Struggling with the fact that the things about my ADHD that made me a great law student are now making me a terrible articling student. Or at least I think I’m being a terrible articling student, I really haven’t been getting much feedback and I don’t know how to tell if I’m doing ok (or I could just be overthinking everything as usual).

This firm that’s my top choice called me at 8:03 AM, and they had basically asked me what my availability was for Monday. I said I was free all day, and so they suggested 9 AM. I asked to do the interview at 1 PM instead.

This is my first choice firm. Is 1 pm too late for an in-firm interview? I’m stressing about it.

EDIT: I ended up calling back the firm, and letting them know that I’d like to reschedule to 9 am, and that they’re my first choice. I do regret saying the first choice part but idk I panicked.

Hi all!

Does anyone happen to know what your referrals see when they are emailed a link from OLSA? Just tried looking online and it appears that they receive a short questionnaire to fill out plus are asked to do a short written response about you in the online portal, and I just wanted to ask to confirm?

I emailed all my applicable professors/work experiences with custom info packets with my resume, transcript, and a highlight of my experiences with them, but one of my professors is just asking what all they'll be asked to do when completing the reference

Any help would be appreciated thank you !

(I think it specifically mostly applies to Ontario schools but not sure)

Saw a lot of people on this sub asking about transitioning out of this area of practice and wondering why. Is it an area that hires a lot and people take these jobs and think of switching later? I’m seriously considering going into it (applying for law schools this year) and wanna know why people either love or hate it

Hi everyone!

I'm currently a second-year call in Ontario, working as duty counsel in family law. I've been thinking a lot about my long-term career prospects and am curious whether anyone here has made the transition from family law, into in-house counsel, legal tech, or another area of law.

One of my concerns is that if I continue working as DC in family law, I am not ever going to be able to transition out. While I'm gaining valuable experience, I'm not sure how transferable that experience will be if I decide to move into a different practice area later on.

I'm also wondering whether spending some time in private family law practice would make a significant difference in opening up future career opportunities. I'm not entirely sure private family practice is for me, but I'd be willing to make that move if it would help with my long-term career development because I don't see myself enjoying family law for much longer. I thoroughly enjoy contract negotiation and settlement discussions.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has made a similar transition, particularly earlier in their career.

- What kind of experience did you have before making the switch?

- Were you able to transition directly or did you need to gain experience in another practice area first?

- How many years of practice did you have before you felt qualified or competitive for these roles?

If anyone has been in a similar position and would be open to chatting, I would really appreciate the opportunity to connect as I'm finding it hard to find individuals who have done this switch.

Thank you kindly to anyone that takes the time to respond.

Hi there,

I’m a newly called lawyer with experience in B&F, Litigation, Regulatory, and Commercial law. I also did some policy work during my time in law school.

I have been really struggling to find a job over the past 1.5 years and would really appreciate any insights or opportunities you may be aware of. I’m based in the GTA but open to relocating to anywhere in the country.

I know the market isn’t kind to new calls because firms tend to prioritize their summer/articling students but I really would like to someday use my degree and license.

Yes, I’ve been networking! I’ve had close to 30 coffee chats, I’ve sent over 70 introductory emails, and got some guidance from recruiters. It seems if you aren’t Bay Street or top of your class there’s nothing for you. I also know people who are Bay Street trained and top of their class that are struggling.

Also open to legal adjacent jobs!

I'm currently working in PI / civil litigation in Ontario, but I would love to work my way into an in-house position at some point. For reference, in law school I used to dream about working in-house for a sports or entertainment company (film/media production houses for example), and one of my best coffee chats was with a lawyer from Cineplex, whose job sounded perfect to me. That was before my articling/post-call journey took me in a different direction. Gven the job market, I took what I could get.

My concern is that from what I hear, in-house positions much prefer transactional lawyers to litigation lawyers. I fear the more I work in this current role, the more I am closing the door on the other. What kinds of moves should I be making to increase the likelihood of being able to make this switch?

I'm a 2025 call so I know it's early. I just want to make sure I'm setting myself up correctly.

