The course aux stages: How does it work?
WE KNOW THE COURSE AUX STAGES CAN BE A STRESSFUL TIME PERIOD. TO ALLEVIATE YOUR CONCERNS, WE ARE OFFERING YOU SOME ADVICE BELOW TO HELP YOU PREPARE YOUR CANDIDACY AND INTERVIEWS. WE HAVE ALSO INCLUDED SOME USEFUL INFORMATION AND IMPORTANT DATES NOT TO MISS. ENJOY THE READ, AND BEST OF LUCK!
THE RECRUITMENT AGREEMENT
The Course aux stages is governed by the Recruitment Agreement signed by all of the major Quebec law firms, including Lapointe Rosenstein Marchand Melançon L.L.P. (LRMM). The goal of this agreement is to establish a consistent recruitment process and to encourage a fair relationship between the students and the firms, as well as between the firms themselves.
WHAT TO EXPECT IF YOU WISH TO ARTICLE AT LRMM
1- Between the months of September 2023 and February 2024, you can participate in a series of events organized by the various universities’ student associations and professional development centres, or by LRMM in collaboration with them. Career days, cocktails, get-togethers, conferences and more: there are plenty of events to help you discover the firm and its attorneys.
2- You can submit your candidacy between February 2nd and 5th, 2024. The recruitment committee will thereafter review all the CVs received (for more about the recruitment committee) and invite the candidates selected for a first virtual or in person interview of 15 to 20 minutes.
The students who are invited for a first interview are of course selected on the basis of their outstanding academic record, but also the general quality of their cover letter and their CV, including their various community involvements (whatever they may be), their bilingualism and their interest in LRMM.
Keep in mind that our goal during the interview is get acquainted and chat with you.
Be yourself and tell us about yourself and your interests. Be prepared to answer in both French and English, but there will be no trick questions. Check out the bios of our students and articling students: you’ll find their testimonials reassuring.
3- Amongst those met during the first interviews, certain candidates will be selected for a second interview of approximately 30 to 40 minutes with three to five members of the recruitment committee. During this interview, we wish once again to get to know you better. We also want to find out more about why you wish to complete your articling at LRMM.
4- We will then offer articling positions to the selected candidates. Don’t expect to receive this offer by bailiff! We will quite simply call you to announce the good news.
NUMBER OF ARTICLING POSITIONS AND DATES OF ARTICLING
We voluntarily limit the number of articling positions so as to ensure that each of our articling students benefit from a high-quality experience. This also improves their chances of being hired as attorneys once their articling is completed.
The hiring of articling students is done almost exclusively through the Course aux stages, two or three years before the intended year of articling. For example, during the March 2024 Course aux stages, we will hire our articling students to commence their articling in 2026. Exceptionally, articling student positions may be available for the year immediately following the Course aux stages or the next one.
SUMMER WORK AND PART-TIME WORK
If you have been hired as an articling student at LRMM, you will have the option of working with the firm as a summer student. You may also work for the firm part-time during your studies if you wish. This can be a great opportunity for you to get to know us better, to prepare for your articling and to discover what working in a law firm is really like.
IMPORTANT DATES
We have put together the following calendar for the upcoming Course aux stages, in compliance with the 2023-2024 Recruitment Agreement:
♦ February 2nd to 5th, 2024: Reception of CVs
♦ February 21st to 23rd, 2024: Calls to schedule interviews with the selected candidates
♦ March 11th to 15th, 2024: First interviews
♦ March 15th to 21st, 2024: Second interviews
♦ March 22th, 2024: Offers
SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATIONS
You are invited to submit your candidacy by sending a cover letter, your curriculum vitae and your academic transcripts via the ViRecruit portal between February 2nd at 9 a.m. and 5th, 2024 at 5 p.m.
You can also send your candidacy by email, within the same dates, to stages@lrmm.com or by mail to the following address:
Mtre Seti Hamalian, attorney
Lapointe Rosenstein Marchand Melançon
Articling positions
1 Place Ville-Marie, Suite 1300
Montréal (Québec) H3B 0E6
For further information on submitting your application to LRMM, please contact: stages@lrmm.com.
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