Interested in knowing what makes Goodmans different? Hear from some of our summer students, articling students and associates about how Goodmans shines.
Justice Moldaver
“As a summer student, I had the opportunity to work on a file with Justice Michael Moldaver, who was instrumental in shaping Canadian law during his 11-year tenure on the Supreme Court of Canada’s bench. More importantly, he is one of the friendliest and kindest people I’ve ever met. Working with him felt like a collaborative process, despite the drastic gap in our expertise and experience. His praise and encouragement instilled a confidence in me that I will carry throughout my career.”
Alexa Guerra – 2024/2025 Articling Student
Warm and Welcoming
“When I started my summer at Goodmans, I wasn’t able to be in person with everyone for the first couple weeks. The first time the summer students had a social, they Facetimed me in to say hi (even though we didn’t know each other yet). That just goes to show how warm and welcoming everyone is – and that moment made me all the more excited to start at the firm!”
Carina Leung – 2024/2025 Articling Student
Celebrations and Events
“I love acting and comedy, and everyone’s really allowed me to flex that muscle. I think I laugh at work every day (often multiple times a day!) One of the many highlights so far has been co-writing and performing the articling student skit for the firm party with Molly. It was really important to me to find a workplace that allowed me to be my whole self, which includes having a sense of humour – Goodmans absolutely fits that bill (and then some).”
Joeley Pulver – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“Goodmans shines brightest when the entire firm comes together. Our fall Oktoberfest party was a hit, with dancing, karaoke, and a fantastic skit by our articling students. These shared experiences help us build strong relationships outside of work, which translate into exceptional teamwork and performance.”
Cristin Hunt – Municipal Law Associate
“My Goodmans highlight was attending my first ever drag brunch at the firm! The energy in the room united people across the firm in a dazzling celebration of Pride Month. The laughter, smiles, and lively conversations exemplified the warm and tight-knit community at Goodmans.”
Helen Wu – 2024 Summer Student
“A highlight during my time at Goodmans so far was the firm party and articling student skit. The party was Oktoberfest themed, which meant that a partner dressed up in full Lederhosen to MC the event. Our articling student skit involved a video and live portion. Everyone was a great sport about participating in our video, and it felt like a fantastic way to introduce ourselves to the firm. I know we all felt like celebrities coming off of our big musical performance. I felt as though this event really demonstrated the culture at the firm – a place where everyone is open and game to join in the fun, and no one takes themselves too seriously!”
Maddy Cummings – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“My Goodmans highlight was when the firm threw a birthday celebration for our stairs. This silly, quirky event turned what would have been an ordinary day into something truly memorable. It reminded me that even though we are doing serious work, we don’t have to take ourselves seriously. My experience tells me that a workplace that embraces humor and levity is likely one that also encourages the kind of authenticity, safety, and creativity that allows people to perform at their best.”
Mikaela Wang – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“To sum up my experience at Goodmans: I always say that I’ll have to leave our socials early. But somehow, every time, I end up being the last one standing. So, the one thing I’ve learned to be true is that time seriously flies when you’re having fun.”
Olivia Moon – Litigation Associate
“A highlight for me was the Goodmans Sports Day event at Dale’s cottage at the end of the summer. It was a great way to get to know members of the firm from all practice areas and enjoy a beautiful day on the lake.”
Griffin James – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“The Goodmans culture is unmatched. I have fun at work every single day – some highlights include our annual sports day at Dale's cottage, the articling student skit, and the various activities for our United Way campaign (like climbing the CN tower!). I think the special thing about Goodmans, though, is that it's a fun, exciting place to be even when there isn't a big event going on. Even on a day filled with nothing but work, I get to enjoy spending time with amazing friends and colleagues.”
Annie MacKinnon – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“When I was a candidate going through the recruit, I came into Goodmans for a tour of the firm. After an associate took me around each floor, introducing me to different lawyers, we went back to her office where I noticed it was full of decorations, presents and treats from different lawyers celebrating her birthday earlier that week. To me, this spoke volumes to the culture at Goodmans – one that is fun, energetic, caring, and appreciative of you as a lawyer and person. After summering and now articling at the firm, I can say this inclination was spot on!”
