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You can only expect to become a skilled and competent lawyer by experiencing what skilled and competent lawyers do. Thankfully, we have 30+ lawyers with those exact qualities across 13 different practice areas. We encourage our students to become directly involved in everything we do, including the following:
  • Discussions on strategy development
  • Attendance at client meetings
  • Examinations for discovery
  • Administrative hearings
  • Arbitrations
  • Court appearances
Cunningham Swan offers the opportunities and exposure that a student would expect at a larger law firm in a city centre, with the hands-on experience and collegiality that can only be achieved in a small firm environment. As a student at our firm, you will be exposed to a broad range of practice areas, with close supervision and mentorship. We have experienced lawyers practicing in 13 different areas, allowing you to explore your interests as they develop.

What We Value

A large proportion of our current Associates and Partners started at our firm as summer students and/or articling students. We actively work to provide our students with a dynamic and beneficial learning experience, enhancing their growth opportunities within our firm.

As lawyers, we know that we are only as successful as the networks that surround us. For that reason, our families, colleagues, friends and community all hold important positions in our lives. We encourage every member of our firm to nurture the relationships and interests that allow us to excel both personally and professionally through a manageable work-life balance.

We are proud of our long-term commitment to and involvement in the Kingston community. Our current and future lawyers actively support these efforts through teamwork and participation in local initiatives.

For a better idea of our workplace culture and our team, we encourage you to read more here.

Who We Hire

We typically look for enthusiastic, motivated, and intelligent individuals who will enhance our team. Specifically, we seek individuals who demonstrate professionalism, strong analytic, academic and interpersonal skills. Candidates with close ties to the community or intentions to stay local will be competitive.
Where a student demonstrates their commitment to excellence and to the shared goals and values of our firm, we are pleased to invite them to continue to grow with us. We understand that one of the best ways to determine if Cunningham Swan is right for you is to speak to some of our current employees at the firm, including current students, associates and partners. You can find contact information for our team members here.

What Our Past Students Say

"As a summer and articling student, I worked alongside experienced lawyers in each of the firm’s groups. From the outset, I was offered challenging work and opportunities to interact with clients, courts and opposing counsel. There was always guidance available if I found myself out of my depth, and lawyers gladly made time to mentor and include me in social or professional events. Just as importantly, I was able to see the different practices available to our profession. With this perspective, I was able to make an informed decision about the kind of law that I wanted to practice. I was thrilled to join the firm after articling and begin my career with a supportive community behind me."   
Spencer PutnamCurrent: Associate, Municipal Law, since July 2020
Past: Articling Student, 2020
“Even in the early stages of the articling process, it was obvious to me that the firm is interested in knowing you as a person. From the moment that I was offered an articling position, I was included in firm functions and immediately felt welcome. The firm is the perfect size because it is small enough that you get to know all of the members of the firm and you end up working with all of them, but the diversity of their practice areas really gives you an opportunity to explore your own interests and find the practice area that you really like. The atmosphere at the firm is collegial and the lawyers’ doors are always open. Lawyers and staff alike are approachable and are always willing to offer guidance when it is needed. It was not long after the start of articling that I started to feel like part of the team. I found myself being given interesting work from the outset and was often encouraged to become involved from the early stages of a file and to really take part in every aspect of it.
Greg DobneyCurrent: Associate, Labour & Employment, since July 2011
Past: Articling Student, 2010
“My experience as an articling student at Cunningham Swan was extremely positive and exceeded my expectations. Even though the firm consists of 20+ busy lawyers practicing in a wide range of areas, it was easy to get to know all the lawyers and staff because the environment of the firm is very friendly and collegial. From the moment I began the articling term, the firm included me in all of its social events and educational seminars, which allowed me to meet and become familiar with my future colleagues and the firm’s diverse clientele. Everyone at the firm is sincerely excited about the practice of law, which results in challenging, interesting, hands-on work, rather than spending the majority of your time doing the same things over and over again. “Why don’t you take the first crack at it?” is a phrase you’ll hear frequently as an articling student at Cunningham Swan. I received a remarkable amount of encouragement and guidance and was thoroughly impressed by the firm’s dedication to student development the outstanding mentors I had the opportunity to work with.
David Munday Current: Partner, Real Estate, since January 2017
Past: Articling Student, 2009
“I consider myself very fortunate to have spent my summers in law school and my Articling term with Cunningham Swan. The firm offers the benefits of working in a larger firm with the breadth of practice areas while also providing the benefits of working in a smaller firm with an extremely collegial work atmosphere.”
Kalen Ingram Current: Associate, Labour & Employment, since June 2013
Past: Articling Student, 2012
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Articling Students

