Our law firm. Your questions.*

We want you to choose the best place to work, and we believe that asking good
questions is the best way to learn.

Category

q&a

Why do you work in this area, and how much time do you usually spend to solving tax problems?

See answer +

q&a

I am interested in the associate lawyer position. I just want to know if you would consider someone like me - commercial litigation background with an interest in tax law and tax litigation. I don't have experience in tax law or tax litigation, but it's an area of interest for me, hence the question. I like your firm's website and think I would fit well within your work culture. Thanks for considering my question.

See answer +

q&a

How do I know that Counter will be a good fit for me?

See answer +

q&a

How do you enforce the culture at Counter?

See answer +

q&a

Do you really need to hire a law clerk or paralegal? I feel like my law firm hired me because the lawyers wanted an accessory to get them coffee and make them look more important.

See answer +

q&a

How do you view paralegals?

See answer +

q&a

What is your background, and how did you end up working at Counter?

See answer +

q&a

How do you hold each other accountable?

See answer +

q&a

How do you feel when you get home after a long day at work

See answer +

q&a

What made you choose this career?

See answer +

q&a

What do you think is the most essential qualification for this job?

See answer +

q&a

You guys are really focused on technology, right?

See answer +

q&a

What are the major duties of a law clerk or junior accountant in your firm?

See answer +

q&a

What would be the biggest challenge that Counter faces?

See answer +

q&a

Would you rather hire a new law clerk graduate who is brand new to the field, but with a right attitude and have the high potential to grow to a 5-star law clerk or an experienced individual who doesn't need training at all, but might quit the job anytime when he/she finds a better niche?

See answer +

q&a

Why do you look so young? You look like you have been here for 6 months. I was expecting a senior manager.

See answer +

q&a

How can I mentally prepare myself to start working at Counter?

See answer +

q&a

I hear a lot of stories and see things in the media that make me think that legal practice is intimidating. Should I expect Counter to be that cutthroat?

See answer +

q&a

What surprised you the most about Counter?

See answer +

q&a

If you could change one thing about Counter, what would you change?

See answer +

q&a

If you could change one thing about Counter, what would you change?

See answer +

q&a

Can I see court faster, and become a leader faster, at Counter than other places?

See answer +

q&a

What are the challenges that someone can expect to face in the role?

See answer +

q&a

Is it correct to assume you use TaxNetPro, Quicklaw, etc.?

See answer +

q&a

How does automation and saving clients money benefit me personally at the end of the day? Is it a tool to help me bring in business?

See answer +

q&a

If I join Counter, how much can I use the associates to help me with work that I bring in?

See answer +

q&a

Do you invest in R&D, technology, process improvement, etc.? If so, what percentage of your annual fee income is invested in the R&D budget?

See answer +

q&a

I think I'll like working at Counter better, but I'm really close to the people on my current team. Will I like the Counter team just as much?

See answer +

q&a

Every law firm claims to have an amazing culture. Is everything that I read and hear about Counter actually real or is it just more law firm marketing?

See answer +

q&a

What were the questions and factors that you considered before leaving [name withheld] to work at Counter?

See answer +

q&a

How difficult is it to learn to use Counter’s technology?

See answer +

q&a

What are the advantages to summering/articling with Counter over a BigLaw firm?

See answer +

q&a

Why should I choose to work for Counter Tax Lawyers over a Seven Sister, national, global, or other boutique firm? People know you’re doing something different, but no one really knows what that is. More importantly, they don’t know how what you’re doing makes your lawyers’ lives/careers better.

See answer +

q&a

What can you tell me about Counter’s file quality versus Boutique Competitor X or BigLaw Competitor Y? I can’t imagine the work would be any better.

See answer +

q&a

What kind of files are you working on?

See answer +

q&a

What does a [3rd-year] lawyer do in a typical day at Counter?

See answer +

q&a

How does Counter attract and retain clients in the large Toronto market?

See answer +

q&a

Can I build my own book of business and personal reputation while I work for Counter?

See answer +

q&a

What is your technology / how does your technology (e.g., CounterMeasure) change what you do day to day?

See answer +

q&a

If I accept a 2L position, what can I do at law school this year to proactively prepare myself for a smooth transition to summer student work at Counter and enhance my contribution to the firm?

See answer +

q&a

A summer internship is a short amount of time, but is there still an opportunity for students to work on litigation cases?

See answer +

q&a

What are my chances of getting hired back?

See answer +

q&a

Do you have requirements for what courses I take in my second/third year?

See answer +

q&a

Do you provide the requisite technology you expect me to use (BlackBerry, laptop, etc.)?

See answer +

q&a

How much do you pay 2Ls and articling students?

See answer +

q&a

What’s the benefit of articling within a specialized practice rather than rotating through a full-service firm?

See answer +

q&a

Would I be part of a group of students, and if so, how does your firm maintain a collaborative mentality rather than a competitive one?

See answer +

q&a

Do summer students get a chance to work with clients or sit in on client meetings?

See answer +

q&a

What kind of writing does Counter do with Thomson Reuters and do students have input on what kind of articles they pursue?