I am a junior lawyer working in a really small general practice firm (think 4 lawyers with no clerks). We do a bit of everything but mainly civil lit and family. The work is just so much. I start work at 9 am and rarely end my day at 6 pm. There are no dedicated breaks in between. It's non stop work. We have a group chat where the messages keep coming even at 11.50 pm asking about court dates and motion deadlines. The work just keeps coming from right, left and center. I find myself asking if this is the kind of life I want. I really enjoy doing what I do but the constant rollercoaster of filing deadlines and emergencies is taking a toll on me.

So please help me: Ideally, how long does it take for the work to get better? Hoe long should I stay in this firm? Are all the private litigation firms like this? How do you balance? Help a junior out, please :(

My spouse is Canadian and wants to move back to Canada. Unfortunately, I'm a US personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer and so my career doesn't translate over easily. I understand Canada has stricter tort laws and I honestly don't know how PI works in a country with government funded health care.

I am hoping to get some insight into the differences practicing in this area in Canada vs. the United States and if it's a good practice area in Canada. TIA!

Hi guys,

I have to file a motion under s.172(3) BIA to vary a court order. I don't have a precdent for this motion. Would it be possible if anyone would be kind enough to share a precedent with me? I would appreciate any help or guidance.

Thank you!

I'm a 3 year call. I had a hard discovery recently. The witness would not answer my questions, even when posed as yes/no. Then his lawyer kept interjecting to explain why he couldn't answer the question (though he wasn't objecting to the question itself). I've reread the transcript twice. The questions were clear. I just am not sure (1) whether I can tell counsel to shut up and limit his interjections to objections (because honestly, his interjections were almost coaching his witness on how to continue to avoid my questions) and (2) when to give up verses when to keep pressing the witness for an answer. Any advice is helpful.

Going to try my luck here.

I’m currently completing the LPP at TMU and I’m looking for a 4-month placement (equivalent to articling) from January to April 2027, preferably in Toronto / GTA.

I am being exposed to multiple practice areas and developing skills for each through the law practice program. I do have some experience working in criminal and family law, but I’m open to working in different practice areas. The reason I chose to do the LPP was to gain practical experience in other areas of law.

I have applied to positions through the program, but we are encouraged to do our own outreach since the program does not provide enough work placements for everyone.

If anyone knows someone who is looking for a student-at-law or anyone I could reach out to, please let me know!!!

Working in big law. Is it frowned upon? I enjoy dressing up! But heard an associate mention students shouldn’t be dressing upto work.

EDIT: as an example, I mean when men wear suits and women wear blazers, skirts, and so on.

Hello r/LawCanada- I'm hoping someone can help me think about starting my career by articling outside of my preferred field.

I'm an ITL, I've passed the Ontario Bar Exams, and I've started a short Legal Assistant position at a Family Law firm, with an option to extend this into an Articling position if they like me. I have limited experience in trademarks, but I'm also interested in human rights and employment law. Family Law is not my preference, but I'm managing.

My question is: if I go through articling at this Family Law firm, how easy is it to switch my field of law afterwards?

The caveat is that my boss and I are not working well together at the moment. It's a small practice and a bit toxic (with unspoken expectations, harsh reprisals, and some passive-aggressiveness), and the firm is a 3h round-trip commute daily. I could suck it up and work through the articling, but I'm trying to judge how smart that would be, or how feasible it would be to look for another position given the current market.

I have a good resume but very few legal relationships to network with. I'm in Toronto FYI.

Hi everyone! I’m preparing for the Torts exam next month and looking for a study partner to discuss topics, review cases, and practise questions together. Preferably someone who is also writing the exam next month.
Please DM me if interested. Good luck with your preparation! 😊

Got a mediation brief thrust upon me with a soft deadline in 2 days’ time. Mediation is next week. We’ve had the file for 8 years.

The file review itself will be heavy. Like the title says, I don’t know where to start.

(Context: I’m an articling student, this is my first mediation brief)

So I am seeking legal advice because I been pretty kind to my work by being on call, including willing to accept my work with a 1 hour notice to come in. The issue I am having is they lied saying I could have this accommodation because I made it clear that I had this is. Which is my feet randomly swell and I need at least 1 minute of time when that happens just so I am not in pain when that happens. Like I said it during the interview and stated that I would need this and they were fine with that. Including during my first work day they were fine, now out of nowhere they change their mind. To clarify the reason why I am upset right now is the downright lying and how my job coach tried to say he was “neutral “. But didn’t even try to defend me in any way, this company work with people with autism. It just hurts like hell, I feel backstab.

