One lesson students learn while sitting through a trial is the impact witnesses can have on a case and the extent to which cases hinge on testimony, Jobin says. Ship got a taste of courtroom dynamics during her clerkship. She was impressed by the fact her judge didn't limit himself to what each side told him about a case. I was more influenced by how lawyers presented their cases, whereas he could see through that. He also arranged for her to spend time learning about other parts of the legal system, be it meeting with a crown attorney, sitting in youth court, going out on patrol with police officers or spending time with legal aid lawyers.
Legal aid is very fast.
The placement most coveted by students is with the Quebec Court of Appeal where many of the most interesting cases are heard. Jeffery Commission was one of a few to get picked. Commission found himself wading through as many as 500 pages of documents to prepare 10-page memorandums that included a summary of the facts of a case and the legal issues involved. He enjoyed the intellectual challenge of issues at the appellate level, but admits the workload was heavy. Initially, memos could take 30-40 hours to write, but by the end he'd managed to whittle that down to about 10.