Real Experience.
Lifelong Connections.

Student Program

Law students at Soloway Wright are an integral part of our team and are relied on by lawyers to conduct diverse legal work and to participate in the life of the firm. The Soloway Wright articling experience prepares students to be exceptional lawyers through hands-on work assignments, a comprehensive and specialized student seminar program, significant student lawyer interactions, and a supportive work environment.

Soloway Wright LLP Recognized in The Career Directory 2026

We are proud to be selected for The Career Directory 2026, a national guide to entry-level recruitment for students and recent graduates. This recognition reflects our commitment to mentorship, hands-on learning, and meaningful career development for the next generation of legal professionals.

Build Your Legal Career at Soloway Wright

At Soloway Wright, students are given meaningful work, responsibility and direct access to our lawyers from day one.

Our summer and articling programs are designed to give students a genuine understanding of what it means to practice law in a full-service firm. There are no formal rotations. Instead, students work directly with partners and associates across a broad range of matters and practice areas, gaining practical experience while developing the skills, judgment and relationships needed to build a successful legal career.

We are looking for students who are curious, motivated, collaborative and willing to take initiative; students who ask questions, take ownership of their work and want to become part of the firm.

Meaningful Work and Responsibility

Our students are an integral part of our legal team. They work closely with our lawyers on real client matters and are exposed to the many facets of private practice.

During the summer and articling terms, students have opportunities to:

Conduct in-depth legal research and analysis;
Draft pleadings and agreements;
Attend Court with lawyers and independently;
Attend mediations and examinations for discovery;
Take responsibility for Small Claims Court files; and
Communicate and meet with clients.

This hands-on experience allows students to take on increasing responsibility while developing the practical skills needed to become well-rounded lawyers.

A Strong Start

Our summer students begin with a comprehensive two-week training and orientation program designed to equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to get started confidently at the firm.

Learning, Mentorship and Feedback

Learning at Soloway Wright extends well beyond day-to-day legal work.

Throughout the articling term, students participate in a comprehensive seminar program led by lawyers from across the firm, including our Kingston office. The seminars provide practical and substantive insight into different areas of law, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and connect directly with our lawyers.

Students also receive ongoing feedback throughout their summer and articling terms, both informally from the lawyers they work with and through more formal progress reviews.

Each student is also paired with two associates who meet with them informally each month to discuss their experience, answer questions and provide guidance. The Articling Committee remains available throughout the program to provide support and discuss both professional and general matters.

We want our students to feel comfortable asking questions, seeking feedback and learning from the people around them.

Learn the Business of Law

Becoming a lawyer involves more than learning substantive law. During their articling term, our students also gain an understanding of the business of private practice, including:

Accounting and financial practices;
Docketing and billing;
Building and maintaining client relationships; and
General practice management.

Understanding how a law firm operates gives students a broader perspective on what it takes to build a successful legal practice.

Professional Development

We encourage students to continue learning beyond the firm’s own programming. Students may attend continuing legal education and professional development events throughout the year, with Soloway Wright covering approved registration costs on a case-by-case basis.

Students are also invited and encouraged to attend continuing professional development lunch-and-learns hosted by the firm’s practice groups.

Soloway Wright also pays all Licensing Exam fees for our articling students.

Collegial and Supportive

We believe that a strong student experience starts with a supportive workplace.

Soloway Wright has a collegial, approachable culture. We operate on a first-name basis, maintain an open-door policy and embrace a business-casual environment. Students work with lawyers at all levels of experience and are encouraged to get involved in the broader life of the firm.

We also recognize that every student is different. We are committed to providing exposure to the firm’s diverse areas of practice while supporting each student’s individual interests and professional goals.

Equality, inclusion and respect are an important part of Soloway Wright’s history and culture.

A Path to Building Your Career Here

We believe in developing our lawyers from within.

Over the past ten years, over 80% of our articling students have been offered positions with Soloway Wright following their articles. While we cannot guarantee a hire-back position, the firm is committed to growing from within and has a strong history of welcoming former students back as associates and, ultimately, partners.

