Snyder & Associates is a well established, respected law firm located in downtown Edmonton, providing clients with a spectrum of talent and expertise.

Snyder & Associates strives to provide its articling students with a thorough, well rounded education in the theoretical and practical aspects of the law. If you wish to acquire a broad range of legal experience during your articling year, you are welcome to submit an application to our firm.

Student Program Information

At Snyder & Associates, we take the time to carefully consider all student applications, with a view to establishing a long-term relationship which will lead to a position as an associate, and eventually to partnership.

Many of the questions you may have about our student-selection process, the structure and expectations of our articling program, and our systems of evaluation, are answered in this booklet. If you have additional questions, please contact one of the lawyers on our Student Committee.

Organization of the Firm

The client is central to all of our work at Snyder & Associates. The firm's emphasis on close consultation between lawyer and client is intended to lead to the development of a course of action best suited to each individual client, in the context of his or her particular situation.

The lawyers at Snyder & Associates offer their clients a wide range of legal knowledge and experience. The friendliness and professionalism of our support staff enhance the quality of the service we provide.

Corporate and Commercial Law

Our Corporate and Commercial Law practice is distinguished by the talented and respected lawyers who work in this field at Snyder & Associates. We are proud of the confidence shown in our firm by major corporations, banks and insurance companies, as well as by the smaller companies and sole proprietorships we represent.

Our practice covers all aspects of corporate law. In addition to arranging business incorporations, we assist our clients at every stage of the corporate planning and management process. Our partners and associates are knowledgeable in the fields of shareholders' agreements, equity financing, corporate restructuring, banking, taxation, international trade, trademarks, and many other business matters. We have represented clients in all areas of corporate and commercial litigation.

Civil Litigation

Civil Litigation is another area of specialty at Snyder & Associates. We deal regularly with matters relating to creditors' rights, foreclosures, wrongful dismissal and other matters which may involve litigation. Our lawyers are experienced and persuasive negotiators who work energetically at every stage of the litigation process to secure the most appropriate compensation for our clients.

Family Law

Snyder & Associates offers a full range of services which relate to Family Law, including pre-nuptial agreements, adoptions, guardianships, separations, divorces and issues related to matrimonial property rights and enforcement of maintenance orders.

Wills and Estates

We provide our clients with capable assistance in the preparation of their Wills, and other matters related to their estate planning. Expertise in related areas such as tax management allows Snyder & Associates lawyers to structure estate matters to the maximum benefit of our clients.

Personal Injury

Snyder & Associates' experienced team of personal-injury lawyers is able to support and assist individuals and families who have been involved in accidents involving injury or loss of life. Our lawyers represent clients in their dealings with insurance companies and in Court, in proving fault in accidents and in determining the appropriate compensation for injuries. We represent individuals with respect to Workers' Compensation Board claims and assist in insurance claims of all kinds.

Real Estate

As part of our comprehensive Commercial Law practice, Snyder & Associates regularly advises corporate clients regarding their real estate transactions, whether they involve the relocation of one-person enterprises, or the development and construction of major complexes.

Residential real estate is another important aspect of our practice. We act on behalf of Vendors and Purchasers with respect to the purchase and sale of property and other real-estate related matters.

Snyder & Associates is pleased to number banks and other financial institutions among its clients, and this enhances our ability to advise our clients in the planning, development and financing of their commercial and private real-estate ventures.

Articling with Snyder & Associates

Selection of Students

Individuals cannot be judged exclusively on the basis of their curriculum vitae. A warm and personable approach to clients and staff and an ability to communicate are the keys to success at Snyder & Associates. These intangibles can only begin to be evaluated in a person-to-person setting.

At Snyder & Associates, we give serious consideration to all students who apply to article with us, and the interviews we conduct with students are an important component of our selection process.

The Supervision Team

Each articling student is matched with a Snyder & Associates lawyer who is designated as that student's "principal." The principal works closely with the student throughout the year, and any concerns and questions the student may have may be addressed to the principal at any time.

Snyder & Associates does not have a formal rotation system as it exists in many law firms. Instead, students do whatever work comes their way, in whatever field, from the beginning. The student's principal ensures the broadest range of legal experience possible before the articling year is over. This is accomplished in part through our open-door, team approach, in which all lawyers at the firm make themselves available to students throughout the year.

Workload

We recognize that articling students are experiencing one of the most challenging times of their lives. Not only must they carry out the responsibilities assigned to them by lawyers in the firm, they must also attend bar admissions courses during their articling year.

The lawyers at Snyder & Associates talk with students to assess the status of their workloads before assigning responsibilities. They make themselves available to assist students with the work they have assigned, and are also available to help with students' preparations for bar exams.

Evaluations

Articling students meet formally with their principals two or three times during the course of the articling year to discuss their progress. In addition, students are welcome to request informal, confidential assessments of their work at any time.

Our firm's success is built on our emphasis on communication -- between clients and lawyers, among lawyers, and with our support staff. Our students are no exception. They are encouraged to express any concerns they may have about their progress -- or any other matter -- whenever they feel the need to do so.

Our Offices

Our newly renovated offices in Sun Life Place contain the most recent computer equipment and programs, including access to comprehensive web-based law libraries. Support staff are available to offer assistance from central locations throughout our offices. Our reception area on the 25th floor is spacious and attractive.

Sun Life Place is located adjacent to Canada Place and within a few minutes walk of the Courts, Churchill Square and the LRT.

Extracurricular Activities

A well balanced individual is, in our opinion, a better lawyer, and we recognize the importance of extracurricular activities to the health and well being of all members of our staff.

Lawyers at Snyder & Associates are involved in a variety of sports, church and community activities outside the firm. In addition, a number of "in-house" activities are held each year to increase the sense of fellowship which contributes to our successful working environment.

Staff activities include gatherings to celebrate annual holidays and events, such as the Family Christmas Party, Summer Barbeque and Texas Scramble Golf Tournament. We hold frequent staff pot-luck lunches, monthly "Birthday" parties and "fun" events such as the annual Halloween pumpkin carving contest.

 

We at Snyder & Associates believe that an articling year should serve three purposes for students.

The articling year should

• allow students to put their theoretical knowledge of the law to work in a practical setting;
• give them a sense of the areas of the law in which they may be interested in specializing; and
• serve as a positive introduction to a career in the practice of law.

For these reasons, we treat our students with professionalism and respect from the beginning.

It is not only the students who gain from the articling experience. Articling students bring to our firm new perspectives on the law and the most recent knowledge in legal matters. We welcome and value their input and energy.

We are looking for well educated, talented, outgoing individuals who will grow with our firm. To this end, we have established salary and benefits guidelines for students and associates which are competitive with firms of equal or greater size in this region.

We welcome your inquiries on any matter relating to our student program.