Toronto 1L Recruit 2024

[grassfedcow0231]

Thought I would start this thread to keep each other updated re ITCs, PFOs, Calls, Offers, etc!

Edited January 29 by grassfedcow0231

[ZineZ]

Pinned. Good luck, everyone.

For anyone curious - here's last year's link: 

 

[Turtles]

As someone who was successful in the 1L recruit before:

The best thing you can do right after submitting your apps is relax. Don't obsessively refresh your emails or this forum. News will find you when it's available. Avoid the collective anxiety of your peers, avoid the misinformed nonsense gossip (much of which you will struggle to separate fiction from nonfiction), avoid trying to be too keen too early.

ITCs and PFOs may flow into your email inbox at any point (or never, for some firms). Every time one drops, don't let it drive your emotions or impact your day: you will get burnt out way too easy, You guys have classes and clubs and personal lives to keep up with. If you're going to make it to the end of the 1L recruit, you don't want to be falling behind so early in the semester, since the burden of the recruit will only increase later in February.

Until everything has come in, don't beat yourself up over a PFO that came in at a firm you really wanted, or get upset over your lack of an ITC from a firm your friend got, etc. You don't know what else might be coming, let alone what better options you might have waiting for the 2L recruit. Just ignore the recruit noise for now and focus on school.

A couple days before Call Day, you'll likely have ITCs/PFOs for all, or nearly all, big firms, and then you can start thinking about how to schedule the ITCs you actually got and whether to reject any interviews (if you racked up a ton). Usual advice for scheduling is order based on your relative ranking to signal your interest (i.e., take your #1 firm's earliest spot), but of course also keep in mind any potential merits of mixing it up (e.g., if not a morning person or you need help getting fully "going" for interviews, the #2 spot may be where you place the interview you care most about). People sometimes overcomplicate this step by doing too much research into the firms in the short window before Call Day, but again, it's a marathon not a sprint, don't burn yourself out on something as trivial as deciding between your #2 and #3's timeslots. After things are scheduled, unless you have interviews to reject, only then would I really bother spending much time learning about the firms and thinking more seriously about your options. 

Be careful how you talk about the recruit. Be careful who you talk to. Law school is full of hurt feelings. People talk. You don't want to come off as insensitive or bragging to the wrong person, and if you do, you may be burning bridges with them, and their friends, and anyone who didn't get the ITC or offer you got, before you even start. The confusion and mixed feelings of the recruit can drive you to want to talk to people who can understand how you're feeling, or who may have the information you want, but someone who says they are okay with transparency may in fact be gutted by your transparency. Some people will even come up with all kinds of problematic theories, or spread such as rumours, about why someone got an ITC or offer someone else didn't -- whether claiming it was based on family connections, race, religion, etc. 

Finally, the 1L recruit is predominantly based on grades, along with other factors like work experience, experience in high-level sports, undergraduate or graduate education, but also personality, fit, likeability, and so on. There is also randomness and unpredictability. Maybe even errors. You can have top grades and fall through the cracks. Maybe your materials came off too arrogant. Maybe you came off too sloppy or immature or inauthentic. Maybe the reviewer accidentally read your B+ as a D+ when they were rushing off to a meeting. Conversely, you can be a bit above average and make it through thanks to those same non-grades factors. Maybe you seem like a well-rounded, motivated but grounded human being that models exactly what the firm wants. Maybe your background exactly mirrors one of the student committee members' background and they could see themselves in you. Maybe there's something about your background that made the student coordinator say "I want X Partner to meet this student, they'll love him/her". Or maybe you were in the firm's "maybe" pile, they needed one more student from your school to fill up their schedule, and they randomly pulled your materials from the pile first. Suffice it to say, don't be upset if you strike out. It's not a comment about your worth, your likelihood to get the job you want, or anything else. And don't get a big head if you get an interview or an offer at the end of all this. 90+% of your cohort WILL end up securing a job and becoming lawyers, so you and your friends all have a good shot at getting something, somewhere, just give it time.  

At the end of the day, the recruit is an opportunity to learn about the firms, meet some of the best lawyers in each of their respective fields, and develop your interviewing and networking skills (whether for the 2L recruit, lateralling, or whatever may lie in your future). Try to learn. Try to relax a bit. And most importantly, try to enjoy it. 

[Dinsdale]

This is fantastic advice.  Great post.

In particular, since there are no (or very few) meaningful law school grades to rank applicants by, there is a real element of randomness in the 1L recruit.  Try not to let it get you down -- that's just the way it is.

Edited January 30 by Dinsdale

[StoneMason]

Any news on ITCs yet?

[MeowMeow6]

Nothing as of yet. Anyone know if firms have started sending them out yet?

Edited February 1 by MeowMeow6

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

heard through the grapevine b&p sent out ITCs 

[MeowMeow6]

A&B and Davies usually release ITCs early. Keep us posted if anyone's heard. 

[B_Stone]

Just got an ITC email from Sherrard Kuzz LLP

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

Davies ITC

[Rigel]

3 minutes ago, leagleeaglecawcaw said:

Davies ITC

Just now?

 

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

3 minutes ago, Rigel said:

Just now?

 

yup, heard of PFOs too

[Rigel]

3 minutes ago, leagleeaglecawcaw said:

yup, heard of PFOs too

Thx. I haven't received anything yet.

 

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

Just now, Rigel said:

Thx. I haven't received anything yet.

 

then you're in good shape!!

[MeowMeow6]

do you mind sharing which school?

[Rigel]

13 minutes ago, leagleeaglecawcaw said:

then you're in good shape!!

Guessing no news is good news for now. Do you know if they sent ITCs and PFOs all in the same time?

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

6 minutes ago, Rigel said:

Guessing no news is good news for now. Do you know if they sent ITCs and PFOs all in the same time?

I think staggered, it wasn't like a click of a button and everyone got it at the same time

[grassfedcow0231]

Do they do them by school?

[Rigel]

20 minutes ago, grassfedcow0231 said:

Do they do them by school?

It's really a small recruitment, I don't think it would make sense for firms to do them by each school

[splitdecision]

3 hours ago, B_Stone said:

Just got an ITC email from Sherrard Kuzz LLP

Did you hear of PFOs as well?

[B_Stone]

15 minutes ago, splitdecision said:

Did you hear of PFOs as well?

I have not heard anything about PFOs

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

11 minutes ago, B_Stone said:

I have not heard anything about PFOs

None yet

[osgoode2323]

2 hours ago, leagleeaglecawcaw said:

yup, heard of PFOs too

dumb question, what does PFO mean? 

[leagleeaglecawcaw]

9 minutes ago, osgoode2323 said:

dumb question, what does PFO mean? 

please f*** off 🫠🫠🫠

[MeowMeow6]

any other ITCs/PFOs? Are firms just uncharacteristically late this year?