Written by: Denis Ram

A day in the life of an articling student starts at the train station for me.

As the Calgary office is right on the downtown LRT line, it is actually faster for me to take the train into work than it is driving! If you were to see me on my morning train ride, it is likely you would see me responding to emails and reading news articles on my phone.

Once downtown, a short walk later and I’m in the lobby of our building. With Parlee on the 33rd floor, I hop on the elevator before filling up my cup of coffee and heading into my office.

I keep my morning pretty routine, starting with some coffee and figuring out my tasks for the day. I am a firm believer of sticky notes, and usually have sticky note checklists all over my desk and wall.

Memos, letters, reports, and legal pleadings are all on the agenda as an articling student—with frequent visits to the Calgary Courts Centre just a block away. It is always memorable the first time you get to flash the Law Society of Alberta card while entering.

With COVID-19 keeping most things remote, morning chambers has also moved online and is one of the main reasons I use my webcam. Although there is no comparison to in-person chambers, virtual morning chambers is a great way to learn without all the additional stress of figuring out the physical Courts Centre.

Afternoons for me typically consist of completing memos and reports, after reviewing relevant documentation to the matter I am working on. These reports and memos can be a lot of fun, and is one of the many chances you get to really use your legal training.

And with that, another day has again flown by, and I am off to the train station once again!