The offer and acceptance of an articling position constitutes a binding contract between the Principal and the articling candidate, termination of which by either party without good cause, is a serious matter.
Principals who, for compelling reasons, cannot fulfill their commitment to provide the agreed upon articles are reminded of their professional obligation to take all reasonable steps to ensure an appropriate alternative articling position is found for the candidate. Examples of such steps include assisting candidates in obtaining interviews with other firms, making secretarial services available, and providing candidates with a letter that clearly states that the candidate is without an articling position through no fault of the candidate.
Articling candidates who, for compelling reasons, must withdraw from their commitment are advised to obtain a release from the Principal with whom they contracted to serve under Articles of Clerkship.
An articling candidate or Principal may terminate Articles where problems arise between the candidate and the Principal that cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.
Where either party wishes to terminate Articles for the reasons set out above, the party who wishes to terminate the articles must provide the other party with reasonable notice of the termination.
During the notice period both the articling candidate and the Principal must continue the articling relationship in accordance with the Articles. During the notice period, the onus is on the candidate to find another articling placement in order to complete the articling term.
Where Articles are terminated both the articling candidate and the Principal must file with the Office of the Registrar, a Notice of Termination in the prescribed form within ten days of termination of the Articles.
Discrimination and Harassment: Counsel Program (PDF)
Discrimination and Harassment: Identification and Response (PDF)
Upon termination of articles, both candidate and Principal must complete the required Conclusion of Articling Term documentation.