2024 Articling survey results available

The Law Society conducted two surveys in 2024 to hear from 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 survey report is now available.

We heard from 514 articling students/new lawyers and 298 principals. The survey revealed two key findings:

1. Almost 60 per cent of respondents who completed articling in the last five years felt less than fully prepared for entry-level practice.
2. 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 training and education to ensure new lawyers are better prepared for entry-level practice and to implement changes to address discrimination and harassment in the legal profession.

The articling survey was conducted as part of the Law Society’s lawyer development initiatives, which include completion of the Western Canada Competency Profile – a foundational document that will inform bar admission program development and experiential learning opportunities in the coming years. The Benchers have also approved the creation of a mandatory training course for principals and course development is underway.

For more information, read the full survey report and the FAQs, and visit the Articling Survey webpage. If you have questions about the survey results, email consultation@lsbc.org.