Overview

Note: if you require an accessible copy of the job ad list, please contact us.

The Ontario government is one of the largest employers of law students in Canada, hiring approximately 175 articling students and 70 summer students every year. Our law student programs offer the opportunity to gain legal skills in a supportive and collaborative environment. Students participate in work that has a real and meaningful impact on the lives of Ontarians, in the areas of:

  • criminal law
  • civil litigation
  • regulatory prosecutions
  • policy development
  • Indigenous law

The Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) strives to reflect the community we serve and welcome applications from all equity seeking groups, including historically disadvantaged and marginalized community members. 

MAG lawyers are part of the Ontario Public Service. They are responsible for the administration of criminal and civil justice and legal services across all Ontario Ministries.

Our student programs include:

Benefits and opportunities

Students will have opportunities to:

  • work on significant files that are in the public interest
  • conduct legal research
  • draft pleadings, facta and other court documents
  • help with the preparation of court and tribunal cases
  • help with the development of new legislation and policies
  • have independent carriage of their files (where applicable) and to work with counsel on complex files

Our programs also provide:

  • orientation
  • education sessions
  • formal and informal mentorship and guidance from counsel
  • full access to the Ministry of the Attorney General Law Library
  • access to Ministry programming such as peer support focused on mental health and wellness
  • seminars organized by the Articling and Summer Law Student Committee as well as ministry-specific training
  • educational opportunities from outside organizations, like the Association of Law Officers of the Crown, the Ontario Crown Attorney’s Association and the Law Society of Ontario

Learn more about the work and opportunities at the various offices in the Ontario government.

Application and interview process

Each Crown attorney office or Ministry Legal Services Branch Office is responsible for recruiting and hiring students. You must submit a separate application for each posting. The application package for most offices must include:

  • cover letter
  • resume
  • undergraduate and law school transcripts (photocopies are acceptable)
  • a minimum of two references

Some offices may have other requirements, such as writing samples, noted in the job ad. 

Some MAG offices conduct on-campus interviews. If you take part in an on-campus interview, you should still apply directly to posted job ads.

Qualities that make an application stand out include:

  • an interest in public law and the office’s practice areas
  • previous experience in law or in government or the broader public sector
  • strong interpersonal skills
  • academic proficiency (especially in courses related to the office’s practice areas)
  • extracurricular work and activities
  • strong oral and written communication skills
  • prior advocacy experience (where the office conducts litigation or prosecutions)
  • personal experience that reflects the social, economic and cultural diversity of Ontario

The interview process

Successful candidates will be contacted and interviewed by a panel of two or three counsel.  Interviews will typically last 30–40 minutes.

Accommodations during the interview process are available in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Some offices conduct second interviews or ask candidates to meet with other counsel or current law students.

Interview questions may test:

  • how students handle a hypothetical situation
  • substantive legal knowledge, including legislation and recent case law
  • knowledge of evidentiary issues
  • ability to juggle and prioritize workload pressures
  • how students would address challenging ethical issues

Summer law student programs

Find articling and summer student jobs

Eligibility

Summer law student programs are open to all law students in the first or second year of law school.  You must be legally entitled to work in Canada and have a valid Social Insurance Number.

Compensation

Most summer students are unionized under the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and paid:

  • $26.52 per hour ($961.35 per week), first year law students effective January 1, 2023
  • $29.75 per hour ($1078.44 per week), second year law students effective January 1, 2023

Summer law student - general stream

Application deadline: July and January (See Law Society of Ontario)

MAG hires approximately 70 summer law students to work from May until August each year. Our summer law student program is similar to our articling program.

Aboriginal Law Summer Student Program

Application deadline: late January or early February

The Aboriginal Law Summer Student Program (ALSSP) provides students with the unique opportunity to focus on Aboriginal law and Indigenous legal and policy issues.

The program is suited for law students who have:

  • knowledge of Indigenous realities and culture and experience working with Indigenous communities and/or organizations
  • a demonstrated interest in Aboriginal law
  • knowledge of Indigenous law and legal systems is an asset
  • a demonstrated commitment to reconciliation

In the ALSSP, you will have the opportunity to work with a network of lawyers working on Aboriginal law and Indigenous legal issues and building relationships between Ontario and Indigenous communities throughout the province.

