Getting an Articling Position out of LSO

[LAWCAPRICORN]

So I struck out for the Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver Articling Recruit mandated by LSO and feeling pretty down. I was wondering what are the chances or options for getting an articling position outside of the LSO recruit?

[queenspal]

1 hour ago, LAWCAPRICORN said:

So I struck out for the Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver Articling Recruit mandated by LSO and feeling pretty down. I was wondering what are the chances or options for getting an articling position outside of the LSO recruit?

I'm so sorry you feel down. This is such a difficult, and entirely arbitrary, process. But this doesn't reflect on your abilities as a lawyer, your skillset or what you can offer to an employer. 

My CDO said that something like 35% of students enter 3L without articling positions. A LOT of opportunities come down the pipeline throughout the year - I've seen a bunch on our CDO website this week that are legitimately for the 2022/2023 articling cycle. You will find something. I've also been told by a number of people (like, a bunch) that their jobs came from networking and reaching out/cold e-mails. It's a hard thing to do, but it often works. 

It will happen for you!

[Vizslaw]

Keep in mind that a number of smaller firms don't participate in the LSO recruit and hire articling students during the 3L year based on their needs. Our firm has always operated like that and I am aware of several firms in our practice area that operate the same way.

Stay connected with your career services people at your school. If you know the area of law you want to practice and in which city, research smaller/medium size firms and contact them to them to see if they will be hiring an articling student for 2022/2023. There is also that Facebook group that posts law/articling jobs, and some will be posted on LinkedIn, so just do your best to stay positive and connected. You've got all of 3L to sort things out and you only need one articling position, so stay positive and consistent in your efforts. 

[BlockedQuebecois]

1 hour ago, queenspal said:

I'm so sorry you feel down. This is such a difficult, and entirely arbitrary, process. But this doesn't reflect on your abilities as a lawyer, your skillset or what you can offer to an employer.

I know you are trying to be supportive, but I don't think it is particularly helpful to pretend recruits are "entirely arbitrary". They aren't. It can be tempting, when faced with personal and professional failures, to write those failures off as simply arbitrary decisions taken by others that are not reflective of your own performance. But when you do that, you lose the opportunity to learn from those failures and better yourself as you go forwards. 

At the same time, it is important not to let those failures affect your self worth. But you do that by decoupling the relationship between success/failure and self worth, rather than by dismissing any and all personal or professional failures as "arbitrary" or similar. 

OP needs to consider why they have struck out in six different formal recruits and adjust their application strategy accordingly. They may be applying to firms at which they are simply not competitive. They may be applying so broadly that their materials are not sufficiently tailored. There might be a major error in their application materials. They may not come across well in interviews. And so on. 

Whatever is causing OP to strike out so consistently, they need to work to identify it and adjust their job search accordingly. 

[HowardHamlinofHHM]

Honestly how it feels having bad grades and going into interviews.

[annaturney]

3 minutes ago, HowardHamlinofHHM said:

Honestly how it feels having bad grades and going into interviews.

Honestly though. After 30 minutes talking to a partner this week for an interview scheduled for a full hour, all I get is, "Well, good luck in your future career, wherever you end up." Other places give you all the inclination that you'd be a great fit, they really like you, and the system is set up so they just get to fucking ghost you. I hate it so much. 

[HowardHamlinofHHM]

I understand Blocked Quebecois position about making sure that you look at yourself honestly about any mistakes you might make about the process but at a certain point it is out of your hands. When you are crushing interviews until they re look at your grades and then it feels like the whole atmosphere has changed there's not much more to do. Like they are trying to end the interview as soon as possible.

Sometimes I just feel like they send me interview invites to show up as a mascot of some sorts to pump them up. Like people with good grades who have options that might not be as enthusiastic to work there as a second option get balanced out by people like me who would love to work there or anywhere else. 

[annaturney]

1 hour ago, HowardHamlinofHHM said:

I understand Blocked Quebecois position about making sure that you look at yourself honestly about any mistakes you might make about the process but at a certain point it is out of your hands. When you are crushing interviews until they re look at your grades and then it feels like the whole atmosphere has changed there's not much more to do. Like they are trying to end the interview as soon as possible.

I've definitely felt that, "Oh, right the grades, never mind we can wrap this up" vibe in interviews. Even from places that say they want to be as fair and open with students as possible, and people that recognize that you're in the middle of an incredibly stressful three days of interviews. 

My worst habit is getting genuinely invested in positions. Like I was getting really pumped up for my last interview because it was a MAG department that's actually doing a lot of interesting stuff right now and it would be fantastic experience to article there in the next year or two. So when I get to the interview I really have a genuine interest that I just got to share with the interviews and.... nothing. Sucks every time. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by annaturney

[nana]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:59 PM, LAWCAPRICORN said:

I was wondering what are the chances or options for getting an articling position outside of the LSO recruit?

Your chances are pretty good. It's not a certainty - some people unfortunately do not find an articling position before finishing 3L, and so end up having to apply in the next cycle, or attending the LPP program in Ontario - but your chances are still good. The less selective you are about the area of law, size of firm, city, or salary you're looking for, the better your chances will get.

Your options - as others have mentioned above, many job positions will continue being posted throughout the year. The formal recruit process represents only a fraction of employers. Many small firms don't know whether they'll have need of an articling student until later in the year; with governments and non-profits, new funds can materialize throughout the year that allow them to hire more candidates. Just as an example, MAG came into some extra funding this summer and hired several more articling students for the 2022-2023 year.

The main advantage of the formal articling recruit is that it's straightforward. Yes, it's draining and competitive and time-consuming, but the steps you need to take are clear. Since you didn't find a position through the formal recruit, you will have to call on your creativity and persistence to navigate the less straightforward path. You will need to be creative in where and how you seek work - networking, cold-calling, researching, shaking new trees. You will need to be persistent in applying for positions throughout the year, improving your application materials, and seeking help from people like your career counsellors. Please remember that even though you might have to take a more challenging path to secure articles, you can still have a great articling experience that puts you on track for your career goals.

Anecdotally, about half of my close law friends (five people) struck out in the formal recruit, but they were all able to find articling positions and started their articles on time. It's a very normal experience that most students, imho, are not adequately prepared for in the runup to the recruit.