The Law Society of BC recently conducted two surveys to better understand any current issues associated with the articling experience and the training of new lawyers.
From May to June 2024, the Law Societies of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, along with Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society surveyed articling students and new lawyers (under five years of call) as well as principals, recruiters, and those who mentor articling students or new lawyers.
The information gathered from the surveys will inform next steps in addressing ongoing issues with lawyer competence and equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are dedicated to continuing to work alongside articling students, lawyers, law firms, and organizations to address these important issues.
Questions about the survey results can be submitted to consultation@lsbc.org.
Who we heard from
The Law Society of BC heard from 514 articling students/new lawyers and 298 principals. Specifically, the sample includes 398 new lawyers, 88 current articling students and 46 who had completed articling but are not yet practising, along with 180 principals, 91 mentors and 27 recruiters.
What we heard
The survey revealed two key findings:
- Almost 60 per cent of respondents who completed articling in the last five years felt less than fully prepared for entry-level practice.
- Of those who responded, 30 per cent encountered discrimination and/or harassment during recruitment and/or articling.
These results indicate a critical need to improve lawyer education and training to ensure new lawyers are better prepared for entry-level practice and to implement changes to address discrimination and harassment in the legal profession.
Frequently Asked Questions
The survey aimed to enhance our understanding of articling experiences and the training of new lawyers, helping to identify areas for improvement or change.
The information gathered from the surveys will support informed decisions about programs and resources, with a focus on lawyer competence, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The information gathered from the surveys will support informed decisions about programs and resources, with a focus on lawyer competence, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.
All BC lawyers, articling students, principals, mentors and recruiters who met the eligibility criteria were invited to participate in the surveys. The survey results represent a non-probability sample where respondents volunteer to participate in the survey, if they met the eligibility criteria.
The Law Society of BC heard from 514 articling students/new lawyers and 298 principals. Specifically, the sample includes 398 new lawyers, 88 current articling students and 46 who had completed articling but are not yet practising, along with 180 principals, 91 mentors and 27 recruiters.
Similar to all online surveys that use this type of sampling, response bias and non-response bias is a factor to consider when interpreting results. Those who self-selected to participate may have stronger opinions on the subject matter than those who did not.
This means that the results may not be fully representative of the entire BC legal profession or articling students.
Even though this data may not be fully representative of the entire profession, it still provides insight into the experience of those who face challenges and the data provides valuable feedback about the state of the articling experience for those respondents.
This means that the results may not be fully representative of the entire BC legal profession or articling students.
Even though this data may not be fully representative of the entire profession, it still provides insight into the experience of those who face challenges and the data provides valuable feedback about the state of the articling experience for those respondents.
A third-party consultant, Dr. Svitlana Winters, was engaged for support on survey development as well as survey analysis and reporting. Survey responses were anonymous and confidential. Dr. Winters analyzed the data for themes and areas of improvement.
Dr. Winters is a research professional with over a decade of experience in the field. She holds a Certified Analytics and Insights Professional (“CAIP”) designation, the only certification in Canada endorsed by both the Canadian Research Insights Council (“CRIC”) and ESOMAR, the global authority in data analytics research and insights. Currently, Dr. Winters works as a Senior Insights Manager on the Quantitative Research team of a global research and technology company.
In addition, Dr. Rashmi Nair, Law Society Data & Policy Analyst, provided valuable input into the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results. Dr. Nair has a PhD in Social Psychology from Clark University and was a recipient of the James Marshall Public Policy Fellowship, which supported her post-doctoral work at the US Congress. Before joining the Law Society in January 2024, Dr. Nair was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ashoka University, where in addition to her research, she taught courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Dr. Winters is a research professional with over a decade of experience in the field. She holds a Certified Analytics and Insights Professional (“CAIP”) designation, the only certification in Canada endorsed by both the Canadian Research Insights Council (“CRIC”) and ESOMAR, the global authority in data analytics research and insights. Currently, Dr. Winters works as a Senior Insights Manager on the Quantitative Research team of a global research and technology company.
In addition, Dr. Rashmi Nair, Law Society Data & Policy Analyst, provided valuable input into the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results. Dr. Nair has a PhD in Social Psychology from Clark University and was a recipient of the James Marshall Public Policy Fellowship, which supported her post-doctoral work at the US Congress. Before joining the Law Society in January 2024, Dr. Nair was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ashoka University, where in addition to her research, she taught courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods.
The survey revealed two key findings:
- Almost 60 per cent of respondents who completed articling in the last 5 years felt less than fully prepared for entry-level practice.
- Of those who responded, 30 per cent encountered discrimination and/or harassment during recruitment and/or articling.
The main challenges reported include:
- Lack of mentorship, insufficient practical hands-on training, and limited exposure to diverse practice areas.
- Insufficient training on conducting matters, client relationship management, practice management and dispute resolution.
- Over 50 per cent of all survey respondents felt students did not receive adequate training in PLTC (55 per cent of articled students/new lawyers and 57 per cent of principals/mentors/recruiters).
The survey results revealed that those who had experienced discrimination and/or harassment during recruitment and/or articling, are more likely to identify as being part of equity-deserving groups and to have received their education outside of Canada.
Nearly 70 per cent of those who experienced discrimination and/or harassment opted not to report it. Of those who reported the incident(s), most reported it to their firm and said they achieved no meaningful resolution or faced repercussions. Only 6 per cent reported incidents to the Law Society.
The reasons for not reporting instances of harassment/discrimination included fear of reprisal, lack of trust, and unfamiliarity with the reporting process.
The reasons for not reporting instances of harassment/discrimination included fear of reprisal, lack of trust, and unfamiliarity with the reporting process.
Information gathered from the surveys will be used by the Law Society to help determine next steps in addressing the issues identified.
In that regard, the Benchers have already approved a number of programs that are under development such as the mandatory principal training course, which will provide greater tools and directions for principals, as well as the articling placement pilot project that is intended to respond to students who find themselves in untenable situations.
The ongoing work related to the Western Canada Competency Profile reinforces the Benchers' decision to define entry level competence and evaluate the current admission program, including assessing which competencies should be met through bar admission courses and which should be met through articling, including developing more guidance for principals.
The Task Force on Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination in the Legal Profession that will commence in 2025 provides an important opportunity to further consider the results and how they will inform the recommendations for appropriate regulatory responses, including alternative processes, to address these issues.
In that regard, the Benchers have already approved a number of programs that are under development such as the mandatory principal training course, which will provide greater tools and directions for principals, as well as the articling placement pilot project that is intended to respond to students who find themselves in untenable situations.
The ongoing work related to the Western Canada Competency Profile reinforces the Benchers' decision to define entry level competence and evaluate the current admission program, including assessing which competencies should be met through bar admission courses and which should be met through articling, including developing more guidance for principals.
The Task Force on Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination in the Legal Profession that will commence in 2025 provides an important opportunity to further consider the results and how they will inform the recommendations for appropriate regulatory responses, including alternative processes, to address these issues.
Each province involved with the 2024 survey is currently working to review and analyze their respective data. Once results from each province are made public, we will share further cross-jurisdictional analysis, offer valuable insights into potential similarities, and exploring ways to collectively enhance the articling experience.
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