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ATTENTION REAL ESTATE LAWYERS — CO-OP PLACEMENTS ARE A 'WIN-WIN'

I am about to divulge what I consider to be a significant trade secret for real estate lawyers. It’s not often, in business, that one has an opportunity to help out and profit, at the same time, but the co-op placement program offered by Durham College’s School of Justice allows for just that.

We are a two lawyer firm with offices in Whitby and Port Perry. We largely restrict our practice to real estate and related corporate matters and wills / powers of attorney in a relaxed office atmosphere. Typically, a real estate law practice is very busy during the summer months and less so during the balance of the year. For this reason, real estate lawyers are often faced with either being over staffed (by carrying the staff complement that makes for a balanced work load in the summer), or under-staffed (by carrying a staff complement that is balanced for the non-summer months). Here’s how we have solved this conundrum, to the mutual benefit of our firm and some of Durham’s co-op students.

In the spring of each year, we notify Lesley Wagner, Durham’s Field Placement Co-ordinator, that our firm is looking for a second year student for the spring two week placement, with the proviso that we also want to hire that student for full time employment during the summer school break, and that we also want that student to return to our office for the two day per week third year placement. Lesley posts our notice and invites interested students to contact us. We usually get 3 or 4 resumes in very short order and proceed to interviews. The candidates have always been excellent, and the choice difficult as a result.

Our chosen student arrives for the spring two-week unpaid placement - just before the start of the busy real estate period. The timing is perfect as we have the time to fully acquaint the student with our office and procedures and to complete some training during this intensive two-week placement. To fulfill our obligations under the placement program, this is exactly what we are supposed to be doing - but, coincidentally, of course, we are also training our summer employee, who is then well prepared to valuably assist us during the paid summer months. We want to hire the student for the longest period possible in the summer, and are always prepared to commence paid employment as soon as school is done to continue until schools starts again in September.

During the busy summer months, our co-op student assists us in many meaningful ways - ordering title searches, preparing search letters, preparing introductory letters to clients and reports, completing mortgage discharge follow-up, and banking, to name just a few. The help is invaluable for a busy real estate office.

The student returns for her (and I say “her” because we have never had a “him”, but wouldn’t be any less welcoming of a “him”) 280 hour third year placement - usually, for all day Thursday and Friday, every week, from September to late March. It’s a perfect arrangement, since Thursday and Fridays are our busiest days generally. During this placement, the student assists with similar duties as in the summer months. This is an unpaid placement (but we do compensate for gas and there is a “thank-you” bonus at completion).

The benefits to us are obvious and, quite frankly, enormous. The student benefits from a very “in depth” placement, having accomplished a level of experience and expertise that would not be possible if full time summer employment was not included.

We are now in the third cycle of co-op placements following this routine, and we are extremely happy with the results. Our experience with hiring Durham graduates for full-time employment has been very positive as well - we have hired two “fresh” graduates for full time employment within the last 10 years and have been extremely happy with their skill level and performance.

To my real estate colleagues, I urge you to consider participation in Durham’s co-op program. Help a student, help yourself. Win, win.