Articled clerk

Articled clerk is a title used in Commonwealth countries for one who is studying to be an accountant or a lawyer. In doing so, they are put under the supervision of someone already in the profession, now usually for two years, but previously three to five years was common. This can be compared as being an intern for a company. Trainees are obligated to sign a contract agreeing to the terms of being an articled clerk. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a fixed period of employment. Wharton's Law Lexicon defines an articled clerk as "a pupil of a solicitor, who undertakes, by articles of clerkship, continuing covenants, mutually binding, to instruct him in the principles and practice of the profession".^[1] The contract is with a specific partner in the firm and not with the firm as a whole.

Now, some professions in some countries prefer to use the term "students" or "trainees" (e.g., a trainee solicitor) and the articles of clerkship "training contracts" through process of Experiential Education.^[2]

Apprentice architects can also be articled. Henry Percy Adams articled to Brightwen Binyon (1846–1909), architect.^[3]