Graduate Careers Workshop: The Business of Law and How to Succeed as an Articling Student

Event Description

This workshop with Jenn Lau (Career Advisor, Graduate Studies) and Joseph Cuenca (Staff Lawyer, Practice Standards, Law Society of BC) will set you up for success in your future articling student position and lawyer positions in Canada. It is not enough to simply hone your technical expertise and understanding of the law – in order to be a competent lawyer, you must also hone your practice management skills. While this workshop is titled “the business of law”, the tips will be broadly applicable for all types of legal employers (private practice, public interest and non-profit, and public sector). Learn about the ins and outs of docketing and the billable hour (or other ways of having your work productivity evaluated), how work is allocated to articling students (and how to seek out work and fill your plate), and how to build internal and external client relationships. This careers workshop is exclusively for graduate law students who are completing the NCA process and who want to practice law in Canada, and will be recorded and posted on ACE for students who cannot attend in-person. 

Note: This event is open only to students enrolled in the Allard Law LLM Common Law, LLM Taxation, LLM, and PhD programs.

Speaker

Joseph G Cuenca is an experienced legal professional currently serving as a Staff Lawyer in Practice Standards at the Law Society of British Columbia since April 2023. Prior to this role, Joseph practiced as Associate Counsel at Cohen Buchan Edwards LLP, specializing in civil litigation with a focus on estate litigation, family law, commercial law, and collections from January 2023 to April 2023. Joseph was a Partner at Cohen Buchan Edwards from July 2007 to December 2022, providing a comprehensive range of legal services, including employment and immigration law. Earlier career experience includes roles as a Lawyer at Lonsdale Avenue Law Centre and as an Articled Student at the Ministry of the Attorney General, which included diverse legal rotations. Joseph holds multiple degrees in law, including an LLM (’99) from The University of British Columbia and a Juris Doctor from Ateneo de Manila University, complemented by a BA in Philosophy from the University of the Philippines. Joseph is an internationally trained lawyer who completed the National Committee on Accreditation Process prior to requalifying as a lawyer in Canada.