Firm Insights for OCI Recruit

[jlaw]

Hi all, I'm headed into the 2L OCI recruit and was wondering if anyone could give any insight into what the firms look for and their reputations. For example, which firms are the most grades oriented during OCI's? Which are more holistic in their hiring? Which firm is known for a fun atmosphere/culture? This kind of information can not be found online (from what I can see) so I would really appreciate some help here.

[OzLaw16]

1 hour ago, jlaw said:

Which firm is known for a fun atmosphere/culture?

I know this isn't the answer you're looking for (and I'm not going to try to answer the rest of your questions only because I'm not confident enough in my answers to them to feel like I'm giving you reliable/accurate information), but on this specific point, I'd really advise you not to put much stock (if any) into what firms are considered "fun" by other people. A fun atmosphere to one person might be a very unapproachable atmosphere to another, and vice versa. Even if someone were to rattle off a list of firms they think have fun/enjoyable atmospheres (and if this forum is anything like LS.ca, I highly doubt anyone here will provide you with a specific list of firms for that, at least in a public thread post), there's no way of knowing if that list would apply to your own traits.

A big part of the OCI and in-firm process is that you get to meet a lot of lawyers and students at these firms and you get to decide which atmosphere feels like it matches your own personality. As you go through in-firms, you'll likely find yourself connecting with the lawyers at certain firms more than others. That gut instinct of where you think you'll fit in matters significantly more than what their "reputation" might be to outsiders, most of whom almost certainly haven't actually worked there and many of whom may not have even interviewed there. I know you're still only at the stage where you haven't even submitted applications yet, but I'd personally strongly advise against picking which firms to apply to or accept interviews with based on evaluations of those firms' cultures by people who haven't worked at those firms themselves.

Like I said at the top, unfortunately I can't help much with your other questions, but if you're looking for firms' professional reputations in certain areas of the law, Chambers and Lexpert are good places to start.

[Abella Swan]

As @OzLaw16 mentioned, I doubt you will get any kind of list on this forum. Your best bet is during coffee chats/informational interviews (whatever you call them), the types of questions you ask will give you insight into whether firms may seem like a good fit for you (but also as OzLaw said, you will gain infinite more info when you’re actually doing your infirms). Like if you’re asking questions about “what is the firm culture like” you’re likely going to get shallow answers. Don’t just ask the basic questions. If you ask a student for example “Were there any activities/social events the firm planned for you during the summer”, maybe that gives you an idea of the social life. You have to be more thoughtful with your questions because generic questions will always give you the same generic answers from every firm, and it’ll be impossible to tell the difference.