UVic vs. UCalgary vs. uOttawa

[Dealclosertobe]

Hi all,

I’ve been admitted to the three law schools mentioned above, and I would really appreciate input from current students or recent grads. I’m aiming for BigLaw, and while I have an interest in criminal law, I’m quite certain I’ll pursue a career in corporate law, as that’s where my priorities and interests lie.

I'm from Vancouver and still waiting to hear back from UBC. I know the general advice is to attend law school in the region where you want to work, but I haven’t fully convinced myself to live in Victoria; I enjoy big cities and am a bit tired of the rainy weather 🙂 

That said, my goal is to work in Vancouver, at least in the first few years of my career, though I’m open to working in Toronto. I’d love your thoughts on the following:

1. Mobility across provinces: I know Calgary is a good city (as I've heard from my friends there), but since I’d prefer to work in Vancouver or Toronto long-term, how easy is it to move between provinces once you're in BigLaw? If anyone has firsthand experience, I’d really value your input.

uOttawa vs. UCalgary for Vancouver/BigLaw recruit:

2. uOttawa seems to have a stronger national reputation, and based on stats, it appears to be better positioned for Toronto recruitment. But does that also apply to the Vancouver recruit?

3. UCalgary seems very focused on corporate law; how does uOttawa compare in terms of its focus and outcomes in business law? I’ve heard it leans more toward federal and government jobs (public sector generally); is that true?

4. Life in Ottawa: I’ve never been to Ottawa, so I’d love insights on student life, cost of living, rent, and general community vibe.

5. Reputation and prestige: I only have two weeks to respond to uOttawa’s offer, and I don’t want to decline it without doing proper research. From what I gather, uOttawa has a strong national reputation, but is it more prestigious than UVic or UCalgary? And does this prestige really matter for my career? Would love to hear your takes.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond; it really means a lot!

[apricus]

Congrats on your many admissions! I go to Ottawa and maybe can provide some thoughts. 

4 hours ago, Dealclosertobe said:

1. Mobility across provinces: I know Calgary is a good city (as I've heard from my friends there), but since I’d prefer to work in Vancouver or Toronto long-term, how easy is it to move between provinces once you're in BigLaw? If anyone has firsthand experience, I’d really value your input.

I'm not sure about mobility from Calgary to other markets, but I know people who have transferred offices from Toronto to Vancouver, Ottawa to Vancouver, Toronto to Ottawa, and Ottawa to Toronto all within the same national firm. I don't think it's uncommon for biglaw associates to lateral to a different province.

4 hours ago, Dealclosertobe said:

2. uOttawa seems to have a stronger national reputation, and based on stats, it appears to be better positioned for Toronto recruitment. But does that also apply to the Vancouver recruit?

This is entirely anecdotal, but everyone I know who wanted to work in Vancouver got a job in Vancouver. Many people had multiple OCIs and in-firm interviews and came out with biglaw jobs. Of course I'm not entirely sure how my friends' law school grades and extracurriculars compare to the general law school population (although I think they're smart cookies!!!)

4 hours ago, Dealclosertobe said:

3. UCalgary seems very focused on corporate law; how does uOttawa compare in terms of its focus and outcomes in business law? I’ve heard it leans more toward federal and government jobs (public sector generally); is that true?

I think Ottawa has a great range of business law courses available. It also has a start-up business law clinic and Canada's only public interest technology law clinic. I don't think anyone would be disadvantaged in any recruit by going to Ottawa. Ottawa does have a huge alumni network in the public sector, but I don't think it necessarily means the school has a weak business law program. 

4 hours ago, Dealclosertobe said:

4. Life in Ottawa: I’ve never been to Ottawa, so I’d love insights on student life, cost of living, rent, and general community vibe.

I really like Ottawa (both the school and the city)! The students are very friendly and there is a strong culture of mentorship and support. There are lots of opportunities to be involved at the law school (pro bono, research assistantships, being a TA, law review, legal clinics, various student run clubs...) I was at UBC for undergrad, and Ottawa is much cheaper than Vancouver--at least when it comes to rent. It definitely doesn't have the "beautiful British Columbia" vibes, but there isn't a ton of time during law school to go gaze at the mountains anyways haha. I think coming to Ottawa gave me a great opportunity to live somewhere that is very different from BC and to meet very different kinds of people.

5 hours ago, Dealclosertobe said:

5. Reputation and prestige: I only have two weeks to respond to uOttawa’s offer, and I don’t want to decline it without doing proper research. From what I gather, uOttawa has a strong national reputation, but is it more prestigious than UVic or UCalgary? And does this prestige really matter for my career?

For what it is worth, I declined UVic to go to Ottawa. I applied to Alberta but not Calgary, and I declined that one as well.

I think (I might be biased lol) Ottawa has a great national reputation! I have friends who got into top LLM programs in the States, who are clerking at courts across the country, who are at national and international firms in all 5 (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal) of Canada's business hubs... I also had no issues getting a job in the Toronto 2L recruit or getting a clerkship. So overall, I'd say Ottawa's reputation is fine as is and will probably be a positive thing for your career. 

--

ALL THIS BEING SAID, if you really want to stay in BC, you should probably go to UVic. If you are considering Toronto, you should go to Ottawa. I don't think there is a "wrong" answer here! As long as you do well in law school and are decently involved, you should be able to find a job anywhere. 

