Thank you for your interest in the summer program at Dentons in Calgary.
Our program
The summer program at Dentons’ Calgary office has been an integral part of our professional development for more than 25 years. The program was designed to give you unparalleled exposure to a variety of work and facilitate your transition from student to lawyer.
As part of the summer program, students are assigned a mentor, usually a mid-level associate who remembers what it feels like to be a student. Your mentor will give you work, provide feedback and offer guidance on everything; from how to write a client letter to who to ask for assistance with our technology.
Our goal is to provide you with varied professional opportunities and proactively integrate you into our daily practice. Most of our summer students return to article with us, and in turn, stay on as associates, so we want to ensure that from the moment you walk in the door you become part of our team. This means working with many different lawyers, meeting our clients and maybe even learning to two-step at our Stampede party.
Evaluation
Feedback is fundamental to your summering experience. While you can expect to receive informal evaluations from the lawyers you will be working with regularly, you will also be more formally evaluated. Before you return to school in the fall, you will receive individual feedback during a formal interview. Hopefully, this feedback will aid you as you return to your studies and assist in preparing you for articles. The interview also provides you with an opportunity to share any comments or suggestions you may have to improve our summer program.
What it’s like to summer at Dentons in Calgary
What our students say:
Lucas Paniak, University of Dalhousie: The phrases “hands-on experience,” “meaningful tasks,” and “collegiality” aren’t just catchy buzz words used to describe the summer student program at Dentons Calgary; they are words that actually reflect what the team at the firm strives to – and does – offer to students during the summer. Through opportunities such as partaking in the Civil Claims Duty Counsel or the King’s Bench Amicus Program, students are given first-hand experience in coming face to face with clients who have legal problems in need of resolution. Lawyers at the firm are willing to entrust students with tasks that have a real impact on the files they are part of – such as assisting in writing court briefs and pleadings. Weekly events put on by each practice group, firm-wide gatherings during Stampede, and summer student outings – such as downhill go-karting – integrate students into the fabric of the firm, making us truly feel like members of the team. I am grateful for my experience summering at Dentons Calgary and look forward to returning to article!
Nada Farag, McGill University: My summer experience at Dentons was incredibly formative and exciting. From the beginning, the lawyers and staff were very helpful and open to sharing their time and expertise. There were several opportunities to further get to know everyone at the firm, both through organized events and through one-on-one mentorship. The files I got to assist on were varied and provided better insight into what each practice group does. The opportunity to keep an open mind while gaining experience in several areas of the law was very valuable to me. Over the summer, I also had the chance to get involved in the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility committee at the firm to help plan initiatives and events with these values at their core. I am very excited to return to Dentons Calgary for my articling term!
Nicholas Welch, University of Alberta: My time at Dentons Calgary as a summer has been thoroughly enjoyable. From the time I started, I have been offered opportunities to make meaningful contributions to a variety of different legal files and witness various legal proceedings firsthand. When there was a legal issue or practice area that was of interest to me, the firm ensured I was included on those files. This made me feel welcomed and part of the team, which was such a special feeling.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the summer has been the getting to know the people at Dentons Calgary. Whether it is through the numerous social events or the friendly coffee chats, the firm ensures that summers are offered opportunities to meet lawyers and learn more about different practice areas. They also provide a number of opportunities for the summers to get to know each other better. I can safely say that getting to know my articling cohort has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve had and I’m grateful that I was able to summer at a firm that puts so much emphasis on a collegial and friendly work environment.
Lucas Pelster, University of Calgary: The programming for summer students at Dentons is vigorous and organized. Between the mixture of methodized and structured training modules, lunch-and-learns and participation in a formal mentorship pairing, students gain the requisite skills to excel in the context of a law firm. These skills are further cultivated by involvement in meaningful, complex work spread over different practices, which helped solidify particular areas of interest for me. Dentons has an eager and active social environment such as weekly firm initiatives that include Stampede events, Third Thursdays, slow-pitch, run groups, and networking events. For such a large firm, partners and senior associates play a prominent role within the social environment by placing a significant emphasis on mentorship and coaching through their open-door policy. As a summer student at Dentons, I have grown very close with the rest of the summer cohort, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to return to Dentons for articling.