For students looking for a place to begin their legal career; not simply complete their articles; our student program can be the start of a long-term relationship with the firm.

Be Part of the Soloway Wright Community

Being a student at Soloway Wright means becoming part of a firm with a long history of community involvement and philanthropy.

Our lawyers participate in charitable organizations, community initiatives and volunteer activities throughout the year, and students are encouraged to get involved. Students have participated in initiatives including the YMCA Golf Tournament, the County of Carleton Law Association’s Angel Tree Program and Ottawa Food Bank drives.

Students are also welcome to bring forward their own ideas for charitable and volunteer initiatives.

Our Student Program

Soloway Wright aims to hire four summer law students each year: three in our Ottawa office and one in our Kingston office.

Summer students join us from May to August, with the intention that successful summer students will return to Soloway Wright to article following law school.

While Soloway Wright accepts applications from prospective articling students, we do not generally conduct separate articling interviews as part of our recruitment process. Applications may be submitted directly to the firm or through the viLawPortal.

Soloway Wright Coffee Chats – 2L Summer Recruitment

For students participating in 2L summer recruitment, Soloway Wright offers virtual Coffee Chats during December and January:

Tuesday, December 15, 2026 (4:30 – 6:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, December 16, 2026 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.)
Monday, January 4, 2027 (4:30 – 6:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, January 5, 2027 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, January 6, 2027 (4:30 – 6:00 p.m.)
Thursday, January 7, 2027 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.)
Friday, January 8, 2027 (12:00 – 1:30 p.m.)
Monday, January 11, 2027 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, January 12, 2027 (4:30 – 6:00 p.m.)

Coffee Chats are an opportunity for prospective students to meet lawyers and current students, ask questions and get to know Soloway Wright before the recruitment application deadline.

Each Coffee Chat is limited to six students and includes one or two lawyers and a current summer or articling student, providing an informal opportunity to learn about the student experience directly from the people who live it.

Coffee Chats are intended solely for 2L law students seeking a summer student position for 2027 who would be committed to returning to Soloway Wright to article following law school. If you are a 1L student interested in learning more about Soloway Wright, please contact us, and we would be happy to connect with you at a later date.

Our Articling Committee

The Articling Committee is responsible for the selection and hiring of Soloway Wright’s summer and articling students. Co-chaired by Vanessa Carment and Kyle Van Schie, the Committee works closely with lawyers across the firm to ensure that students have a meaningful, supportive and well-rounded experience.

Meet the members of our Articling Committee:

Guillaume Chiasson
Krista Libman
Philip Osterhout
Victoria Partington
Sanjay Srivastava
Ryan Stubbs
Mike McDonald

If you have questions about our Student Program, please contact our Articling Committee.

Meet Our Students

Want to know what it’s really like to be a student at Soloway Wright? Meet our current students!

Watch “Student Life at Soloway Wright”, created by and featuring this year’s articling students:

Watch testimonials from some of the lawyers who began in our Student Program:

FAQ

What is the firm culture at Soloway Wright?

Collegial and Supportive

We pride ourselves on a collegial and supportive work environment. We operate on a first name basis, have an open-door policy, and subscribe to a business casual dress code. We are committed to providing our law students with exposure to all aspects of the firm’s practices of law coupled with a student experience commensurate with each students’ individual needs and interests. Equality, inclusion, and respect are ingrained in Soloway Wright’s history and culture.

What work experience can I expect as a student at Soloway Wright?

Work with Lawyers, Independent Work, Time at Court

The law student program at Soloway Wright is designed to expose students to the firm’s daily operations and the many facets of private practice. We do not have a formal rotation system; instead, students work closely with our partners and associates on various files and legal problems, helping tackle complex legal issues while developing the skills needed to serve clients.

The firm has developed a comprehensive training and orientation program for its summer students to ensure that you will be well-equipped to work at the firm. This is a two-week program that is given at the start of your summer with us.

