General
General discussion about law schools or your applications.
Have general questions about law school or applying?
What to major in? What grades you need? What LSAT score is good? What schools you should apply to? What's a good personal statement or extra-curriculars? Whether you should study law abroad?
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Applicant FAQ (18164 visits to this link)
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Ontario (OLSAS) and UBC GPA Calculator (21519 visits to this link)
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What's Happening
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34
Accepted to McGill Law 2024
Hi everyone! I just got accepted today for September 2024 🤗 I hesitated before posting, because my application just seemed so different (and weaker) from everyone else here... But I thought I would maybe share some hope to others that have an atypical file like mine... LSAT 155 (1 attempt, francophone candidate) Undergrad: 2.7 (with extenuating circumstances) Grad: 4.3 (partial) I would say very strong "softs", I already have a substantial 10+ years career with "impressive" achievements (unrelated to law). I applied under the mature category, and got accepted without any interview. When I initially applied, I combed through this forum, looking for people like me, with a brilliant career but "poor" academic scores... Let's say I found little evidence that those people were indeed accepted. So here I am, and now there is a trace for the future applicants that you CAN make it, even if you had an horrible undergrad. -
329
Clerkship Interviews: 2025-2026
Strong recommendations also count for a lot! Cultivate a close relationship with a couple of professors through working as research assistants or teaching assistants, if you don't already have that experience. Of course, the RAs/TAs experience are worthwhile in itself, in my opinion. The more details the professors can give that concretely speaks to your abilities, the stronger the letter will be — and that is highly dependent on your relationship with the professor, beyond simply having had a good grade in their course. Who writes your letters also have a huge impact. Certain letters will carry more weight — professors who have had successfully endorsed students as clerks, their letters may carry more weight...sort of the "tried and tested" (you recommended someone before, it worked out, I trust your judgment). Last is to have a record that speaks to your ability to navigate various areas of law: between public and private law; criminal law; civil and common law. Within public law, the ability to navigate not just the Charter, but also federalism/division of powers. This last point can come through your writing samples and/or your research assistant experience (among other things). Good luck! -
5
Finished law school, feeling defeated
I certainly couldn’t have cared less about how I did on my final 3L exam (or any 3L exam, really). -
85
Accepted JD (English) 2024
Admitted on Thursday April 18! 3.6 CGPA, 160 LSAT -
4
Transfer students
I don't believe undergrad grades are considered, considering I had a sub 3.0 undergrad gpa. Law school grades are all that matters. -
0
cGPA 3.3, LSAT 165, chances?
I will be applying general category to Osgoode, uOttawa, Windsor, and Queens. Ideally uOttawa, as I wish to pursue criminal law. But my gpa is quite low so I'm feeling fairly discouraged about my chances, and although I think my ECs are decent (3 years in the military reserve, 1 in the CBSA, 6 years as a martial arts instructor in a non-profit) I doubt they will make a large difference. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks! -
1
Building criminal law competency without having previous experiences
Casual or part-time crim defence roles aren't really a thing. You are right that it's hard to transition to working for someone else in criminal law, as a lawyer without crim experience. I do know some full service firm/corporate lawyers who made the switch to criminal defence, but every single one of them that I know personally immediately hung their own shingle in criminal defence. This seems like an incredibly intimidating route to me, but there are conferences, CPD courses and materials, criminal defence organizations with support for members, etc. In any event I don't have the best advice to give about this and I apologize for that, but given your OP I just wanted to say that landing a casual or part-time crim defence gig seems less likely than getting hired as an full-time associate, not more, to me. And to be honest if there's a crim defence firm out there that will hire an associate (who they have no existing relationship with) with no crim experience, it's probably not a firm you want to work for. EDITED TO ADD: I actually I do know a former BigLaw associate that got a legal aid staff lawyer position in a remote location where they have trouble recruiting; if you're willing to relocate at least for a bit that could be a way to get the requisite experience. -
57
Accepted 2024
Congrats! Are you accepting? -
10
Insurance Defence Salary
If there's a specific place you're thinking of DM me and I'll get in touch or put you in touch with someone who give you the exact number. But speaking broadly Whitelaw Twinning seems to be on the higher end with a Mccauge and Bell Temple not too far behind. I saw FCL and ZTGH also both got a bump and seem to be fairly attractive. I don't know what Steiber is doing at a first year level but a few friends have latteraled as more senior calls and seem pretty happy with the comp. -
1
Building criminal law competency without having previous experiences
So, aside from upper-year courses in evidence/advanced procedures, I have relatively little exposure to criminal law. Nevertheless, I want to build competency in this field and would be open to suggestions on the route to doing so starting from scratch and wanted to ask the criminal defence folks here how they would approach it. I understand the defence bar doesn't generally like lawyers who haven't shown a dedicated commitment to this field in the past, so I am open to taking casual or part-time roles if there is training value. -
10
Insurance Defence Salary
If you wouldn't mind, would you mind naming the shops and what they pay? -
57
Accepted 2024
Accepted yesterday. CGPA 3.64, LSAT 160, strong softs and references -
329
Clerkship Interviews: 2025-2026
Thanks for your advice! I have a trial clerkship lined up (at the ONSC) which I will be completing from 2025-2026 (my articling year). I am planning to apply to the Fed Courts, appellate courts (ON and BC) and the SCC next year and see what happens. I did not interview at any appellate courts this year. I only received ONSC interviews, FC interviews, and BC interview first round. Any advice for what I can do between now and when I apply in 3L to improve my chances of getting an appellate clerkship? Would you say that having publications would improve my chances? I am trying to raise my GPA and do better but sometimes it can be hard with tricky and time-constrained exams and the curve... -
5
Entering 1L Advice
Just finished 1L and in hindsight, there are several things that I regret not doing (many of which were explicitly recommended on this forum). 1. Rest the summer before 1L. I was extremely burnt out coming into 1L. If you can afford to, I'd highly recommend not working and just chilling at least during the month of August before 1L starts. 2. Bouncing off the first point, I recognize that this is definitely easier said than done but try to address any mental health challenges before starting law school. Whether that means identifying healthy coping strategies or learning to set boundaries or learning to effectively prioritize, it cannot be understated how important protecting your mental health is. If you think you may need accommodations, apply for it! I didn't realize that I would qualify until speaking with an upper year a week before exams. 3. Start seeking mentorship before 1L - I realized late into 1L that I was interested in a specific field that I didn't really know existed prior to 1L. I only realized my interest when speaking with upper years later in the year. I would highly recommend connecting via linkedin with upper years at the law school you're attending, especially ones pursuing areas of law that you're interested in. It will give you a better understanding of whether it's actually right for you and if so, what extracurriculars/opportunities are available at your law school to build relevant experience. 4. Get any medical/dental/banking appointments out of the way before you start 1L. 5. Others may disagree, but I found that prioritizing lectures over readings was a much more efficient use of time. 6. Consider participating in a moot. I have never thought of myself as someone who'd enjoy mooting. I only tried it because a friend couldn't find a partner. It ended up being the highlight of my 1L experience.- 1
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5
Finished law school, feeling defeated
I do not think there’s anything not normal about how you’re feeling. We all process things in different ways. If it persists after a few weeks, consider seeking professional help. Poor mental health management among lawyers and judges is well documented. Take care of yourself. Congratulations.- 2
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