Bloomfield & Avocats

The German article of clerkship or Referendar Program is a two year program in which up to six months can be spent in a foreign jurisdiction. Students interested in this programme must be given permission by the German Landesregierung, the administrator of the German Referendar Programme. It is the Landesregierung which decides how German students conduct their articles of clerkship.

While the Landesregierung does pay the German students' wages during the period in which they complete a portion of their articles in a foreign jurisdiction, it does not become involved in arranging such a position for students. On the contrary, the onus is entirely on the student to organize a position in a foreign jurisdiction. Final approval for such an exchange, however, does remain with the German Landesregierung.

The purpose of this exchange is to allow German students the opportunity to study a foreign jurisdiction from within that jurisdiction. For instance, it affords the German students the chance to learn about a Canadian lawyer's experiences from the offices of a Canadian lawyer. The students who apply for this exchange do so because they are interested in learning about the Canadian legal system as well as improving their knowledge of the English and French language.

Working through the Canada Germany Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Bloomfield began in the mid-1980's registering the firm with the various German states as a recognized training office for the purpose of the Rechtsreferendar program. We at Bloomfield & Avocats have made many wonderful friendships and enjoyed extremely interesting working relationships with the students that we have come to know over more than 20 years. We encourage our students to acquire a good working knowledge of the Canadian political, social, financial as well as the legal system. Students may perform a wide variety of activities including hands on observation of legal files, visiting the Capitals of Ottawa and Quebec City, attending social events in the City of Montreal and even participating in diplomatic related activities that arise through the office's standing as the Consulate General of the Republic of Albania. Many of our students have had the opportunity to attend diplomatic conferences at the International Civil Aviation Organization - the "ICAO" - a United Nations Agency located in Montreal.

LETTER OF RECOGNITION AND THANKS ON BEHALF OF THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT