A Realistic Day in the Life of a Temporary Articled (Summer) Student
This summer, I am working as a Temporary Articled Student at a national business law firm in Vancouver. I feel incredibly lucky to gain such wonderful experience and training. Indeed, it can be stressful at times — but I feel very supported in my learning and professional development. Here is a day in my life!
Additionally, I wanted to mention the idea of docketing time. This is a method most firms use to help record time and bill it accordingly. At first, it can be daunting to see your entire day split into 6min chunks, but I assure you, it is not as difficult as one may perceive. For me, the key is to have a good idea of what you would like to accomplish with your day in the morning, and take breaks when you need and are able to. It is all about balance.
If you’ve ever wondered what a day in the life of a summer student looks like, here it is!
6:15 AM — Good Morning! — My first alarm goes off. I get up, open my blinds and drink some water. Soon after, I check my personal and work phone for any emails that may have come through overnight and need urgent attention, or any texts from friends I want to reply to. Occasionally, I do receive some work emails that require a response as soon as possible.
6:45 AM — Time to Get Up! — My second alarm goes off and this means it is time to get out of bed, or to wake up if I fell back asleep earlier. I get up, make my bed, toss on a big hoodie and brush my teeth.
7:00 AM — Coffee + Oats + the FT — My morning routine starts with a cup of coffee and a bowl of oats with raspberry jam. I love to sit on my couch, scroll through the Financial Times or watch an episode of Seinfeld. Sometimes, I’ll go for a walk around the harbour by my apartment and make breakfast a little later in the day. I typically take half an hour for this everyday.
7:30 AM — Get Ready — I am still working virtually. This has been wonderful in its ability to allow me to enjoy more of my mornings without having to commute. I shower, and get ready for the day.
8:00 AM—Begin Work — I aim to be at my computer at 8am everyday, ready to go. My fellow summer students and I always message “good morning!” in our group chat and discuss everyone’s current capacity to handle new work assignments. It is an incredibly supportive environment. Everyone pitches in when they are able to, and are always willing to help if you are stuck.
As summer students, one of the most common ways we receive work is through a general email from any firm members who are needing assistance with a task. My summer student class always aims to respond to any requests within an hour. We often receive requests between 8–9am, so it is important to be ready!
Today I had some emails to send to firm members, touching base regarding ongoing projects and giving status updates. During this time, I will also write out my plan for the day. Despite needing to be flexible with my plan throughout the day if needed, it is a great way to get focused and hone in on the most important tasks of the day.
9:00 AM — Practice Group Meeting — I attend a monthly meeting for one of the firm’s practice groups. It was great to hear about recent developments in the law and connect with more members of the firm. I note down two associates that I want to follow up with later in the week — internal networking is so important! Cold emailing does not stop after OCIs.
10:00 AM — Training — The commitment to high-quality, comprehensive training is one of the many things I enjoy about working at my firm. Even as I begin my 4th week at the firm, I continue to have access to fantastic resources to strengthen my ability to service members of the firm proficiently and provide high-quality work. Today I complete some modules regarding the principles of good practice and how to work effectively for multiple managers at once.
11:00 AM — Touching Base with Assigning Lawyers — With my current workflow, I have some questions for the assigning lawyers regarding deadlines and general instructions. I try to fit in a few calls during this 30min block and make sure I have all of the pertinent details I need to succeed in the afternoon and during the rest of the week.
11:30 AM — Mentor Weekly Check-In — I meet with my formal mentor once a week to get caught up and to discuss how things are going. My mentor is such a wonderful and valuable resource for my own personal and professional development — and always willing to answer my silly questions!
12:00 PM — Lunch — I typically take at least 20min to break away from the computer and eat lunch. On some days, this isn’t possible. Others, I am able to take a full one hour and head outside for a walk. In my position, there is great importance placed on task management and that I act with agility to ensure the tasks that require urgent attention, recieve it. Other tasks that are not urgent, might not be completely prioritized over taking a walk at lunch. Balance, albeit a tough concept, is the goal!
Work Blocks — I find that blocking out my work in a way that provides me with focused time on a singular task, makes me a more accurate docketer, and more productive overall. The tasks and assignments I am assigned in this position require all of my attention, as they are often very detail-oriented.
12:30 PM — Work Block 1 — As I have no meetings in the afternoon, I decided to structure today in the reverse order than I might have preferred. Typically, I like to do a majority of my focused work in the morning (8–12). However, as I have numerous meetings at the start of my day, my work blocks are in the afternoon. This one is 1.5 hours and involves me doing some securities law research for an assigning lawyer. No formal memo is required on this task, just an email summarizing my findings. I emailed the library two days previous, when I received the assignment to obtain some leads on the topic. I review the library’s response, research until I find some useful info, and write an email to the assigning lawyer.
2:00 PM — Work Block 2 — I move on to another task. This one is working on a piece of a larger project that will span over the next week or so. I review my list of tasks yet to be completed and make a quick plan for this work block, which was 2 hours. I work on drafting some of the documents requested by the assigning lawyer.
4:00 PM — Work Block 3 — This work block was for one of my favourite tasks, so I saved it to finish off my day with. I am currently completing some research to assist in the writing of a firm bulletin. I would highly recommend that other Temporary Articled Students look into assisting with firm bulletins, as they are often written about very interesting topics of the law and are a great way to complete some non-client work.
5:00 PM — Debrief with Summer Students — My fellow summer students and I try to connect at the end of our day. We briefly discuss who may have capacity to take on new tasks tomorrow. Additionally, we talk about how our day was and if we need any help (i.e. proofreading a doc or email) from anyone on the team before the end of the day.
5:15 PM — Check-In w/ Assignments — I write a few emails to my assigning lawyers with status updates, some additional questions or invites to meet in the morning. I’ve found that it is incredibly important to maintain a dialogue with your assigning lawyers throughout the process of completing the task. Even sending a quick “Wanted to confirm we are on track for our Friday deadline — I will let you know if I have any questions. Thank you!” message can be a great way to maintain contact. The assigning lawyer is your client, and you must ensure that not only your work product is of high quality, but that you delivered exceptional client service through every step of the process.
5:45 PM — Work Block 4 — One of my assigning lawyers responds with some feedback and I want to work on this matter right away after our call instead of leaving it until tomorrow. The details are fresh in my brain, and I still have a little energy left! I work for about 45min before ending the day.
6:30 PM — Run + Dinner — I check my work email one last time before logging out of my computer. I’ve been trying to go for a run around the harbour everyday, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen! Today I felt excited to tie up my shoes and head outside. I come back to my apartment and make a quick dinner. I take a break from TV tonight and read a book while I eat. I’m currently enjoying “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig.
11:30 PM — Goodnight! — I’ve been working hard at going to sleep at a decent hour. However, between TikTok and my love for SNL Youtube Videos, that does not always happen! Time to hit the hay and get ready to do it all again tomorrow.