Cunningham Swan typically seeks to fill two articling positions each year. The articling program involves two rotations:

Litigation:

This rotation will allow each student exposure in the practice areas of civil litigation, labour & employment, and family law- among others.

Solicitor:

This rotation provides students the opportunity to engage in various types of transactions in business and corporate law, real estate, wills & estates and municipal law.

Despite the formal rotation, students are not prevented from engaging in work outside their rotation when need or interest pulls them. The firm supports a flexible approach to the articling term where students are encouraged to explore the areas that interest them most.

Students are included in our continuing education program for lawyers and are invited to attend in-house seminars organized by each practice group. In addition, Cunningham Swan encourages its students to attend out-of-town educational opportunities throughout the year.

Each articling student at Cunningham Swan is assigned a lawyer as a mentor who will provide regular feedback and guidance. Your mentor will also meet with you for the formal assessments required by the Law Society of Ontario. We encourage our students to seek feedback and guidance from every member of our firm and nurture an environment where no one should feel intimidated to ask questions, get involved, and learn. From day one, all of our doors are open to you. We look forward to assisting you in your growth and development.

For more information, or to apply, please contact our Human Resources Manager, Angela Finlay, by email at [email protected].

We also accept student applications through the viRecruit Portal. Click here to access the viRecruit Portal and view our current job postings for law students.

Summer Students

Click here to see more details on our open 2022 summer law student positions.

A summer student position with Cunningham Swan could lead to a position as an articling student, an associate lawyer and even a future partner. In fact, for many of our Associates and Partners, it already has. Each summer student at our firm is assigned to a lawyer who can provide mentorship, feedback and guidance throughout their time here.

Our summer students fulfil roles in an array of practice areas. For this reason, there is no formal rotation. However, the firm supports a flexible approach that allows our summer students to work and learn from different partners with varied and complementary experiences to their interests.

For more information, or to apply, please contact our Human Resources Manager, Angela Finlay, by email at [email protected] or apply below.

We also accept student applications through the viRecruit Portal. Click here to access the viRecruit Portal and view our current job postings for law students.

Current Postings

Submit Your Application

Application Form

  • Attach Your Résumé

    Please indicate your résumé and cover letter with your application. Click the “Choose File” button below to attach your document(s) to this application. Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF formats are preferred. Files cannot exceed 4MB in file size.

  • Max. file size: 256 MB.
  • Max. file size: 256 MB.

  • When you are satisfied with your application, press the “Submit Application” button below and we will review your application as soon as possible.

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Student FAQ

Cunningham Swan typically seeks to fill two articling positions and two summer students for the period between May 15 and August 15.

Student compensation is on par with other similarly sized law firms in the Eastern Ontario region.
  • A cover letter outlining your interest in our firm
  • Your resume
  • A photocopy of your academic record from any undergraduate degrees and law school
  • Any other information or work samples you think we may find useful

You may apply with our application portal in the ‘Apply’ section above. We also accept student applications through the viRecruit Portal. Click here to access the viRecruit Portal and view our current job postings for law students.

For more information on current postings, you can reach out to Angela Finlay, Human Resources Manager at [email protected]

Get Started

Step 1

Call our office at 613-544-0211.

Step 2

Tell us about the nature of your situation.

Step 3

We book you a consultation with the appropriate team.

Get Started

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