Who knows - but it certainly doesn’t help the application. So make sure you take the extra time to really look your letter over well. In your resume, be truthful. If it is in your resume, we are likely to ask you questions about it. So be prepared to give details. In our view, shorter more detailed experiences are better than a long list of one off experiences. Check out our Application Tips for some more comments on improving your application. What is MG looking for in a student? Here are some of the characteristics that we look for: Leadership – Someone who can sit at the head of the table. Entrepreneurial Experience or Client Service – someone who has shown initiative and will be sensitive to client needs. Hard Work – Someone who has shown that they can stick to a project/job and get it done. Smarts – yes, those marks do play a role! Responsible Jobs - Someone who has moved through an organization, or several organizations, in progressively more responsible positions. Personality – Someone who will get along well with others at our firm. Achievement – Someone who has achieved something outside of work or school that makes us say “WOW’! Does Minden Gross participate in the On Campus Interview Process for summer recruitment? We do participate in this process in Ontario. Teams of lawyers from our firm will visit Ontario schools to meet with prospective students. We follow the Law Society Guidelines for all dates and protocol. How can I prepare for my On Campus Interview? First of all, relax. We understand that it is a rather contrived atmosphere to pick a law firm and a summer law student. So make the most of it. Know your resume well so when we ask questions, you will be able to provide some further information or a related story. Know something about our firm and even the lawyers you will be meeting with, if that information is available. We don’t expect deep and meaningful discourse in 20 minutes but you should be able to show us some substance. Tell us what makes you stand out from others. We typically ask questions and have a bit of a discussion at the beginning of the interview but then it’s your turn to ask – so be ready with your questions. By asking questions that you have researched about our firm, you’ll demonstrate that you cared enough to look us up! Impressive. If I am asked for an in firm interview, is there any strategy to scheduling my appointment? If you are really interested in our firm, make sure you interview with us on Monday or in the morning on Tuesday. For summer positions, all of our successful candidates have come out for dinner with us. As we extend these dinner invitations during or just after the in firm interview, it is important for you to see us early. Dinners are normally on Monday or Tuesday so keep that in mind when you are planning your nights. For articling, we may have a dinner or a cocktail party. Leave two hours for an interview with us so you have enough time to see everyone you need to see and still get to your next interview on time. What can you expect during the interview week? Sore Feet! Remember, you'll be walking all day so - choose your footwear wisely! On a more serious note, you will typically spend an hour to an hour and a half with us and will probably meet at least two members of our student committee. You will also meet our articling students who will answer your questions and give you their perspective. You will probably know who you are interviewing with so try and find out a little bit about the lawyer and their work. And of course, be prepared to talk about yourself and your resume, again! If we will be taking a next step with you, we will extend an invitation to dinner for Monday or Tuesday night. This may come during your interview or sometime later in the day by way of a phone call. We may have students back for a follow up interview after the Student Committee has shortened its list. If you're genuinely interested in our firm, don't be afraid to tell us! Emails and voicemails are the best way to communicate outside of the interview itself. Does Minden Gross, LLP participate in the Articling Recruiting Process? When we hire summer students our goal is to offer them articling positions. But on occasion, we have participated in the articling recruitment process. For up to date information on our current needs, checkout our website in early July. If we do participate, it will be in accordance with the Law Society Guidelines and all deadlines will apply. How do I find out more about the firm? Continue doing what you are doing by looking further into our webpage. Come visit us - we offer firm tours in August. This is a great chance to look around our offices and to meet some of the lawyers and students at our firm. Pick up our firm brochure. Drop by and say hello at the career fair on campus. We visit all of the Ontario campuses in the spring. Call and speak to one of our current students. Or stop one in your hallway; chances are there's one at your school! Who do I send my application to? Minden Gross LLP 145 King Street West, Suite 2200 Toronto, ON M5H 4G2 Attn: Samantha Prasad Fax: (416) 864-9223 studentapplications@mindengross.com		Click here to view our articling brochure.

The Hiring Process