In addition, in the ALSSP, you may work on files involving:

  • Aboriginal title claims
  • Aboriginal rights claims, including self-government claims
  • treaty claims
  • the duty to consult and accommodate
  • Crown obligations under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982
  • policy development and implementation impacting Indigenous people within Ontario
  • building and repairing relationships between the province, the federal government and Indigenous people
  • Gladue and Indigenous Persons Courts
  • criminal court cases involving Indigenous accused persons and/or Indigenous victims or that may have broader precedential and/or policy implications for Indigenous people

Lawyer Licensing Programs

Articling student program

Find articling and summer student jobs

Deadline: typically, May for outside Toronto and July for Toronto. Check each posting for the specific due date.  

MAG hires articling students every year, one year ahead of the start date of their articles in accordance with the Law Society of Ontario’s (LSO) procedures.

Articling students are employed for 10 months starting between May and August and most students are members of and represented by the Association of Law Officers of the Crown (ALOC) or the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association (OCAA).

Eligibility

You must be registered with the LSO’s licensing process and have either:

If you are studying law abroad and would like to apply to one of our programs, you must be:

  • a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or authorized to work in Canada (proven in writing under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act)
  • able to show that your studies are comparable to a Canadian Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree

Compensation and vacation time

All articling students are given:

  • $1,478.97 per week ($77,171 per annum) effective July 1, 2023
  • 4% of pay in lieu of health and insurance benefits or the option to pay 100% of benefits premiums within first 30 days
  • up to $4940.00 of your Law Society of Ontario fees
  • an educational stipend of $4,975.00 (non-taxable)
  • 10 paid vacation days in a 10-month articling term
  • 1.25 sick days for each full month of work

The hireback pool

Students who complete their articles or clerkship with the Ontario government are placed in the MAG hireback pool that gives them preferential access to apply to all entry-level counsel positions across government. Membership in the pool lasts for two years from their call to the bar.

Many articling students are successful in finding contracts within the Ontario government after being called to the bar through posted internal jobs and other short-term contracts. MAG usually hires back between 30–50% of the articling students.

Judicial clerkship programs

The Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario offer judicial clerkships. Students can use clerkships for articling to meet the LSO call to the bar requirements or complete a clerkship after they are called to the bar.

All clerkships begin in August, most last for 12 months. The Judicial clerks are represented by the Association of Law Officers of the Crown and are included in MAG’s hireback pool.

Learn more about the Superior Court of Justice’s and the Court of Appeal’s clerkship programs.

Law practice program

MAG hires a small number of Law Practice Program (LPP) candidates for their four-month work placement after they have completed their four-month training course from Ryerson University or the University of Ottawa.

LPP students are represented by the Association of Law Officers of the Crown or the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association and are included in MAG’s hireback pool.

Compensation and Vacation time

The LPP candidates are treated as part-time articling students and receive:

  • $1,478.97 per week ($77,171 per annum) effective July 1, 2023
  • 4% of pay in lieu of health and insurance benefits or the option to pay 100% of benefits premiums within first 30 days
  • up to $4940.00 of your Law Society of Ontario fees
  • a pro-rated educational stipend of $1990.00 (non-taxable)
  • 4 paid vacation days in a 4-month articling term
  • 1.25 sick days for each full month of work

How to apply

Contact individual offices through our ministry practice areas to see if they offer LPP placements and contact your LPP placement office.

Integrated practice curriculum

Students completing their Juris Doctor through the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University or through the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University may complete their Integrated Practice Curriculum (IPC) at MAG. These unpaid practice placements prepare students to be called to the Ontario bar without completing an articling placement. This placement counts as course credit.

How to apply

Contact individual offices through our ministry practice areas to see if they offer IPC placements and contact your IPC placement office.

Contact

For general information, or to receive an accessible copy of the law student job ads, email: mag.hr.lawstudents@ontario.ca

If you have specific questions about the law student opportunities, contact the person listed under the specific practice area.