Summer Students

We are hiring summer students during the fall 2024 intake, with the positions scheduled to commence in the summer of 2025.

We follow the deadlines and interview schedules set out in the VBA Student Recruitment Guidelines: https://vancouverbar.ca/student-guidelines/.

About Owen Bird

We are a downtown, full‐service business law firm that has provided exceptional service and outstanding results for our clients for over 50 years.

Our clients include small to large businesses, public companies, financial institutions, insurance companies, telecommunications companies, and real estate developers.  Due to our affiliation with Interlaw, a network of full-service business law firms in over 150 cities around the world, a significant number of our files involve transnational aspects.

We strive for excellence in our practice and aim to do so in an informal, collegial, and respectful environment. We value and encourage professional relationships that develop organically instead of via formal hierarchies or siloed practice groups. We believe that there is more to life than the practice of law, so all lawyers, students, and support staff are encouraged to live balanced lives.

Many of our lawyers are active in the community: they volunteer on non-profit boards, are active in sports, and act on pro bono legal matters. We encourage this community involvement and support our lawyers in their professional and personal endeavours.

We believe in creating a work environment that is diverse and welcoming to and inclusive of all individuals, each of whom comes from unique backgrounds and contributes to the mosaic that is our firm. We strive towards a firm that reflects our profession’s ideals of justice and equity.

In fall of 2022, we moved to the state-of-the Vancouver Center II on the 28th and 29th floor at 733 Seymour Street. These premises include our own private deck space for our lawyers, staff, and clients (see https://www.vancouvercentre.com/).  We invite the successful candidate to join us for this new and exciting chapter of our history.

Position

We are currently looking for summer students to join our firm.

We provide mentorship and an opportunity to learn from our most senior lawyers. Each student is assigned a senior lawyer as a mentor who provides guidance in file handling, client management, time management, and career advancement. Mentors also act as advocates to students to ensure that they are getting exposure to the practice areas they are interested in and are getting experiences across a broad spectrum of practice areas.

Our students do not follow a strict rotation and are, therefore, able to both get a broad range of experience while seeking work in the areas that most interest them.  Typically, students will have opportunities to attend client meetings, appear in court, conduct research on emerging areas of law, and prepare and present on various topics in in-house and client seminars.

Our student program is an excellent opportunity for well‐rounded, self‐motivated individuals who possess sound judgment, solid work ethic, and good interpersonal skills. We are looking for a student who wants the opportunity to build a career and future with us and become an integral part of Owen Bird.

Application Process

To apply, please send us the following materials:

  • a cover letter.
  • your CV detailing your academic, work, extracurricular, and other qualifications;
  • your law school transcript;
  • your undergraduate or other post-secondary academic transcripts (optional);
  • reference letters (maximum of three letters) (optional);
  • a writing sample (optional);
  • a practice synopsis of your past or existing practice (optional, if applicable).

Submit your application materials to the Associates & Articling Committee at recruitment@owenbird.com.

Due to the large volume of applications, we receive, we will reply only to those applicants selected for interviews.

For more information about our firm and our lawyers, visit www.owenbird.com our website at www.owenbird.com or contact us at recruitment@owenbird.com.