The criminal law section of SGM offers articling students hands-on exposure to a diverse variety of cases. Counsel carry a mix of pro bono, Legal Aid and privately funded cases with an emphasis, in all cases, on thorough fact investigation, comprehensive research and conscientious representation. The articling student in the criminal section of SGM is taught these skills by example and through close and continuous supervision. An articling student can expect to work closely with all of SGM's criminal lawyers.

Articling in the SGM criminal section is intended to equip a law student with the practical and professional skills to assume carriage of any type of criminal case at any level of court. As set out in the criminal section's Education Plan, the articling student participates in every aspect of trial and appellate preparation from handling arrest scene calls from potential clients to assisting counsel in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. The student frequently participates in client interviews, including interviews of clients who are incarcerated pending trial or appeal, and is responsible for locating and interviewing potential witnesses, including expert witnesses. Legal research is the most significant aspect of the articling experience. The student is routinely asked to draft case specific legal memoranda and, as the year progresses, is assigned increasingly complex drafting tasks, from single issue memoranda to sentence appeals and, eventually, leave applications and conviction appeals to the Supreme Court.

SGM has an excellent general law library and the criminal law section has its own library containing all Canadian criminal law reports and an extensive collective of texts. In addition, the student will have access to Quicklaw and an archive of hundreds of facta filed by counsel on appeals they have argued since 1981.

Applicants for criminal law articles should include at least one letter of recommendation and the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least two further references (one academic and one other).

Applicants should also be prepared to supply a writing sample (related to criminal law or evidence) on request. In addition, applicants are encouraged to submit their applications at least two weeks prior to the official deadline.

Applications should be sent to the attention of Frank Addario. Applications are accepted by mail, fax or email.

Please note: students seeking an articling position in SGM’s Toronto office must apply either to the labour/civil law section or to the criminal law section; there are no combined articling positions.