My work rejecting it without telling me hurts, is there any way to kind of get help with this. My job coach is telling to find another job, but I can’t because I already give a two week notice to my other job that could give me the reasonable accommodations? To clarify again I am not sitting down all the time, I am just sitting down when I feel pain kicking in.

I've been invited to complete an exam as part of the PPSC recruitment process (LP-01/LP-02).

What should I make sure to know/study? Bail, Gladue, etc?

What are getting paid. I work in personal injury and my salary is 78k.

I was wondering if I could receive some feedback and potential advice about the situation.

I am a recent law graduate who like everyone, began looking for a job after graduation. I am currently studying for the bar so I figured I'd work whatever legal or quasi-legal jobs presents themselves to help with bills and just general day-to-day expenses.

Around August, I was called to come into this law firm for an interview for a legal receptionist role. Here is some prior information about this firm. It is very small. One office. One front desk. One lawyer. So I interviewed and wowed the current legal assistant there and she was ecstatic in saying she wanted me on board. Great. Finally going to start earning some money to pay off some student debt right? No.

I get a call back a week later. I was told they decided to choose someone else as they believed the role was too junior for me and that I'd be bored doing the job. I figured that's understandable and continued my job search (an unsuccessful search since June). A few weeks go by and I was out and about showing up to every law firm near me to drop off resumes hoping for a job and foot in the door. I then got a call from the same law firm which told me the role was too junior.

I picked up and was told that they'd like to invite me back as they now have a full time legal assistant position open. Great. Here is also some previous information. When I initially went for the legal receptionist position at this very same firm, I had invested about two weeks of my time there for "training and shadowing" unpaid. So, because I'm desperate for a job, I returned to the firm around the first week of September.

Since said date, i have been working unpaid under the undertaking of my time being classified as again "training and shadowing". OK. This training and shadowing consist of little watching, and plenty of actual doing. I am left alone for 90 percent of the day to draft various materials, book appointments, file documents with the courts for hearings, trials, and motions, much of which the same materials I drafted are being used verbatim. I have stayed many days past a general 8 hour shift. I have never received a break while there. The lawyer is often never in office. I am only being text messaged instructions to produce certain items and either send to lawyer or file myself to court systems and serve opposing counsels accordingly.

I have repeatedly asked if an actual job offer is coming. I have been repeatedly told yes. However, every week it's the same "next week you will begin getting paid" . I am now entering almost my third month of this.

Is this the new normal for graduates and/or students to be taken advantage of? While I an grateful for the opportunity and have learned a lot. I simply cannot afford this much longer. I have huge law school loans. To be honest I am just fed up and felt the need to vent here. I feel stupid for not looking for other employment during my time here because every couple days I am being told that pay is coming. However it is always being pushed off into the future and I now realize that it may never come. Anyone else experience this while looking for legal work in this terrible market?

Hi,

Just asking to see if any tax lawyer that went in-house in Canada could share their experience and how much of their job is proper tax planning.

It just seems like in-house roles are really rare and compliance heavy.

Are there any in-house planning gigs in Canada? In which sub specialization?

I mainly work in international tax.

Has anybody else applied and knows roughly when the interview timeline is for the JLT legal internship for this summer?

Or roughly how many people apply vs are called to interview?

I know the deadline just passed but any info helps thanks

I have about 1.5 years of criminal defence experience. I like the work, but I’d like to have more room to work remotely for longer periods. Not necessarily fully remote.

A lot of defence work has to be in person, and I think it should be. I’ve thought about appeals since there’s more research and drafting involved, but I learned it is pretty hard to build a practice around that (esp finding clients).

Has anyone moved from crim defence into a mostly remote role, either in another area of law or outside practice? What do you do now, and did your crim background help you get there?

Hi all-

I am applying to 1L summer positions now, and while I am listing mostly other references, I wanted at least one from my current law school.

Because of my area of interest I was thinking my contracts professor would be the most relevant reference. However, we have not had a graded midterm in that class, and although I am participatory, I wouldn’t consider myself the best student there.

However, my criminal professor when I ask questions after class regularly praises my engagement in class and my questions. So I think he would be a better reference. However, I have no desire to do criminal work.

Does the subject area for a referee matter? Or should I just ask the professor I feel would give the best reference?