Molly Podrebarac – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“My favourite Goodmans memory was the Ping Pong tournament hosted over the summer. It was so fun to be able to take a break from the day, and it was obvious that so much effort went into the event (Goodmans always goes all out)! The final showdown was one for the books and I've never witnessed a comparable demonstration of athleticism since.”
Josephine Hu – 2024 Summer Student
“Participating in the Baycrest Bike for Brain Health as part of the Goodmans LLP team was a great way that the firm demonstrated its commitment to giving back. Despite the pouring rain, we showed up for each other, which speaks to the camaraderie and support that runs through the firm and extends beyond the office.”
Jenna Principe – 2024 Summer Student
Visitor’s Day
“One of my favourite Goodmans moments was when, as an articling student, our families were invited to the firm for ‘Visitors’ Day’ where they got to meet the other articling students and the lawyers we had been working with throughout the year. The students prepared a day-in-the-life video in the style of Planet Earth to present to our loved ones and you could just see how proud both our families and colleagues were when watching the video. That event really demonstrated to me that Goodmans cares about its people shining in the workplace, but also in their personal lives by making space for what we love – family, friends, and hobbies.”
Noa Rapaport – Corporate Associate
“A highlight for me was seeing our lawyers taking time to introduce themselves to our families during Articling Students Visitor’s Day. They made our loved ones feel so welcomed and comfortable and they had some really nice things to say about us. Our families were very happy!”
Olivia Oliveros Leiva – Corporate Associate
The Student Program and Our Files
“As articling students, we had a standing bi-weekly meeting, coined ‘hits & misses.’ The idea was that we could share with each other personal highlights and lowlights that we experienced on the job. It quickly became the funniest 30 minute stints of my time during articling – a compilation of the mistakes we all had made or stories about awkward run-ins and missed marks. It was a classic reminder that ‘you’re not alone’ and provided an opportunity for us all to have a good laugh together.”
Emily Groper – Litigation Associate
“A Goodmans highlight that stands out for me are our ‘hits and misses’ sessions where the summer students would get together and, as the name suggests, share one hit and one miss with the group. Shining at Goodmans means getting to celebrate your achievements while being able to laugh about and grow from your mistakes in a supportive environment.”
Gurratan Gill – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“The flexible student program at Goodmans combines the best aspects of both a rotational program, and a non-rotational program. As a student, you are embedded within a practice group, allowing you to build relationships and get work in an area of your choice. At the same time, you have the option to seek out work from other groups, gaining an appreciation for a variety of practice areas at the firm. With the lean staffing of files, you get to work directly with associates and partners and can be very involved on major deals!”
Jack Borins – 2024 Summer Student
“One of my most memorable Goodmans highlights came a couple of weeks into my first articling rotation. The partner had staffed me on the file to help with research and preparation for a settlement conference, but I would be the only junior on the team. This was equal parts exciting and nerve-wrecking, as I was left to my own devices to navigate the complex history and context of the file in about a week. On the morning of the conference, we were supposed to have a pre-conference strategy meeting with the clients, but the partner e-mailed me to let me know they were experiencing technical difficulties and would be unable to join the call for a while. I was left alone to answer the many questions of our understandably anxious clients (whom it was my first time meeting) for nearly 30 minutes before the partner managed to join and take over. In spite of the fact that I had convinced myself that everything I had said was wrong, that I had come off as completely incompetent and would never be staffed on a file again, a few hours after the conference the partner called to commend me on having handled the situation and to tell me how impressed the clients had been with me. Over the next few days, they relayed that same message to several other lawyers in the group, all of whom came by to congratulate me on managing my first crisis as a lawyer and joke about similar stories of their own. This really demonstrated to me that Goodmans is a firm that celebrates its people’s wins, no matter how small, and where others will go out of their way to make sure you shine.”