[Dealclosertobe]

22 hours ago, apricus said:

Congrats on your many admissions! I go to Ottawa and maybe can provide some thoughts. 

I'm not sure about mobility from Calgary to other markets, but I know people who have transferred offices from Toronto to Vancouver, Ottawa to Vancouver, Toronto to Ottawa, and Ottawa to Toronto all within the same national firm. I don't think it's uncommon for biglaw associates to lateral to a different province.

This is entirely anecdotal, but everyone I know who wanted to work in Vancouver got a job in Vancouver. Many people had multiple OCIs and in-firm interviews and came out with biglaw jobs. Of course I'm not entirely sure how my friends' law school grades and extracurriculars compare to the general law school population (although I think they're smart cookies!!!)

I think Ottawa has a great range of business law courses available. It also has a start-up business law clinic and Canada's only public interest technology law clinic. I don't think anyone would be disadvantaged in any recruit by going to Ottawa. Ottawa does have a huge alumni network in the public sector, but I don't think it necessarily means the school has a weak business law program. 

I really like Ottawa (both the school and the city)! The students are very friendly and there is a strong culture of mentorship and support. There are lots of opportunities to be involved at the law school (pro bono, research assistantships, being a TA, law review, legal clinics, various student run clubs...) I was at UBC for undergrad, and Ottawa is much cheaper than Vancouver--at least when it comes to rent. It definitely doesn't have the "beautiful British Columbia" vibes, but there isn't a ton of time during law school to go gaze at the mountains anyways haha. I think coming to Ottawa gave me a great opportunity to live somewhere that is very different from BC and to meet very different kinds of people.

For what it is worth, I declined UVic to go to Ottawa. I applied to Alberta but not Calgary, and I declined that one as well.

I think (I might be biased lol) Ottawa has a great national reputation! I have friends who got into top LLM programs in the States, who are clerking at courts across the country, who are at national and international firms in all 5 (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal) of Canada's business hubs... I also had no issues getting a job in the Toronto 2L recruit or getting a clerkship. So overall, I'd say Ottawa's reputation is fine as is and will probably be a positive thing for your career. 

--

ALL THIS BEING SAID, if you really want to stay in BC, you should probably go to UVic. If you are considering Toronto, you should go to Ottawa. I don't think there is a "wrong" answer here! As long as you do well in law school and are decently involved, you should be able to find a job anywhere. 

Thank you so much; this was really helpful! Regarding the last point, I’m not entirely sure if I want to practice in Vancouver long-term, but ideally it would be my choice for at least the first 1–2 years. I just want to make sure that attending uOttawa wouldn’t put me at a disadvantage when it comes to Vancouver BigLaw recruitment. Do you happen to know how many events per year uOttawa hosts that involve Vancouver firms? Thanks again; I really appreciate your insight@apricus!

[apricus]

@Dealclosertobe My pleasure!

I would not say that Ottawa has events specific to the Vancouver market. I'm actually not sure if any Ontario school does--I think the Vancouver firms tend to target the BC and Alberta schools in terms of recruitment. Ottawa hosts a general 1L career event every year in March, and I've seen Vancouver firms having tables. But I'm pretty sure they're usually staffed by their summer students rather than the student program manager😅. So If you are 100% sure that you want to practice in Vancouver, you should go to UVic. I really don't think you'd be "disadvantaged" by going to Ottawa (compared to any other non-BC school), but it obviously won't put you at a school-specific or location-specific advantage. I will say that I've personally seen way less people moving from Vancouver to Toronto compared to Toronto to Vancouver. And I've definitely never seen anyone from UVic getting a job on Bay St--but there's probably some strong self-selection happening there I'm sure.

I would also think about whether you're more interested in working in biglaw generally or more interested in working in Vancouver. I think I'd actually go to Calgary if your goal generally is to work in biglaw. It sends a lot of people to Vancouver, and you could also participate in the Calgary 1L and 2L recruits. If staying in Vancouver is the top priority for now, and the type of firm is secondary, then I'd go to UVic. 

Please lmk if I can answer anything else haha 🙂

[Dealclosertobe]

On 5/9/2025 at 10:55 PM, apricus said:

@Dealclosertobe My pleasure!

I would not say that Ottawa has events specific to the Vancouver market. I'm actually not sure if any Ontario school does--I think the Vancouver firms tend to target the BC and Alberta schools in terms of recruitment. Ottawa hosts a general 1L career event every year in March, and I've seen Vancouver firms having tables. But I'm pretty sure they're usually staffed by their summer students rather than the student program manager😅. So If you are 100% sure that you want to practice in Vancouver, you should go to UVic. I really don't think you'd be "disadvantaged" by going to Ottawa (compared to any other non-BC school), but it obviously won't put you at a school-specific or location-specific advantage. I will say that I've personally seen way less people moving from Vancouver to Toronto compared to Toronto to Vancouver. And I've definitely never seen anyone from UVic getting a job on Bay St--but there's probably some strong self-selection happening there I'm sure.

I would also think about whether you're more interested in working in biglaw generally or more interested in working in Vancouver. I think I'd actually go to Calgary if your goal generally is to work in biglaw. It sends a lot of people to Vancouver, and you could also participate in the Calgary 1L and 2L recruits. If staying in Vancouver is the top priority for now, and the type of firm is secondary, then I'd go to UVic. 

Please lmk if I can answer anything else haha 🙂

Thanks so much! This is super helpful. It's definitely a lot to think about now that I have all this info, haha.