See answer +

q&a

How much supervision vs. independence can summer students expect to have?

See answer +

q&a

What do I do if I feel like I’m not receiving the training I need?

See answer +

q&a

Is there a chance for me to work with CounterMeasure?

See answer +

q&a

Can you please give me an example of an assignment given to a summer/articling student in the past?

See answer +

q&a

What's the first type of work assignment that typically comes to mind for summer interns and articling students?

See answer +

q&a

What is it like litigating and being a lawyer at Counter Tax?

See answer +

q&a

Do you collaborate with lawyers from other law firms or is Counter Tax self-sufficient?

See answer +

q&a

Is working at Counter easier than working at more traditional law firms?

See answer +

q&a

Does everyone have billable targets?

See answer +

q&a

Do you expect me to talk to clients?

See answer +

q&a

Who are your clients? Where do you get them? What does the typical client look like for Counter?

See answer +

q&a

I understand that Counter believes in incorporating tax and legal technology to accelerate lawyer development and deliver better client results. How have Counter’s advanced systems changed its lawyers and the results they deliver?

See answer +

q&a

When will I be expected to start bringing in clients?

See answer +

q&a

What competitive advantage does Counter Tax have?

See answer +

q&a

Is this position opening in response to an upcoming project or goal, higher volumes of incoming work, or recent departures?

See answer +

q&a

Can I bring a dog to work?

See answer +

q&a

Are there snacks?

See answer +

q&a

What does your compensation model or process look like?

See answer +

q&a

What is the future of this firm? How do I play a role in it?

See answer +

q&a

In five years, does Counter see itself remaining a small boutique? Or does it see itself rapidly growing and expanding its employee and client base?

See answer +

q&a

Is the firm planning on expanding and growing in the next few years?

See answer +

q&a

What is the work culture? Are you collaborative, or do people work in silos?

See answer +

q&a

What "Counter qualities" do you take pride in? 

See answer +

q&a

What resounding trait is common in your team?

See answer +

q&a

What are the inner workings or culture of the firm like?

See answer +

q&a

How frequently does the firm provide feedback to its team members?

See answer +

q&a

Do you support further relevant education (CPA, mini MBA, etc.)?

See answer +

q&a

Does the firm support and facilitate opportunities for associates to write articles and present at conferences or client events?

See answer +

q&a

Could you tell me about the potential for advancing to income and equity partner in the future?

See answer +

q&a

What attributes or behaviors stand out to you as particularly impressive?

See answer +

q&a

What do you believe are Counter’s greatest strengths?

See answer +

q&a

Do you plan career advancement? If so, is it based on the employee’s interests or the firm’s needs?

See answer +

q&a

What are the opportunities for growth?

See answer +

q&a

I'm a junior lawyer, and I'm thinking about switching from a different practice area to start practising tax law. What steps do you suggest that I take to make the switch?

See answer +

q&a

Why do you work in this area? How much time do you usually spend solving tax problems?

See answer +

q&a

What is the team's favourite office tradition?

See answer +

q&a

Are the professional roles within the company that are outside of the traditional law roles regarded with as much importance and support?

See answer +

q&a

If time and funds were unlimited, what would you like to implement or improve?  

See answer +

q&a
Is Counter the right place to work?

See answer +

q&a

What is Counter’s "Success Mantra"?

See answer +

q&a

Hello. I am wondering whether you are accepting applications for articling students for the 2021-2022 term. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

See answer +

Careers Blog

Building My Litigator Toolkit

Building My Litigator Toolkit

February 09, 2022 - I suspect you started your legal career with the same expectations I had. You expected to spend a lot of time drafting countless legal research memoranda. And I imagine you spent way more hours than...

Working in Counter's dynamic culture gave us the best litigation learning experience

Working in Counter's dynamic culture gave us the best litigation learning experience

June 07, 2021 - As first-year law students, we wanted to develop the skills necessary to become successful lawyers. In doing so, we would also connect our classroom learning and previous professional experience to...

We have no choice but to build this law firm, this way.

We have no choice but to build this law firm, this way.

October 06, 2018 - We’re driven to build the law firm that we want to see in the world. A law firm that that delivers what entrepreneurs actually need.

One random week as a Counter articling student

One random week as a Counter articling student

July 27, 2018 - I might break the internet if I tried to tell you everything that I learned during my year of articling at Counter. No two weeks are the same. I can do a million things or dig into a couple of large...

Counter launches NewLaw podcast to help create the new legal industry standard

Counter launches NewLaw podcast to help create the new legal industry standard

February 19, 2016 - The Building NewLaw Podcast (“BNL”) is a new podcast that features interviews with lawyers, legal technologists, and other like-minded people that are creating new ways to deliver and receive legal...

Healthy finances key to client-centric law firm

Healthy finances key to client-centric law firm

March 23, 2015 - When it comes to launching a successful law practice, a healthy financial foundation is essential, as it will allow a lawyer to focus on bringing in new business, Toronto tax litigation lawyer Peter...