October 24, 2018

Lenczner Slaght Invites You to Our R&R Lounge

Our firm continues to take steps toward an unbiased student recruitment process that addresses diversity and inclusion issues in the legal industry.

In-firm interviews can be stressful and demanding for law students. Instead of adding to their exhausting week with another cocktail reception, we hope to provide an inclusive space where students can take a healthy break.

We are inviting all law students to “relax and recharge” between in-firm interviews at the Lenczner Slaght R&R Lounge located in the lobby of 130 Adelaide Street West (York Street and Adelaide Street West). The R&R Lounge will be open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on November 5 and 6 and from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on November 7. This is not part of our recruitment process and students will not encounter our lawyers in the Lounge.

We hope that our R&R Lounge will be used by students to:

  • Rest (in between interviews!)
  • Relax (on one of our comfy couches!)
  • Recharge (your phone!)
  • Re-connect (with our complimentary Wi-Fi!)
  • Refuel (with our selection of mindful snacks and fresh juice!)
  • Read (one of our magazines!)
  • Reflect (on the day!) 
  • Rev up (for what’s coming up next!)

Precedent Magazine’s recent cover story “The OCIs are Broken” presented an eye-opening critique of how cocktail parties can potentially alienate candidates from diverse backgrounds. As our firm relies solely on interviews to select our summer students, we have decided to forgo the cocktail reception this year.

“Our cocktail reception is not a factor in our decision-making process and is not meant to provide an additional opportunity to be interviewed,” says Melanie Baird, Partner and co-head of the Student Program at Lenczner Slaght. “In its place, we hope to create an environment conducive to the mental health of all law students, even those who are not interviewing with our firm.”

“We have all seen students in the PATH looking for a place to sit for a minute, to prepare for the next interview or to recharge their devices,” adds Lesley Bell, Director of Professional Development. “With that in mind, we decided to provide a safe space to do all those things.”