Chances
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Chance me PLEASE (I beg)! I’m a McCall MacBain semi-finalist and scared I won’t even get in to McGill 1 2
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What's Happening
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104
Accepted JD (English) 2024
congrats! Where else were you accepted - also, were you notified via the portal or email? -
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Should I participate in the articling recruit?
I would bet you $10k that not a single student with a B-average in 1L from U of T got hired in the 2L recruit this year!- 1
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1L grades + success in landing a job on Bay Street
I'm not sure I fully understand your question. Firms go deeper at U of T because it is harder to get into in the first place, therefore the candidate pool must be stronger. I realize that statement is based on many assumptions that may or may not be factually true, but that is the thinking. If you assume U of T has the 150 best 2L students in Canada and they are graded on a bell curve, even #100 is going to be a very good candidate (rampant assumptions, again). Things get shallower from there, in gradations, based on school reputation and the particular firm's individual experience with that school, particularly recent experience. But it is also the case that some mid-sized firms will approach the recruit strategically and try to unearth good candidates who are not interviewing elsewhere. But most firms will have a nominal grades cut-off, which will vary from firm to firm. -
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1L grades + success in landing a job on Bay Street
At the risk of exposing my identity (lol), I do not go to Oz, U of T, Queens, or Western. Do firms go deeper in the pool for schools that may “need” that kind of treatment from firms? Like do firms go deeper at the top schools because the thinking is that “okay these people are coming from target schools but their grades just didn’t make the cut but we’re sure we’ll find good talent here.” Or is it more that they want to focus on candidates from lower tiered schools because they know that these students may not have gotten interviews elsewhere due to 1) average grades from a 2) lower tiered school. and thanks for that advice - I will be sure to focus my networking energy on those firms roughly, but if any opportunity arises to connect with anyone from the other firms, I won’t hesitate to do so as well. if anyone has further advice please feel free to chime in as well. Thank you. -
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Should I participate in the articling recruit?
OK. Western is a notch below U of T, obviously, but "B" students from Western get articling positions all the time. Maybe not at the biggest firms, but still. In early July (before the articling application deadline) politely ask your current firm if they are able to declare their intentions towards you. Be transparent with them. Assuming, of course, that you would like to return to article.- 2
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Should I participate in the articling recruit?
Thanks for your reply, want to clarify 2 things: - I am not uoft law, I am western law - my current summer firm is looking to grow, with the possibility of articling as they typically have an articling student. I guess that depends on the vibes and if I like the work as you said. -
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Should I participate in the articling recruit?
I assume from your handle you are at U of T law. "B" students from U of T get hired. You are probably not going to get hired back at your 2L summer firm (from the sounds of it). So why not apply everywhere and see what happens? What do you possibly have to lose? Even if you strike out and your current firm doesn't hire you back, there's always the LPP. On the other hand, if your 2L summer firm offers you an articling position in July, that makes the calculation much tougher. If you like the people and the work, I would take the offer. But so many factors go into that decision, which is yours to make. -
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1L grades + success in landing a job on Bay Street
Your grades aren't "terrible", but they are average (as far as I know from what you have told us). I also don't know what school you are at -- that matters too. Firms go deeper into the pool at certain schools. It's very hard to generalize but I think you are on the right track to downplay Sisters and national firms and instead concentrate on the types of firms you mentioned. You can still apply broadly in OCIs and see what happens, but in terms of deploying your limited resources over the summer on networking and so forth, I agree that your list looks like the more practical option. -
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Accepted JD (English) 2024
Accepted this morning! CGPA: 2.8, L2: 3.35, LSAT: 160 unsure if I’ll be accepting as I’ve been accepted elsewhere. I do love me some Ottawa though… -
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How do legal recruiter services work?
Depending on the firm and their budget, they may like you much, much better without the commission. However, if you "learned about it" through a recruiter, that recruiter may have already submitted your resume to the firm, no? -
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Should I participate in the articling recruit?