Roy Friedman – Tax Associate
“We got to do a lot of cool things at Goodmans this summer, both in terms of legal work and other social activities (shout-out to Dale's cottage!) But when I think back on my favourite memories of the summer, they mostly happened in the lulls between those big events, as a part of the more routine bustle of the firm. Memories like grabbing a snack at Eddie's Cafe and stumbling upon a Supreme Court justice or taking a lap around the 35th floor only to return to my office with two new assignments from lawyers whose doors had been open when I passed by. It's that kind of a casual but rigorous environment that sets Goodmans apart, and it was in those moments that I really felt like I had a place in it all.”
Sarah Farb – 2024 Summer Student
“One of my favourite events at Goodmans was the knowledge party. Each student picked a topic they loved and gave a 15-minute presentation, with subjects ranging from Taylor Swift and scuba diving to fish breeding and poker strategies. It was such a fun and relaxed way to share our passions outside of law. The knowledge party really captures the essence of Goodmans' culture – celebrating diversity and giving everyone a chance to shine.”
Tyler Wang – 2024 Summer Student
“My summer at Goodmans was filled with amazing learning opportunities along with unforgettable memories. One of my favourite events from the summer was knowledge parties because I loved teaching everyone about my hobby and learning about other summer students’ passions and interests. Goodmans truly is a place where you can work on highly complex legal matters while being part of an incredibly supportive and fun community.”
Laxsega Sivaloganathan – 2024 Summer Student
“One of the best parts of being a summer student at Goodmans is how involved you can get on files, not only because of the smaller size of our student class, but also because of how much the lawyers you work with invest in your growth and learning. One of the highlights of my summer was getting to hop on a zoom call with one of our US based clients and commission a document myself (under supervision of course) – so cool!”
Serayah Jamadar – 2024 Summer Student
“Balancing exciting work opportunities with student cohort bonding was a highlight from my summer at Goodmans! Some of my favorite moments include drafting my first affidavit and weekly Pantry lunches in the Path with the other summer students!”
Chloe Bechard – 2024 Summer Student
“One of the highlights of my summer was the power outage that occurred one afternoon during the summer students’ first week at the firm. The students met in Eddie’s and took the opportunity to get to know one another better, laughing, and playing countless games of Contact. It was so much fun and refreshing to disconnect, proving we could still ‘shine’ even in the dark.”
Hannah Lee – 2024 Summer Student
“One of my favourite moments at Goodmans was when I found out I was getting hired back to the firm, the outpour of love I received from the lawyers, support staff and partners congratulating me and welcoming me back to the firm. I received many personalized messages that made me reflect back to my summer and articling term here at Goodmans and realize how truly special this place is. I was so excited to come back as an associate here! The people is what makes Goodmans the firm it is, and makes the practice of law intellectually exciting, challenging (but in the good way), and fun.”
Jeffreen Rahman – Corporate Associate
“Goodmans’ ‘small-big-firm’ culture fosters an environment where students can meaningfully contribute to complex matters from the outset of their careers, make strong connections with colleagues across all practice areas, and enhance the legal skills cultivated throughout law school. This unique culture promotes an atmosphere where we take our work very seriously, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. Since joining Goodmans, I’ve had the opportunity to lead client calls, work directly with lawyers at the top of their fields, draft complex documents, and win the firm-wide hotdog eating competition! The combination of intellectually stimulating work and outstanding colleagues ensures that you truly SHINE at Goodmans!”
Matthew Stackhouse – 2024/2025 Articling Student
“Even when there is nothing but work going on in the office, Goodmans still manages to make it fun. Whether it's grabbing coffee from our firm cafeteria, getting to chat quickly while passing everyone’s office, or going to a social when the work finally gets done, Goodmans shines by making what would otherwise be boring moments enjoyable. It stems largely from working with such amazing and supportive people.”
Adam Dickinson – 2024/2025 Articling Student
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