Articling with LAO Duty Counsel

[JustHereNotStaying]

How tough is it to get an articling spot with Legal Aid Ontario - Duty Counsel's office (criminal)? What's their hire back rate? Does it negatively impact your career? there seems not be a lot of information on the duty counsel role!

[Phaedrus]

I can't speak for LAO, but Crown and Legal Aid on the east coast tend to have their clerks do rotations in duty counsel. So it's a matter of getting a Crown/Legal Aid gig, rather than DC office specifically. To that end, I'm aware the Crown that way sends clerks and new calls to duty counsel to cut their teeth and get comfortable with oral argument and thinking on the fly.

I'm aware that remote legal aid offices in the prairies have their clerks assume a shocking amount of responsibility for their experience level, including unsupervised duty counsel for serious offences. I know that isn't relevant for you, personally, but it might be helpful for others considering their options.