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An articling secondment is when a student moves from one firm or organization to another firm or organization for a temporary period of time. For example, a student articling with a firm may spend six weeks working for a client in a corporate in-house setting.
In a secondment, a student retains the same principal for the entire articling term.
Secondment supervisors must meet the same eligibility requirements as a principal (see Rule 55 of the Rules of the Law Society) and your secondment must be in Alberta. Once the student receives permission from their principal to participate in a secondment, they must submit an application for the secondment using the Lawyer Portal a minimum of 10 days prior to the proposed start date. The proposed supervisor will receive a notice to sign into the Lawyer Portal and confirm acceptance. The proposed secondment must be approved by the Law Society prior to commencement.
Supervisors involved in secondments exceeding 30 days are required to successfully complete the Mandatory Principal Training Course prior to the secondment being approved by the Law Society. If a planned secondment will exceed 90 days, the student needs to contact the Law Society for specific approval as to duration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Secondments are not a requirement of articling in Alberta. Students-at-law can article at a single firm or in a single practice area as long as all the requirements of the Education Plan are met. If you choose to complete a secondment, it is your principal’s responsibility to continue to confirm that the requirements of the Education Plan are met.
During your secondment, you can continue to use the mailing address of your primary employer. It is your responsibility to maintain a current email address and phone number within the Lawyer Portal in case the Law Society needs to contact you.
As a student-at-law, you are not covered by the Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association (ALIA) policy and would typically fall under your principal’s policy. If you are moving to an in-house position for a secondment, you must ensure that you are indemnified or insured for errors and/or omissions in their policy.
If you are moving from an in-house position to a firm for a secondment, you will be covered by your supervisor’s indemnity.