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An 'articled clerk' is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a fixed period of employment. The other party to the contract, the , undertakes during this period to provide training and relevant experience in the practice. Note that the contract is with a specific partner in the firm and not the firm as a whole. Nowadays some professions in some countries prefer to call their apprentices "students" or "trainees" (e.g. a trainee solicitor) and the articles of clerkship "training contracts".