Connections

Once every three years, Humber presents Strategic Relationship Awards to select corporate partners who make outstanding and noteworthy contributions to educational programming at the College. Last year, Torys LLP was one of a small group of Business School partners to receive the prestigious award in recognition of their many contributions to the Law Firm Profile - Office Administration program.

Marva Bethune, Manager of Human Resources at Torys LLP², says the downtown law firm "was honoured to receive the Strategic Relationship Award. We are proud of our continuing association with Humber's Law Firm Profile program and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Humber for many more years to come."

Torys LLP is a leading international business law firm with over 300 lawyers headquartered in Toronto and New York. The firm, says Marva, currently employs "over forty Law Firm Profile graduates from Humber. This number equates to approximately twenty percent of our total support staff, which in and of itself, speaks to the overall success and quality of the program. New graduates come to us with so much enthusiasm and a true willingness to do a great job."

Most Law Firm Profile grads work as legal assistants to lawyers at the firm. A legal assistant's day may include drafting documents, establishing and maintaining client records and accounting transactions, and managing the daily legal administrative procedures of the firm. As Marva says, "Humber consistently provides students with the up-to-date practical skills they need to contribute to a law firm environment from day one. We are always impressed by their ability to quickly and effectively utilize the technology needed to perform their job well."

The paid, seven-week field placement component of the program is one of the reasons why graduates are so well prepared for the world of legal work. "Humber's Law Firm Profile program is an integral component of our junior legal assistant staffing strategy," says Marva. "From the firm's perspective, the placement component provides us with the ability to attract exceptional junior assistants because it allows us to conduct a hands-on assessment of students for potential future permanent placement." It's no coincidence that Torys LLP places such a high value on the field placement experience: Torys LLP was one of a handful of law firms who worked with Humber to establish the program in the first place. That initial relationship has grown over the years, with Torys LLP becoming a long-time member of the Law Firm Profile Advisory Committee as well as establishing an endowed scholarship/bursary for Law Firm Profile students. Torys LLP also participates in a range of career development opportunities for Law Firm Profile students, including networking sessions, panel discussions and guest lectures. It's in recognition of these contributions that Humber presented Torys LLP with a Strategic Relationship Award.

"I've worked in this industry for over twenty years," says Marva, "and there is really nothing that is more refreshing than meeting and working with new graduates from Humber who are talented, focused and ambitious."

If you've got the talent, focus and ambition to work as a legal assistant, contact Program Coordinator Carolyn Smith at carolyn.smith@humber.ca for information on how to apply to the Law Firm Profile program.

¹ The firm currently employs over forty law firm profile graduates from Humber. This number equates to approximately twenty percent of our total support staff.

² Marva Bethune is presently Director of Office Administration at Macleod Dixon LLP.