Jen Bell

At McCuaig Desrochers LLP, the recruitment and training of articling students is a high priority. Our goal is to recruit ambitious students who want to become successful, resilient lawyers.

Type of Work & Articling Experience

McCuaig Desrochers LLP is a mid-sized, full-service law firm. Our practice areas are wide-ranging, including business law, civil litigation, administrative law, wills & estates, family law, construction, immigration, and employment law. Please refer to our website for more details about our specific practice areas.

We treat the articling year as period of additional, practical education. We strive to expose our articling students to the widest possible range of legal subject matters and various modes dispute resolution (both adjudicative and alternative), and to foster sound business practices at the highest ethical standards. Students will not follow a specific rotation but will instead receive assignments from all partners of the firm, coordinated and closely guided by their principal. We pride ourselves on supporting our students’ professional formation, allowing them to develop their own skills and interests by drawing on the diverse expertise of all practitioners at the firm.

Because we view the articling process an investment in both the firm’s and the student’s futures, we place the focus on education and obtaining experience. The student will have considerable client contact and courtroom experience in addition to more traditional articling assignments such as research and drafting. We do not formally track billable hour targets during the articling period, focusing instead on educational experiences through direct involvement in client files.

Please do not hesitate to contact us or ask in an interview about our generous benefits package and policies designed to support our students and associates through the changing stages of life. Feel free to reach out to one of our current associates to speak with them about their experience!

PREP Course

We are also committed to providing articling students with adequate time to fulfill the requirements of the Law Society, including the PREP course. As a McCuaig Desrochers’ associate explains:

“As the time required to complete the CPLED [now PREP] assignments varies each week, McCuaig Desrochers’ approach is perfectly suited. The flexibility and support received by all lawyers in the firm ensures that you manage both your work and course commitments.”

Continuing Education

We recognize that a professional education never ends. Following the articling year, we have a formal mentorship program that matches each associate with a partner-mentor to assist the associate in their ongoing professional and business development. Associates are encouraged to continue their legal education while engaging in general practice and perhaps developing one or more areas of concentration over the first five years of practice.

We offer universal membership in the Canadian Bar Association, and we encourage associates’ participation in multiple sections and pertinent seminars, including joining the executive of CBA sections of interest to the associate. Associates have yearly budgets for various other continuing legal education opportunities such as webinars, LESA seminars, conferences and others.

Candidate Qualifications

McCuaig Desrochers LLP is a firm deeply rooted in the Edmonton community. We are looking for students who either already have, or are willing to develop, strong ties to our community. We encourage all lawyers at our firm to involve themselves in our diverse local community. Such involvement expands our perspectives and allows us to improve client services and attract diverse clientele.  

We are looking for colleagues who are intelligent, hard-working, and dedicated. Maturity is as valuable as youthful exuberance. Experiences outside of the law or formal education are also important to us and welcomed in our applicants.

A strong academic record is important, both undergraduate and in law. Each year we find that those candidates chosen for interview usually have an above-average academic standing.

Ability in another language or another discipline is an asset, but not a requirement. We have several practitioners with an extensive Franco-Canadian practice, and one lawyer who provides services in German.

Court Students Welcome

Many of our partners and associates have articled with the various levels of the Alberta Courts. We encourage applications from students who will be articling with the Courts, and we will tailor our articling program accordingly for them.

The Application Process

We subscribe to the Law Society’s recruitment process. We carefully screen each application we receive. We regret that we cannot grant personal interviews to all applicants.  In order to ensure consistency in the application process, we request that ALL applications for an articling position contain the following minimal information:

• Copies of University transcripts, including undergraduate and law school grades available at time of application (updated to the end of the most recent semester);
• A resumé showing academic career, employment experience, other activity such as travel, and unpaid volunteer work or community service;
• A listing of significant achievements, awards, and special skills such as languages or professional designations;
• A description of any roots or connection to any community, and in particular the Edmonton community, noting any connections to business, cultural, or social organizations;
• References are very helpful. Please provide contact information for your references and/or a note of their relationship to you, if not providing a reference letter; and
• One or more telephone numbers and an e-mail address where we may contact you.

Candidates may apply through the viLawPortal from May 11, 2026 to May 19, 2026.

Candidates may also apply by email any time up to and including May 19, 2026 by submitting their applications to Megan Dawson, at mdawson@mccuaig.com

All candidates are asked to submit their application as a single PDF document, and not to email an assortment of separate attachments.

Please ensure you have provided your complete application by the deadline date. We cannot guarantee we will review any applications that are received after this date.

Please note that McCuaig Desrochers LLP does not hire summer students. We encourage interested law students to apply to our articling program as outlined above.