Dalhousie Law Grads Job Prospects in Maritimes

[Lawhope]

I have applied to Schulich as well as a number of schools in Ontario and uCalgary. I am wondering where do Dal grads tend to end up practicing, are there solid job prospects in Halifax or the Maritimes or do most go elsewhere in Canada or abroad after graduation? 

[englishmajor]

There are a number of large regional firms in the area that base their largest office in Halifax by virtue of it being the largest city, but they also have offices in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Saint John's, Moncton etc. plus a number of government jobs and smaller firms that take on articling students depending on the year. Generally, they prioritize people from the Maritimes/have connections so that they stay long term rather than gain experience to leap frog to Toronto. 

If you want to practice elsewhere, studying in the Maritimes doesn't preclude you from getting jobs elsewhere. They are very old schools with a wide net of alumni all over the place. 

[Mbu1]

It all depends on what you want to do. In Atlantic Canada, for civil litigation and corporate work, the best/largest firms are: 1. Stewart McKelvey 2. Cox & Palmer and 3. Mcinnes Cooper. Other good smaller firms in Halifax come to mind: Patterson, Burchells, Boyneclarke, etc. There are plenty of jobs for Dal graduates all over Atlantic Canada. The problem is, apart from Halifax to some extent, that part of the country can be boring & lack diversity subject of course to your background and where you previously were. 

Edited December 2, 2023 by Mbu1