Clerkships in 2010-2011

Photo by Bernard Clark

Seven of the 11 Queen's Law students who received clerkships for 2010-11: Gerard Kennedy,Law '10; Andrea Bolierio, Law '10; Erin Collins, Law '09; Shannon O’Connor, Law '10; Paul Todd, Law '10; Sarah Fountain, Law '10; and Mathew Good, Law '09.

Mathew Good and Michael Perlin of Law '09 will be clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada. Three Law '10 students will be at provincial courts of appeal - Andrea Bolierio and Natalia Rodriguez in Ontario and Paul Todd in British Columbia. Erin Collins, Law '09, will be at the Federal Court. Four Law '10 students will be clerking at the Superior Court of Justice - Gerard Kennedy, Shannon O'Connor and Sarah Fountain in Toronto and Alana Daley in Newmarket. Birute Luksenaite, Law '10, will be at the Tax Court of Canada. These students will enjoy an excellent opportunity to work with some of Canada's finest legal minds.

A clerkship lasts between 10 and 12 months and can fulfil part or all of a student's articling requirement. Some of the students will work solely with one judge, but most of the students will have the chance to assist multiple judges. Clerkships are considered quite prestigious and provide students with an excellent start to any career path.

"Clerking offers a unique way for a law school graduate to see the inner workings of the judiciary," said Michael. "In a practical sense, I hope that clerking will provide me an overview of different practice areas and will help me decide more specifically which areas of law I would like to focus on."

Their clerkships at the Supreme Court will mark the second time Mathew and Michael will get an opportunity to assist high-level appellate judges. Mathew, who will be clerking with Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin at the Supreme Court, will spend 2009-2010 as a clerk at the British Columbia Court of Appeal first. Michael, who will be clerking with Justice Rosalie Abella, will first spend 2009-2010 as a clerk at the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Photo by Bernard Clark

Three Queen's Law students who received clerkships for 2010-11: Natalia Rodriguez, Law '10; Michael Perlin, Law '09; and Alana Daley of Law '10.

"I felt that a second clerkship was a chance to get comfortable with and master the language and the techniques that make for a good judge, and a good legal thinker," said Mathew. "Only by clerking with both courts would I be exposed to the full gamut of appellate jurisprudence in Canada."

Students selected for clerkship positions generally have excellent academic records and strong reference letters from professors. They are expected to already possess outstanding research and writing skills as their contributions will be directly reflected in the written decisions of the respective courts. The selection process can be rigorous, but those interested in litigation and similar fields find that application is worthwhile.

"My main interest is in civil litigation and I think my clerkship will definitely give me a lot of exposure to that," said Natalia. "To have a judge's perspective on what makes a great argument, how to formulate and deliver it, and essentially what it takes for an advocate to be successful will give me a different point of view that can only help to jump start a career in litigation."

Gerard summarized the feelings of many of the students who will be clerking: "I hope to continue to further hone and utilize the legal research and writing skills I have sought to improve throughout my time at law school. Moreover, and more importantly, I hope to be exposed to many areas of law, and styles of litigation, to not only discover which area I also want to work in, but also discover which methods of lawyering are successful with judges."