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Advice from Current UOttawa Students?


gglaw

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gglaw
  • Applicant

Hello everyone! 

I was just accepted in Ottawa the other day (first A of the cycle) and am honestly over the moon! I only applied to schools I would be happy going to, so getting the A was a huge uplift for me. I wanted to see if there are any current Ottawa law students who have some pros and cons from the school itself. I am waiting on Queen's and UofT but am torn between the three of them if I was to get into all. I want to go into health law (medical malpractice), or IP law! Whether that be government or firm related work I am not too sure but I just know I am excited about the prospect of finally going to law school.

From current students, either with the same fields of interest or completely opposite: what were some things you wish you knew about Ottawa before going? What other schools were you deciding between? Do you regret your decision? How have the courses and opportunities (job wise) been so far for you? Do you feel at a disadvantage or are you completely happy with your decision? I dont really have anyone to reach out to to ask these kinds of questions so any insight, experiences and opinions would be greatly appreciated ! 

Thanks 🙂

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legalele
  • Law Student

Hey! Current 1L at Ottawa. Congrats on your acceptance!

Based on your areas of interest, I would say Ottawa is definitely the way to go - Ottawa has really great, well-known IP and Public Law programs. I had only applied to Queens and Ottawa, and ended up choosing Ottawa because I figured there would be many more opportunities to get involved/find experiential learning opportunities due to its location. As I look into internships/upper-year courses now, I am finding that this is definitely the case! 

I also really like the environment at Ottawa - doesn't seem as cutthroat and competitive as some other schools. That's been super important to me, and I've met really great people at this school.

One thing I will say is that Big Law firms seemingly tend to hire from UofT more than any other school - there are not too many Ottawa students on their summer student lists (for Toronto firms at least). There could be many reasons for this (ie. Ottawa students not applying to these jobs, general grade differences), but UofT does have a prestige that probably plays into it. You have to decide whether or not that's important to you! That does not mean you can't get a Big Law job at Ottawa - I know many people who have - just letting you know of that tendency. 

In all, I am 100% happy with my decision! Hope that helps. Congrats again! 

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gglaw
  • Applicant
4 hours ago, legalele said:

Hey! Current 1L at Ottawa. Congrats on your acceptance!

Based on your areas of interest, I would say Ottawa is definitely the way to go - Ottawa has really great, well-known IP and Public Law programs. I had only applied to Queens and Ottawa, and ended up choosing Ottawa because I figured there would be many more opportunities to get involved/find experiential learning opportunities due to its location. As I look into internships/upper-year courses now, I am finding that this is definitely the case! 

I also really like the environment at Ottawa - doesn't seem as cutthroat and competitive as some other schools. That's been super important to me, and I've met really great people at this school.

One thing I will say is that Big Law firms seemingly tend to hire from UofT more than any other school - there are not too many Ottawa students on their summer student lists (for Toronto firms at least). There could be many reasons for this (ie. Ottawa students not applying to these jobs, general grade differences), but UofT does have a prestige that probably plays into it. You have to decide whether or not that's important to you! That does not mean you can't get a Big Law job at Ottawa - I know many people who have - just letting you know of that tendency. 

In all, I am 100% happy with my decision! Hope that helps. Congrats again! 

Thank you so much for your response!! I am so glad to hear about the environment at Ottawa Because that truly is important to me too. I am also glad to hear that there is experiential learning opportunities as well! I have been browsing the website for the last couple of days and have been really happy to see the internships and things such as the January term as those application based experiences matter a lot to me! Honestly, I am unsure if I wanna do BigLaw, it would be great I think but I also really want my focuses in IP and Health so whether or not that lands me in BigLaw or Government work I am unsure of but I am happy with either option! 

Thanks so much once again I really appreciate it 🙂

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easttowest
  • Lawyer

Depending which side of med mal you want to do, much of the health law in Toronto is done by the big firms. 

From the top of my head, BLG reps most of the hospitals in the GTA. Miller Thomson reps many of the hospitals outside of that. Lenczner Slaght reps a few colleges. I think McCarthy Tetrault does some college stuff as well, but in any event they are adding health lawyers. 

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gglaw
  • Applicant
59 minutes ago, easttowest said:

Depending which side of med mal you want to do, much of the health law in Toronto is done by the big firms. 

From the top of my head, BLG reps most of the hospitals in the GTA. Miller Thomson reps many of the hospitals outside of that. Lenczner Slaght reps a few colleges. I think McCarthy Tetrault does some college stuff as well, but in any event they are adding health lawyers. 

Thanks so much this is amazing, I honestly didnt even think to check out firms and sizes this in depth! Do you think that I would have a low chance for these firms if I went to Ottawa? I am really keen on the health law specialization that Ottawa offers and the internships etc, and I do not know that my stats are enough to get me into UofT but I am still awaiting a decision! 

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easttowest
  • Lawyer
2 minutes ago, gglaw said:

Thanks so much this is amazing, I honestly didnt even think to check out firms and sizes this in depth! Do you think that I would have a low chance for these firms if I went to Ottawa? I am really keen on the health law specialization that Ottawa offers and the internships etc, and I do not know that my stats are enough to get me into UofT but I am still awaiting a decision! 

I know a health lawyer in Toronto. We both went to Ottawa and work in biglaw. It’s not impossible, about 15% of the class end up there in the 2L recruit. 

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gglaw
  • Applicant
18 minutes ago, easttowest said:

I know a health lawyer in Toronto. We both went to Ottawa and work in biglaw. It’s not impossible, about 15% of the class end up there in the 2L recruit. 

Phenomenal thanks so much! I'm really excited about my acceptance to Ottawa so thank you for providing some clarifications for me I really appreciate it! 

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  • 3 months later...
Theysaidwhat
  • Law Student

Considering your interests, I'd say Ottawa is a great choice. If you're still unsure and are highly interested in areas like corporate work, then my answer would be different. 

I just finished 1L at Ottawa and found it to be incredibly collegial and all the professors (even the ones that seem scary at the beginning) are truly kind and want to see you succeed. The student body was also supportive and helpful with one another. I didn't personally experience any competitiveness, but that's not to say that it doesn't exist. On the bright side, if you do encounter a group of highly competitive individuals, the benefit of such a large student body is that it wouldn't be difficult to leave and find "your people"

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  • 1 month later...
lawstudentthree
  • Law Student

The respondents are right in that it is not cutthroat. Most people are generally friendly. There's a lot of diversity at UOttawa law as well - it has the biggest 1L class size and a lot of opportunities if you are interested in learning about civil law/getting involved with the French program. 

But from just an anecdotal/non-academic/personal perspective, Ottawa is a bit of a concrete jungle and the actual campus/the law building is a bit depressing. Just in terms of the "vibe", I didn't really like it - most people keep to themselves and it feels like the majority of the people in Ottawa are either there to go to school or to go to work. I didn't feel like a professional when I walked around campus (it's located amidst downtown Ottawa). This might have a lot to do with the pandemic though. 

A pro is that it is beautiful and the architecture is really nice. I didn't really feel at home there but if you wanted to know more about my experience, you can PM me! 

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FORCE
  • Law Student

Has anyone here taken Legal Drafting (CML3155) with John Keyes ? Would love to hear your thoughts on the class and the prof !

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