Aird & Berlis LLP Toronto, Canada | www.airdberlis.com
Aird & Berlis is proud to be one of Canada’s premier business law firms. We provide strategic legal and business advice in all principal areas of business law, including corporate finance, banking, insolvency and restructuring, energy, environmental, infrastructure/P3, technology, intellectual property, litigation, workplace law, municipal and land use planning, real estate and tax. The firm’s diverse client base ranges from entrepreneurs to multinational corporations. With over 200 lawyers, business advisors and patent agents, we serve clients across Canada and internationally. Our lawyers work closely with clients in the United States, United Kingdom and across the globe on matters involving Canadian law. Through strong technical skills, critical thinking, and creative approaches to practicing law, we provide our clients with a strategic advantage to leverage opportunities in the marketplace. What specific programs do you offer to attract and retain talent? Please share about your culture, benefits, DEI initiatives, internships and fun perks. In the recruitment, retention and advancement of our people, Aird & Berlis strives to eliminate barriers and ensure equal opportunities for every member of our firm. We were proud to be recognized as the Outstanding Canadian Firm of the Year at the 2022 Chambers North America Diversity & Inclusion Awards. The firm promotes diversity and inclusion through our culture, practices and community partnerships. We frequently offer complimentary educational programs and resources to our clients, and we regularly provide educational programs and activities to our firm members to enhance inclusion (learn more at https://www.airdberlis.com/who-we-are/diversity-inclusion). We invest in the careers of young lawyers through our summer and articling student programs, as well as co-op programs in partnership with local institutions. Because our focus is on the long game, we take extreme care in our hiring. We look for individuals who will not only make excellent lawyers, but also great colleagues, as we don’t just recruit students – we recruit future partners. Students are encouraged to explore all practice areas so that they are well-rounded, knowledgeable and comfortable with their decision in the future. We match our students with junior and senior mentors to provide day-to-day advice as well as big picture guidance to help set goals for their work term and beyond. We also provide mentorship programs at the associate level.
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While work may be busy, we recognize the importance of getting out of the office and having fun. Every year is different, but past social events have included dinners at some of Toronto’s best restaurants, private cooking classes and Raptors games. We also provide a full suite of competitive benefits to our employees. What makes your company stand out? Aird & Berlis provides large firm benefits with a small firm culture. While the size advantage brings well- recognized clients and large files through the door, our friendly environment and collaborative nature provides our lawyers a level of exposure to work and growth opportunities that you may only find at smaller firms. Clients also benefit from the collaborative nature, as they receive full service across all practice areas in one place.
Our Financial Services Group represents some of Canada’s largest financial institutions and companies in banking, financing, borrowing, insolvency and restructuring transactions of all sizes. With extensive experience working with some of the largest and most prominent institutions, including Canada’s Big Five banks, many U.S. banks, several non-traditional lenders and borrowers, our firm is recognized for its expertise in complex financing matters. With deep and established connections to lawyers throughout Canada and all over the world, we are able to manage international transactions with ease, providing clients with a uniform, coordinated approach to making sure their interests are represented on a global level. What would you say are the best things about the industry you work in? What are the challenges? What makes working in this space exciting is the diversity of people we come across and the variety of unique deals and matters we are involved with. Working with complex financial transactions is particularly engaging, given the many moving parts. There is also a sense of personal satisfaction involved when executing deals on behalf of your clients, especially when it helps take their business to the next level. You are truly a partner to your clients and contribute to their growth. As with most other industries in the past few years, there have been significant challenges associated with pivoting to a new way of working in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we’ve been able to successfully navigate the new landscape and meet market shifts by taking flexible approaches to retaining talent, implementing hybrid models and maintaining our high client service delivery standards through virtual means. Contact information for prospective employees Aaron Collins, Partner, Financial Services acollins@airdberlis.com, Tel: (416) 865-3412 Jill Fraser, Partner, Financial Services jfraser@airdberlis.com, Tel: (416) 865-7744 Kyle Plunkett, Partner, Financial Services kplunkett@airdberlis.com, Tel: (416) 865-3406