- in writing - both the initial review of the principal, other partners/lawyers and the response of the student to the assessment
- prepared with input from as many partners/ lawyers as possible - each of the partners/lawyers who has worked with a student may have valuable comments on the student's progress which should be passed on.
- followed up by meetings between the principal and student to assess performance to date and to plan goals and performance for the future.
- completed at least once every 6 months. Students articling to Judges will be evaluated at 5 months and 10 months after commencement of their articles.
Consultation with Other Supervisors
An evaluation form should be completed by the principal after consulting with those lawyers having contact with the student. Where the student is spending some portion of the articling term with a different supervising lawyer, that lawyer will obviously have input into the evaluation. In firms where evaluations are organized by an articling committee, there will obviously be collaboration between the principal, the student and the committee to ensure that the evaluations are done to everyone's satisfaction.
Suggested Evaluation Forms
Included are two suggested Evaluations forms - one for completion by the principal and the other by the students. Firms may already have similar forms for evaluations in their offices, and will be free to continue to use their own forms and evaluation process. A copy of the completed principal's evaluation form must be provided to the student. The student's written evaluation form must be provided to the principal.
Change of Principal
Where students, including those from the Courts, change principals or firms, a further evaluation should be carried out during the time spent in the new law firm/setting.
Evaluation Certificate
Once the evaluations have been completed, the student and principal will file a Certificate with the Law Society confirming they have gone through the evaluation process to their satisfaction. The required Certificate is attached as Form 2-7. The completed Certificate must be filed with the Law Society by the end of the sixth month following the effective start of the student's articles.
Note: The evaluations themselves do not need to be filed, only the completed certificate.
Where a student does not complete the requirements of articles, including completion of the Evaluation Certificate, the principal will not be able to sign the necessary certificate to enable the student to enroll as a member.
Further Information
For further information please call or write to:
Membership Group
The Law Society of Alberta
(403) 229-4781
Email: Membership Department
