Law Clerk at Algonquin College

Launch your legal career.

In the two-year Law Clerk Ontario College Diploma program, you study a broad range of legal topics and processes to prepare you for a career as a legal assistant or law clerk.

This program prepares you for administrative work in an office environment where you work independently under the general direction of a lawyer, or as part of a legal services team. Learn from dedicated faculty who ensure that your skills surpass industry standards.

As a student, you develop and practise the skills that are essential for a successful career, including:

• paying attention to details and independently following instructions
• organizing client files and managing deadlines
• interviewing clients
• performing general office procedures
• working with legal software to compile information and prepare documents
• compiling evidence and documentation
• maintaining corporate documents and filings
• entering data in legal forms and drafting routine correspondence
• preparing briefs
• learning about family, estates, civil litigation, corporate, administrative and real estate law practices
• engaging in civil litigation and research

Benefit from the ability to participate in an off-site field placement or in an in-class workplace simulation. These experiences give you real-world experience and an opportunity to practise your skills.

Graduates have the skills and flexibility to apply their knowledge in a variety of entry-level law clerk positions within:

• law offices
• corporations
• government legal departments and agencies
• financial institutions
• court and registry offices

SUCCESS FACTORS

This program is well-suited for students who:

• Possess excellent interpersonal and human relations skills.
• Are organized, detail-oriented and flexible.
• Work well under pressure.
• Have a strong literacy and communications background.
• Have a high standard of ethics.

Careers

Graduates have the skills and flexibility to apply their knowledge in a variety of entry-level law clerk positions within law offices, corporations, government legal departments and agencies, financial institutions, court and registry offices.

The descriptions of legal skills, responsibilities, and settings indicate the abilities and environment in which the graduate may generally work and are not intended to imply that the law clerk is practising law.

Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Support the needs of clients and legal professionals through the use of accurate terminology and professional communication strategies, both orally and in writing.
2. Complete all work within routine and unexpected time lines and limitation periods within the legal environment.
3. Use current and relevant electronic and print resources, within the legal environment, to conduct legal research, to assist with file and evidentiary management, to facilitate communication and generate legal documentation, complying with current regulations and procedures.
4. Research and summarize the presenting legal issues, applying knowledge of substantive law, to support the legal team.
5. Apply rules of procedure to support best legal practices.
6. Conduct oneself professionally in adherence to the guidelines of the Law Society of Ontario.
7. Carry out clerical and administrative duties for the operation of a variety of legal environments.
8. Outline strategies for ongoing professional development to ensure continuing competence as a Law Clerk.
9. Act equitably and justly with diverse populations.
10. Provide support for legal professionals in courts and administrative tribunals within the legal system.
11. Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Program Eligibility

• English, Grade 12 (ENG4C or equivalent).
• Applicants with international transcripts must provide proof of the subject specific requirements noted above and may be required to provide proof of language proficiency. Domestic applicants with international transcripts must be evaluated through the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) or World Education Services (WES).
• IELTS-International English Language Testing Service (Academic) Overall band of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band; OR TOEFL-Internet-based (iBT) Overall 80, with the minimum of 20 in each component: Reading 20; Listening 20; Speaking 20; Writing 20.

Should the number of qualified applicants exceed the number of available places, applicants will be selected on the basis of their proficiency in English.