Articling Placement Program: Pausing Placements
The Law Society of Alberta has decided to pause placements through the Articling Placement Program (APP) until further notice. We will continue to provide other means of support to students who reach out.
The Law Society will continue to source placements for students who have already met the program requirements. However, we will not be placing any new students through the program until the program is reassessed.
This decision was influenced by information shared in recent interviews with current and past APP students regarding the increasing waiting times for placements. This decision was difficult, but it is important that we do not cause additional harm to students by making promises of placements that we cannot fill.
The Law Society began offering the APP in February 2022 as a pilot program. The APP is intended to assist articling students who are in unsafe or untenable articles due to harassment or discrimination in exiting their current articling positions and continuing with a new firm/organization (i.e. roster firm/organization). We would like to thank the roster firms/organizations who have given APP students a place to finish their articles since the program launched.
Over the past year, placing students through the APP has proved to be increasingly difficult. This is despite having a list of firms and organizations who signed up to be part of the program and the best efforts of Law Society staff. We have heard from roster firms/organizations that they have not been able to accommodate APP students as they had initially hoped for reasons such as inopportune timing, budget considerations, issues with the current APP model, etc.
Some students have waited many months for a placement while others are still waiting. This is causing additional distress to those already in untenable situations. We have heard from APP students that the lengthy and uncertain wait for a new articling placement contributes to extended unemployment, financial hardship and doubt about their future in the legal profession. Some are choosing to remain in harmful articles because they simply have no other options, which is what the APP was intended to provide.
Ongoing Support
Articling students facing harassing and discriminatory behavior in their articles are encouraged to contact the Law Society’s Equity Ombudsperson for a confidential conversation to discuss their concerns and options. The Equity Ombudsperson is available to help articling students decide on a course of action. This can include having the Membership department terminate their articles.
Students in need of counseling or emergency support should consider:
- contacting the Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist), including access to 24/7 Crisis Counselling with a senior-level registered psychologist by calling 1.877.498.6898, or
- calling 911 for Emergency Services or 988 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline.
Program Impact
Since the APP launched in 2022, there have been 88 inquiries about the program. Of those, 23 students qualified while 65 students did not meet the program criteria.
We maintain that the program has potential to help students facing discrimination and harassment in their articles. We have heard the positive impact it has already had on students who were placed promptly with another firm/organization.
During our recent interviews, an APP student shared, “the APP intervention was a lifeline during one of the most difficult times in my professional journey, providing not only a safe exit but also genuine support and guidance. I’m deeply grateful for this initiative. It empowers students to reclaim their dignity and continue their careers with confidence.”
While the merits of the program are widely understood and shared amongst students and the profession, the Law Society needs to assess the program based on the feedback we received. For the students who qualified under the program but were not placed at all, or in a timely manner, the lengthy waiting periods and unknown future often exacerbated the harm to the students.
Another APP student shared “the program was a false hope. False hope doesn’t sustain progress it only postpones the hard decisions and exhausts the energy needed to move forward.”
The Future of the Program
Leading with the ultimate goal of supporting articling students who need to finish their articles is essential as we reassess the program. To better understand the challenges with the program, the Law Society engaged with APP students, roster firms/organizations, staff and our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Executive Committees comprised of some of our Benchers (board members) regarding the current state of the program and the need to pause it at this time.
While the program is being reassessed, there continues to be students in untenable articles due to discrimination or harassment and the ongoing support of the legal community is essential to helping these students start their career in a positive work environment. Any firms or organizations interested in future involvement with supporting articling students in leaving untenable articles are encouraged to reach out to the Law Society.