Jobs after Articling

[sarcasticlemon]

I want to be as prepared as possible for the possibility that I won’t be hired back. I was wondering, for those who either left their articling firm or were not hired back: 

1. How long did it take you to find a first year position?

2. How did you find that position?

3. What advice do you have now and after articling to prepare for the job search?

4. If you worked while unemployed, what did you do? 

[Turtles]

Many opt out because they line something up in advance of hireback decisions. Many who are disappointed at hireback line something up within literal days, particularly if contacts within the firm are ready, willing, and able to help advocate for them to land at other places that need bodies. Some may take time to find something themselves, and sometimes that may be fast or take up to a year. It really depends on your competitiveness as a candidate and your network, and how much your network wants to go to bat for you. There's a difference between a solid candidate who is well-liked but was passed over because the firm's practice areas don't align with the candidate's interests, versus a candidate who is passed over because they are a massive liability: who would put their name behind helping out the latter?  

The one-off anecdotes you get won't be particularly helpful, especially if you don't know where you stand vis-a-vis the person from the anecdote.

[LMP]

I'll add that it matters where you weren't hired back. Not getting hired back at a leading firm leaves you with more options than someone who wasn't hired back at an unknown two lawyer shop. 

Though as was said above it can really boil down to who you have advocating for you and how strong an applicant you were in the first place. 

[CTOlaw]

What about switching practice areas post-articling? Going from regulatory work in articling to corporate transactional work at big law?

Edited December 17, 2024 by CTOlaw

[halamadrid]

I know that I won't be getting hired back, when is a good time to start looking? And I mean actively applying/cold calling firms?

[SNAILS]

 I think many of us articling students are in the same boat. We are all roughly half done our articles with 3-5 months to go before our contracts end. Some of us have already been told with certainty we'll be hired back. Gratz; awesome to be you. 🥳🎉

Others have been told that we may be hired back depending on certain factors (If Mr. X doesn't want to renew, you can have his job; otherwise we have a spot in the next city over provided upper management approves it, etc.).

Some of us have been told we are not getting hired back either do to lack of an opening or lack of job performance. 💩 

On 12/17/2024 at 5:46 PM, halamadrid said:

I know that I won't be getting hired back, when is a good time to start looking? And I mean actively applying/cold calling firms?

"Soft Networking"

I'd say to get some connections now even with 3-5 months left in your articles. I literally have an agreement with another lawyer that if I don't get a hire back then we can talk. Of course this is shaky as hell, since his position is that if he does not hire anyone else before I am ready to commit, we can talk. This kind of thing is easier in a smaller area with a tightly knit bar, and I assume it would be very hard in the GTA or in a larger market.

"Hard Applications."

I'd say, first figure out if you are willing to be unemployed after articles while you look for work. I am not. 

If you don't get called for 3-5 months, it's hard to apply for jobs that firms likely want to fill within 1-2 months. This is doubly true where the firm wants a junior lawyer and you will not be a lawyer for another 3-5 months.

I'd suggest looking hard 2 months before your call to the bar and locking into a job offer. It might even be a good negotiating tool to be able to approach your firm and say "I am hoping for a hire back, but I have an offer from Random and Random LLP if not."

[SNAILS]

On 12/16/2024 at 11:14 AM, sarcasticlemon said:

I want to be as prepared as possible for the possibility that I won’t be hired back. I was wondering, for those who either left their articling firm or were not hired back: 

1. How long did it take you to find a first year position?

2. How did you find that position?

3. What advice do you have now and after articling to prepare for the job search?

4. If you worked while unemployed, what did you do? 

I know this is more of a question for lawyers who were not hired back and were hired elsewhere. However...

1. I got a job offer elsewhere even while articling and not knowing if I'd get a hire back (in particular, a hire back in the same city where I live)
2. Networking
3. Cold email firms; ask around about who might be hiring with a particular focus on your preferred city/practice area
4. N/A (If it came down to it, work as a law clerk?)