WELCOME TO CLYDE & CO’S PROGRAM FOR INTERNS AND ARTICLING STUDENTS
If you’re looking for the perfect environment where to learn, thrive and progress, we think you’ll love life here. We’re a growing firm—one of the fastest growing in the world, in fact. We work at the heart of sectors that drive global trade and commerce. This makes our program an unrivalled opportunity which will allow you to take on exciting, high-profile work and to grow as rapidly as us.
Ready to join us and help create the next chapter of our story? Right this way!
OUR EXPERTISE
The lawyers in our Montréal office represent national and international clients, particularly property, casualty and special risks insurers. Moreover, we represent major corporations, organizations and professional orders. Over the years, we have built an expertise that allows us to go beyond the role of a traditional service provider by anticipating the needs of our clients and contributing to their professional development.
Our practice areas include
- insurance and reinsurance law;
- civil and commercial litigation;
- class actions;
- subrogation claims;
- insurance policy wording;
- alternative dispute resolution;
- disciplinary law and professional liability;
- construction law;
- D&O claims;
- product liability;
- municipal and government liability;
- risk management;
- cyber risks;
- monitoring;
- regulatory compliance.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Openly discussing family aspirations, one’s participation in LGBTQ+ communities, mental health issues or religious beliefs is difficult during recruitment events at law firms. At the very least, students trying to secure an articling position will be wary of bringing up these topics.
While the diversity concept is making headway in the Canadian landscape and within large corporations, law firms are still slow at making progress on this front. Of course, commitment to diversity and inclusion varies considerably from one firm to another, and it becomes hard to evaluate an organization’s performance based on these aspects. Unconscious bias can be prevalent in many firms, and this is often reflected in informal functions or situations.
Obviously, having a discussion with lawyers and partners is the best way to discover the level of commitment of a firm. Even though some policies may be in place, it does not necessarily mean that there is a corresponding culture. Try to get a sense of the state of things by carefully observing the lawyers’ and partners’ manners. Trust your intuition!
Below are some tips on how you can detect the genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion of a firm.
SOME TIPS
1. The existence of diversity and inclusion policies, such as maternity and paternity leave policies, demonstrates a firm’s desire for change and openness.
2. A firm demonstrating openness to a minority group will be more inclined to open up to others. Look for signs of cultural and ethnic diversity in a firm. They are generally accompanied by greater inclusivity of differences in gender, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability.
3. The composition and commitment of the management board are valuable indicators. Gender balance on a board of directors is evidence of a diversified internal structure.
4. The promotional material and the language used will further communicate the level of diversity. For example, a firm’s brochures representing cultural diversity through illustrations denote an opening to inclusion. Better yet, check out the firm’s biographies.
5. A firm facing strong competition within its lines of business will be more willing to demonstrate its commitment to diversity. Corporate clients are often more advanced in their diversity efforts and strongly encourage their legal service providers to do the same. Increasingly, a firm’s approach to diversity is reflective of that of its key clients.
6. A firm involved in complementary diversity and inclusion activities will have a greater propensity for heterogeneity. For example, the firm’s conferences on those topics or its participation in activities of different cultural communities show a concern for openness.
7. Most importantly, a firm that has a work environment which brings together people of various backgrounds, experiences and perspectives will be more focused on diversity and inclusion. Keep your ears open to get a sense of the ways people think and don’t forget to check the firm’s biographies for clues of cognitive diversity.