At Burchell MacDougall we strive to provide our articling students with a well-rounded articling experience. We expose articling students to as many different practice areas as possible during the course of the year.

We believe that at the end of the articling year, students should be fully prepared for the challenges associated with the practice of law.

Working with Your Principal:
Each student is assigned a principal who will work with you so that you gain a well-rounded articling experience and have satisfied all of the necessary requirements. He or she will also have an "open door" to assist you with any difficulties you experience during the articling year.

Getting A Well-Rounded Experience:
Articling at Burchell MacDougall means that you will be exposed to many different aspects of the law. Burchell MacDougall ensures that our articling students receive sufficient exposure to the areas of corporate/commercial law, real estate law, family law, criminal law, and civil litigation.

We encourage you to explore your particular areas of interest!

Evaluations and Constructive Feedback:
Informal evaluations take place on a regular basis during the articling year. A formal evaluation of our students is conducted twice during the year, after approximately six months and at the conclusion of articles.

Articling students are encouraged to seek out and accept work from any lawyer in any area of law which is of interest to the articling student. Consequently, the articling student must take some responsibility for monitoring his or her own work load to ensure that it is not excessive, and that articling objectives are being met. Your principal will be there to assist you.

We're Hiring!
Burchell MacDougall has historically sought and hired students for two articling positions. Typically, interviews for these positions take place at the law schools in January and February. While articling students will practice primarily in the Truro office, arrangements are flexible.

Salary and Full Benefits:
Burchell MacDougall pays its articling students a salary which is competitive with firms of like size. In addition, the firm offers a very comprehensive benefits package to all employees. This package includes:

1. Medical Health Benefits
2. Dental Care
3. Vision Care
4. Long Term Disability
5. Life Insurance
6. Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

Further, students are entitled to two weeks of vacation during the articling year. The firm pays the articling student while he or she is attending the Bar Admission course in Halifax. The firm pays for the cost of the Nova Scotia Bar Admissions Course.

Second Year Summer Position:
A student who accepts an articling position with the firm may have an option to work at the firm for eight weeks in the summer preceding the articling year. Salary for summer employment will be commensurate with the salaries of the articling students employed with the firm at that time.

Achieving Balance and Taking Initiative:
We strongly believe that a balance must be struck between the practice of law and work outside the practice of law. We encourage our students and lawyers to be active in the community. We give our articling students an unusually high degree of individual responsibility, in the expectation that their practice skills will develop more rapidly.

We welcome your inquiries about articling with us!
Contacts are as follows:
Truro: Peggy Power
PPower@burchellmacdougall.com
Phone: (902) 895-1561

Truro: Vernon Hearn
VHearn@burchellmacdougall.com
Phone: (902) 895-1561