The Application Process for Articling Students

What does the Legal Services Branch (LSB) look for in a student?

We look for excellence and commitment to personal and professional growth. Throughout the interview process, give thought to how you have demonstrated excellence in all areas of your life and how that has prepared you for your articles with LSB. We are less interested in legal office experience than in how you have gone above and beyond the call of duty in whatever path has brought you to this point. This isn’t to say we aren’t interested in how you have demonstrated your legal and analytical skills in your career (both academic and otherwise) but we are also looking to see how you have demonstrated maturity, clear thinking, and teamwork in various aspects of your life.

If you have any questions about what you can do to prepare for an interview or for a career with LSB, we encourage you to contact Michelle Li, Legal Office Manager, or any of our current articling students to discuss the interview process and the articling experience within LSB.

Any advice?

Talk to people. The best way to figure out if this is the place for you is to talk to people who are already here and practicing. We have a large number of current and former articling students who are happy to talk to you about working with the Legal Services Branch (LSB) and about the hiring process. To connect with one of our current students, please contact Michelle Li, Legal Office Manager.

Read the Attorney General Act. It is the governing legislation for our role as legal counsel to the provincial government. It’s kind of important.

Read the Crown Proceeding Act. It provides the ground rules for litigation for and against the government. As a student with the LSB, it is legislation that you will become very familiar with. 

Do you hire outside of the articling intake period?

Due to the rotation schedules of our students, we cannot accommodate hiring any students outside of the two hiring streams for summer students and articled students.

Will I be required to record my time?

Articled students are required to record and track their time. Timekeeping is an extremely important skill for students to learn prior to being called to the Bar. The Chair of the Articled Student Committee and Legal Office Manager monitor each students’ timekeeping to ensure they find the right balance of making the most of their articling year and not taking on too heavy of a workload.

How will I be evaluated?

Students receive both formal and informal feedback regularly throughout the articling year from their Principal, the Chair of the Articled Student Committee, Legal Office Manager and directly from lawyers they work with.

Is the articling position in Victoria or Vancouver?

We have positions available in both Victoria and Vancouver for our year-long articled students, as we have offices in both cities. Of the seven or eight students that we hire in a year, we have typically been able to accommodate two students in Vancouver, with the remainder comprising the cohort in Victoria. If you have any questions as to which city you believe would be the best fit for you, please don’t hesitate to contact Michelle Li, Legal Office Manager and Eva Ross, Chair of the Articling Student Committee, or a member of the Articling Student Committee.

What happens to my application?

Due to the large number of applications received each year, the hiring committee applies preliminary screening criteria to shortlist applications once submitted. In some years a grade cut-off is applied. While the grade cut-off may not always be the same, it usually falls in the range of B to a B+. In years when it is not possible to apply a grade cut-off, applications will be pre-screened on their contents, including demonstrated interest in working in the public service.

What does a grade cut-off mean for you? It shouldn’t mean anything. You should not self-select out of the interview process if you are interested in working with LSB. The fact that you have arrived at the point of applying for articles demonstrates that you have achieved success to this point, and you should feel confident in the skills and abilities you can bring to this position.

The hiring process generally

All hiring decisions within the B.C. Public Service are subject to review by the Merit Commissioner. This means each stage of interviews (resume and cover-letter screening, written interview, and oral interview) is scored against criteria that are predetermined by hiring panels. This can result in a process that is more formal than other interviews that you may have experienced, but this also means that everyone competes on an equal footing. While only the top candidates from each interview stage move forward, scores are not carried over from one stage to the next, and each candidate has an equal chance of being successful at each stage of the interview.

If you want to know how to differentiate yourself as a candidate, review the list of characteristics that we look for in a student. Consider how you can demonstrate these characteristics through your career and volunteer experiences to this point.

The entire process, up until the oral interview, is done on a name-blind basis allowing your skills and achievements to speak for themselves.

The first impression

Your cover letter and resume are your chance to make a great first impression. You should devote a lot of time to getting them just the way you want them.

1. Cover letter - Your cover letter is a great way for you to show us who you are. Use this space to demonstrate that you have the skills and experiences to thrive in your articles with LSB. Show us why you are passionate about the law and about working with our team. You should also edit your cover letter—a lot. Write it early and set it aside for a few days and then edit it again. Having a personalized, distinct, and expressive cover letter is a great way to show your keen interest in this position.
2. Resume - It can be difficult to choose what to include in your resume. While legal experience is relevant, don’t discount your other professional experiences. You can easily demonstrate how being a lifeguard has allowed you to practice working as a team member or how being a server has taught you how to effectively manage your time or develop your client management and interpersonal skills. So long as you have learned relevant, applicable skills in your previous positions they are worth including.

Showing off your skills: The first round of interviews

The first round of interviews with LSB is a timed written interview. Applicants answer a question or series of questions that demonstrate their knowledge of legal concepts and interpretation, as well as their clear, concise writing style.

Showing off who you are: The final interview

This final, oral interview is a virtual interview over MS Teams or Zoom. It is typically one hour long and will involve answering some legal and behavioural questions. Successful candidates at this stage demonstrate an understanding of the unique role of the Attorney General within the British Columbia legal community, as well as strong communication skills and excellent judgment. Successful students will articulate how their skills and abilities uniquely qualify them as a candidate for a position within LSB.

At this stage of the interview process, we will ask you for three references before we decide to extend an offer. Professional or educational references are required.

Call-backs and feedback

We try to call back each candidate we have interviewed in the final round of interviews, whether they were a successful candidate or not. Interviewing is a skill and only by practising can you improve. We are happy to provide feedback.