The 2L Counter Offer - Summer 2018

What are the details?

First, if you win our 2L position and join the team, we will guarantee your articling position.

Second, if we offer you a one-year associate position after you’ve completed your articling, we’ll let you reject that offer and send you off with $10,000 to find a better path.

Yes, you heard that right: we will pay you $10,000 to walk away.

Why are we doing this?

We believe that setting the new law firm standard includes creating an environment that puts you in the best position to thrive. We want to reduce some of the risk so that you can focus on doing your best work and learning how to find brilliant solutions to tax litigation problems – rather than worrying about whether you’re doing all this work with no hope of a more permanent position.

Also, we want you to pause and think deeply about whether you really want to be “all in” with the rest of us.  If you believe that another route offers you a better chance to chase your potential, we want to help you do that ... even if we unexpectedly run into you five years later at a conference and you are working with a rival firm and you look reasonably happy and it gets a little awkward.

What inspired this idea? 

Zappos – the darling of those of us obsessed with organisational culture – inspired the idea. Zappos’s Pay-to-Quit Program offers new hires $3,000 to quit. They’re gambling that after seeing what the company offers its employees, $3,000 won’t look so good. If you’re interested in learning more about Zappos’ offer, you can read this (or you can use that internet thing to find the hundreds of other articles).

We’re making a similar bet, so you better believe that we take building the best team seriously.

If you want to learn a little more about past 2L experiences, you can read this and this. 

If you think you are the right fit, click the “Apply now” button link to start your journey.

*Partial Terms & Conditions

Canadian law school students who, in 2017, completed first-year law school in high-standing, and complete Stage 1 of Counter’s 2L application process on or before September 29, 2017, are eligible to apply to Counter’s 2018 2L position (the “2L Position”). The 2L Position is a three-month contract position to work at Counter’s Toronto offices in June, July, and August 2018. 

If the successful 2L Position candidate (the “Candidate”) successfully completes the three-month contract position, Counter shall offer the Candidate a 2019-2020 Articling Position (i.e., a 10-month articling position).

If the Candidate completes - in Counter’s sole and absolute discretion – the 10-month articling position in high-standing and the Candidate is called to the Bar of Ontario in 2020 – Counter may offer the Candidate a full-time associate lawyer position at Counter’s Toronto offices beginning August 3, 2020 (the “Associate Position”). 

If Counter chooses to offer the Candidate the Associate Position and delivers Counter’s Associate Position Employment Agreement (the “Associate Agreement”) to the Candidate, the Candidate may require that Counter pay the Candidate $10,000 CND if the Candidate: (1) does not execute and deliver Associate Agreement to join@countertax.ca within 5 days of the date that Counter sent the Candidate the Agreement; and (2) completes Counter’s feedback form and in-person exit interview in good faith within 10 days of the date that Counter sent the Candidate the Associate Agreement.