Based on my situation, I am wondering if I should apply for the Toronto articling recruit taking place this summer. Going to try and summarize my situation as clearly as possible and any comments/feedback would be appreciated. Keep it cool and nice :)) Work Experience: I have a job this summer at a boutique firm in the Bay Street area. It specializes in one-two practice areas, but will gain valuable experience working directly with former bay street partners. There is a possibility of articling but I am interested more in full service. Though, to my understanding, full service options are limited in the articling recruit. The limitation in options is something discouraging me from the articling recruit because I am not interested in public sector work or other types of law I am aware of that mainly hire through articling (ie: crim defence, PI, etc). Prior work experience before law school includes corporate work. Grades I am, and always will be, a B-average student. I’ve been able to slide in very few A’s via advocacy competitions or external assignments for credit, but am otherwise prone to B/B- grades. This is the primary reason for my lack of success in 2L, but I have heard from countless people who got hired through articling recruit at various types of firms that grades become less and less of a factor with each recruit. So I interpret this is as grades are considered, but work experience will be highly looked at? Are grades still the #1 filter? PTSD From 2L Recruit It would be impossible for me to contemplate the articling recruit without reflecting on my experience in 2L, which was one of the lowest points of my life. Sure, “it’s just a job” and I’ll look back at it years down the line when I get to the firm of my dreams one day and think why did I react like that, but I’ve never felt lower of myself than during and after the 2L recruit. It’s not just the fact that I didn’t get the job, but it’s the working so hard for something for over a year (as every decision I made in 1L was in contemplation of how that would translate to interviews/help me in my work experience during my 2L summer at a Bay Street firm), and that hard work blowing up in my face. Yes, I am responsible for my average 1L grades (see my prior posts) which were the biggest barrier of my 2L recruit success, but I tried to make the best of a bad situation and make due with what little I had by networking/going to events/spending thousands on career coaches to tailor my resume and cover letters as near perfectly as possible… and it was that false/blind hope that really got to me when I didn’t get an offer. I recognize the pressure is slightly reduced as I have a job with a potential for articling so I can fall back on that, but I’ve worked so hard with professional help to get to a better place I worry about the articling recruit undoing all of that. That’s where my head is at. Thanks. -
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Accepted to UNB 2024!
Congrats! Will you be accepting? UNB is great from what I've heard!- 1
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How do legal recruiter services work?
I learned about a position from a recruiter. That position is also posted on the firm’s website. Should I still apply through the recruiter or do it independently? On one hand, the recruiter will advocate on my behalf, on the other hand, the firm may like an independent applicant better as it wouldn’t have to pay a commission. -
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1L grades + success in landing a job on Bay Street
Sorry I should have clarified what I meant about midsized firms or boutique firms, but I am just now realizing that I myself don’t really know what’s considered what. All I know is that I *don’t* mean any of the seven sister firms, national firms (like BLG, Fasken, Bennett Jones, McMillan, Miller Thomson, Cassels Brock), global firms (like NRF, baker Mackenzie, Dentons, Gowling, DLA piper) because I genuinely don’t think I have a chance for any of these firms. I guess what I DO mean when I say mid size or boutique are the following: Aird & Berlis Lerners WeirFoulds Blaney Folger Rubinoff Torkin Manes I'm not really even sure that these firms are considered as such but it’s what I think about when I try to convince myself that I might have a chance at that firms over others. But please feel free to correct my understanding. Also, I would much rather work at a full service “Bay st” firm over a smaller firm that specializes in a few practice areas. Even though I do have an interest in a couple practice areas, I just don’t think it’s smart to square myself off to them. I really love the idea of a rotational program that covers a wide variety of practices and that can help me gain exposure to them so I can see what I enjoy and what I’m “good” at. At this point I’m just trying to figure out what is the best strategy to take this summer in terms of networking - because it’s just impossible to network with lawyers/students/associates from like 40 firms. So I’m trying to focus my efforts strategically in a way that will serve me best in the recruit. And I’m obviously going off of the sliver of hope that I will get interviews at some of these places, since, aside from my terrible grades, I believe I do have the people skills and “charm” to be likeable enough by recruiters/people at the firm that’ll want me to work with them or think I’ll be a good fit for their firm’s culture. Yes, I’d like to focus less on the size of the firm and more on the fact that they are full service firms. Ideally I’d want it to be a Bay Street firm but what are some full service firms that are off Bay Street? And are these part of the recruit? I’ll have to do research on the ones that are outside the recruit as well of course and apply them to them too -
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