Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP is one of Canada’s leading environmental, Indigenous and energy law firms. Willms & Shier has represented lawyers and industrial, municipal, institutional, First Nations and Métis clients for almost 40 years. We are a boutique firm of 17 lawyers, seven of whom are Environmental Law Specialists and one who is an Indigenous Legal Issues Specialist, certified by the Law Society of Ontario.
Each year, Willms & Shier selects summer law students and articling students, giving preference to students who have demonstrated an interest in the environmental and Indigenous fields and have knowledge of current environmental issues and Indigenous legal issues.
SUMMER LAW STUDENT PROGRAM
Our summer law students work with our lawyers on a variety of tasks and client matters. Tasks could entail legal research; updating leading legal texts and memos; attending client meetings, hearings, motions, mediation or examinations for discovery; and writing articles for publication online or by external legal and industry publishers. We encourage students to participate fully in matters, interact with others, contribute and generate ideas - whether the student is sitting in on conference calls and meetings or reviewing files.
Willms & Shier appoints a mentor to each student. The mentor is instrumental in helping the student identify areas of interest to them and identifies various assignments for the student. As a boutique firm, Willms & Shier's lawyers also approach students directly to assign work. Our lawyers are eager to challenge students, help them develop legal reasoning skills and provide ongoing guidance and feedback during and after each assignment.
Our summer law students gain valuable hands-on experience, obtain a good understanding of what it is like to practice environmental, Indigenous and energy law, and enjoy working in a supportive and friendly environment.
Willms & Shier interviews and selects candidates entering their second year of law school (2L) in accordance with the Law Society of Ontario's Recruitment Procedures and timelines. We do not participate in the fall On Campus Interview (OCI) process, but 2L summer applications should be submitted directly to our firm in keeping with the OCI and Law Society of Ontario timelines. For more information please click here.
ARTICLING STUDENT PROGRAM
Willms & Shier’s articling student program ensures that students assist with some or all of the firm’s practice areas:
- Environmental transactions
- Environmental civil litigation
- Environmental regulatory defence of prosecutions
- Environmental appeals
- Energy law, and
- Indigenous legal issues.
As there is no formal rotation or work allotment system, we appoint both a mentor and a principal to each students to assist with work assignments, answer questions, offer guidance and provide advice. Willms & Shier's lawyers who work with students also provide direct feedback.
Our 2L summer students commonly remain with our firm to complete their Articles. However, in some years we interview and select additional Articling Students in accordance with the Law Society of Ontario's Recruitment Procedures. For more information please click here.
To be considered for our summer law student positions or articling student program, please email as one document, a cover letter, resume and transcripts to:
Joanne Gibson-Davis, Chief Operations Officer
Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP
E: jgibson-davis@willmsshier.com
A: 1 Toronto Street, Suite 900, Toronto, ON M5C 2V6