Advice?

[justsurviving]

Hi everyone! Just wondering if someone can give me their input on how to get into a union-side labour law firm in the 2L recruit. For context, I have a business degree and I mostly have TA and social media planning experience. I'll be working at a legal aid clinic this summer in the criminal law department. 

I have always wanted to work in an union-side labour law firm because I feel that it works best with my interest and values but I'm scared that I don't have the right experience for it. Does anyone have any advice? What do these firms look for? 

Please let me know! Thank you! 

[Bob Jones]

On 3/9/2024 at 6:07 PM, justsurviving said:

Hi everyone! Just wondering if someone can give me their input on how to get into a union-side labour law firm in the 2L recruit. For context, I have a business degree and I mostly have TA and social media planning experience. I'll be working at a legal aid clinic this summer in the criminal law department. 

I have always wanted to work in an union-side labour law firm because I feel that it works best with my interest and values but I'm scared that I don't have the right experience for it. Does anyone have any advice? What do these firms look for? 

Please let me know! Thank you! 

Just apply for whatever you can L&E-related, and do the best you can. Worst case they say no, and you move on. Trust me, it feels like a big deal now, but in the grand scheme you will quickly forget about 2L summer job search anxieties. 

If you apply broadly enough, I'm sure you'll land a decent gig. But any experience at this stage is what is key.

[justsurviving]

Thank you. I needed to hear this more than you know. 

14 hours ago, Bob Jones said:

Just apply for whatever you can L&E-related, and do the best you can. Worst case they say no, and you move on. Trust me, it feels like a big deal now, but in the grand scheme you will quickly forget about 2L summer job search anxieties. 

If you apply broadly enough, I'm sure you'll land a decent gig. But any experience at this stage is what is key.

Thank you. I needed to hear this more than you know. 

[Aschenbach]

I would say any L&E experience would be helpful, it's not as if having management side labour experience would immediately blacklist you from a union side firm. I've seen associates switch sides often enough.

[SpecialK]

Most candidates won't have any direct union-side L&E experience, other than having taken classes in school. Things you can do to improve your chances:

• Focus on taking classes related to labour law, employment law, and administrative law 
• Get good grades
• Come up with a good narrative about why you want to go into union-side labour law (e.g. do you have experience being a union member? did you work a really shitty job and realize you wanted to fight on behalf of employees? are you interested in other intersecting areas of social justice? Etc.)
• Participate in clinics and/or moots

 

[Jaggers]

2 hours ago, SpecialK said:

Most candidates won't have any direct union-side L&E experience, other than having taken classes in school. Things you can do to improve your chances:

• Come up with a good narrative about why you want to go into union-side labour law (e.g. do you have experience being a union member? did you work a really shitty job and realize you wanted to fight on behalf of employees? are you interested in other intersecting areas of social justice? Etc.

 

This part is pretty important for union side firms. They like if you can show some commitment to the cause. Management side firms will accept "I just want to get paid" as the reason you want to work there, union side ones won't.

[EmplawmentLaw]

Who are the leading union-side firms in your experience?

@Bob Jones @Aschenbach @SpecialK @Jaggers

[Evolution]

13 minutes ago, EmplawmentLaw said:

Who are the leading union-side firms in your experience?

 

Not tagged, but the likes of Cavaluzzo, Paliare Roland, Goldblatt Partners, Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson, Pink Larkin, CayleyWray, etc (in no particular order) are often regarded as leading union-side firms.

[EmplawmentLaw]

3 minutes ago, Evolution said:

Not tagged, but the likes of Cavaluzzo, Paliare Roland, Goldblatt Partners, Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson, Pink Larkin, CayleyWray, etc (in no particular order) are often regarded as leading union-side firms.

Thanks, I just tagged whoever had posted in here at the time.

When people talk about "union-side" firms, do these types of firms only do (or primarily do) labour work or do they also do plaintiff-side employment law?

[Aschenbach]

which province are you in? In BC it's Victory Square, Moore Edgar Lyster, Koskie Glavin Gordon, Black Gropper - I think most of these do just labour law, employee-side employment firms are another category.

[canuckfanatic]

12 minutes ago, Aschenbach said:

which province are you in? In BC it's Victory Square, Moore Edgar Lyster, Koskie Glavin Gordon, Black Gropper - I think most of these do just labour law, employee-side employment firms are another category.

Out of curiosity, because I know some of their associates, what about HHBG and/or Forte Law?

[EmplawmentLaw]

26 minutes ago, Aschenbach said:

which province are you in? In BC it's Victory Square, Moore Edgar Lyster, Koskie Glavin Gordon, Black Gropper - I think most of these do just labour law, employee-side employment firms are another category.

I was actually hoping someone would address BC, thanks for this.

What about employee-side firms in BC?

What about employer-side firms in BC? 

A lot of people know Fasken has a strong L&E practice or about Harris & Co, which are the BC firms that are recognizable to those in the province but may be lesser known to people in Toronto?

Edited March 14 by EmplawmentLaw

[Psychometronic]

7 minutes ago, EmplawmentLaw said:

I was actually hoping someone would address BC, thanks for this.

What about employee-side firms in BC?

What about employer-side firms in BC? 

A lot of people know Fasken has a strong L&E practice or about Harris & Co, which are the BC firms that are recognizable to those in the province but may be lesser known to people in Toronto?

To add to the list for BC:

Employer side: Roper Greyell and Harris & Co.

Mixed: Overholt, Samfiru Tamarkin, Forte Law, PortaLaw 

The big firms also seem to do employer-side work but I don't know enough to say how much. 

[EmplawmentLaw]

13 minutes ago, Psychometronic said:

To add to the list for BC:

Employer side: Roper Greyell and Harris & Co.

Mixed: Overholt, Samfiru Tamarkin, Forte Law, PortaLaw 

The big firms also seem to do employer-side work but I don't know enough to say how much. 

Thanks.

Would you say there are any major and/or noticeable difference between the L&E bar in BC and Ontario? If you're unfamiliar with Ontario, then how would you generally describe the landscape/culture in BC for L&E?

[chrysanthemum]

Thank you for this thread! Could anyone comment on how union-side firms may view (non-L&E related) government experience either in policy or as a summer law student completed in addition to clinic work? I'm wondering if it will be viewed negatively as showing a lack of genuine/exclusive interest in union-side labor?

Also, I noticed many union-side labour firms practise in areas beyond labor/employment (Aboriginal, constitutional, civil litigation, etc.). How valuable is experience in those areas? 

[Psychometronic]

1 hour ago, EmplawmentLaw said:

Thanks.

Would you say there are any major and/or noticeable difference between the L&E bar in BC and Ontario? If you're unfamiliar with Ontario, then how would you generally describe the landscape/culture in BC for L&E?

I've only worked in BC so I don't know, sorry. I also don't do employment or labour law so I can't speak to that question either. I only know that there is a distinction between those areas of law. Employment is generally quite broad (hiring, firing, severance, employment contracts, constructive dismissal, etc.) while labour law involves collective agreements, grievances, and other union issues. 

Edited March 15 by Psychometronic

[Aschenbach]

19 hours ago, canuckfanatic said:

Out of curiosity, because I know some of their associates, what about HHBG and/or Forte Law?

They're reputable firms. My understanding is that HHBG takes on more employee-side work with some labour and Forte does a bit of everything.