During both the summer and articling, students:

Complete in-depth legal research and analysis;
Draft pleadings;
Draft agreements;
Attend at Court, accompanying lawyers and on their own;
Attend mediations and examinations for discovery;
Are responsible for Small Claims Court files; and
Communicate and meet with clients.

This broad range of experiences helps equip students to become well-rounded lawyers.

What other opportunities to you offer law students?

Seminars

We have created a series of law seminars that are provided to students throughout their articling term by all of the lawyers at the firm, including our Kingston office. These seminars give students information about each of the lawyers’ specific area of practice and substantive information about the different practice areas at the firm. In addition, the seminars provide students with an opportunity to learn about the practical side of law and to spend one-on-one time with the firm’s lawyers and ask them questions. Not only do the seminars enhance the students’ legal knowledge, they also help you become a part of the Soloway Wright team.

Paid Professional Development

Soloway Wright also pays for students to attend continuing education events throughout the year, on a case by case basis. Further, students are invited and encouraged to attend all continuing professional development lunch and learns hosted by the firm’s various practice groups.

The Business of Law

Finally, as a student at Soloway Wright you are not only trained in the substantive practice of law, you are also taught the business of law in private practice throughout your articling term. Students learn about accounting practices; docketing and billing your time; how to build and maintain client relationships; and general practice management.

What is the student mentorship and feedback process for law students?

Progress Reviews and Monthly Meetings

Our lawyers value the opportunity to act as mentors and are available to answer students’ questions. During both the summer and articling term, students receive feedback in a variety of ways, including directly from lawyers on day-to-day work and more formally at review meetings. Our Articling Committee will regularly review your progress and is available to discuss matters of both a professional and general nature with you.

In addition, you will be assigned two associates to meet with informally once per month to discuss your experience, ask questions, and receive guidance. Finally, the articling committee members are available to answer students’ questions and to provide feedback throughout the summer and articling term.

What is Soloway Wright’s hire-back policy after articling?

Hiring from Within

In the past ten years, Soloway Wright is proud to have offered hire back to over 80% of our articling students. While we cannot guarantee that our students will be hired back, the firm always seeks to grow from within. An important firm objective is to recruit its new lawyers and eventual partners from the ranks of its articling students who will maintain Soloway Wright’s excellent reputation. The firm has a number of associates and partners who started their careers as students with the firm and continue to build their careers here.

What is Soloway Wright’s student compensation scheme?

How does Soloway Wright give back to the community?

Since 1946: A Commitment to Philanthropy, Volunteering and Community

Soloway Wright is well known in the Ottawa community as being devoted to volunteerism and philanthropy. Many of the firm’s lawyers are personally involved in charitable endeavours outside of work.

Further, the firm participates in a variety of volunteer events including the YMCA Golf Tournament, the County of Carleton Law Association’s Angel Tree Program, and the County of Carleton Law Association’s Ottawa Food Bank Drive. Students are actively involved in all of these events and are also encouraged to suggest their own charitable and volunteer ideas. Many lawyers sit on the boards of directors of charities, hospitals and universities and give freely of their time and energy to these important causes.

Apply to our
Student Program

Summer student interviews are held in February of each year in accordance with the guidelines published by the University of Ottawa Career and Professional Development Centre. We adhere to the process and schedule set by Ottawa area law firms for student recruitment.

Soloway Wright is also a participant in the OCI (on-campus interviews) process for the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, Osgoode Hall Law School (York University), University of Toronto, Lincoln Alexander School of Law (Toronto Metropolitan University), Western University, University of Windsor, and Bora Laskin (Lakehead University). We also accept applications from other law schools.

Students applying to Soloway Wright must include the following materials:

Cover letter,
Resume,
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended, and a
Brief writing sample (optional, 5 pages max).

Materials must be provided as a single PDF format document.

Real Experience.
Lifelong Connections.

Student Program

Soloway Wright LLP Recognized in The Career Directory 2026