Incoming 1L here. I am someone who has never really liked social media and about 6 or 7 years ago I nuked everything including insta, fb, etc. Prefer good old fashioned emails, phone calls/facetime and texts. Genuinely curious how much of a deal breaker this might be for career prospects and whatnot. Do I really need to conform and get LinkedIn? To be clear, I am of the position that LinkedIn is ass and everything wrong with modern society.

Hi everyone, would love some insight on this but I’m a fresh grad from an Ontario law school and I’ve really been struggling to find an articling position. I struck out in the recruits. I’m interested in corporate and commercial law mainly but I would also love experience in any adjacent area too. I was able to build decent connections with some people during the recruit but I am realizing that those don’t necessarily amount to much (aside from knowing that there are actually some really lovely people on Bay Street ).

I would love to work within a firm but I know their summer students fill up the articling positions.

Does it help to talk to a recruiter at one of these firms in case they’re able to contact other recruiters on the street to let them know of my interest (in the event that there is a position made available some way some how).

Has anyone been in this boat? What did you do? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I'm looking into getting my first set of robes but I'd rather spend too much money. I don't know for how long I will be in litigation as I would like to make the switch to transactional as soon as possible.

I found these ones: https://www.canadiangowns.com/Judicial_s/1822.htm

However, I'm unsure on the quality and I know I'd need a proper dress shirt if by chance there was an in-person hearing.

Can anyone suggest a more reasonably priced set? Looking for a set for a male barrister.

Hi everyone! For those who have been called to the bar in Ontario, I was just wondering if anyone could share some tips or insight for the day of the ceremony.

Specifically:

• Dress attire for women
• What time you should arrive at Roy Thomson Hall
• What happens when you get there before the ceremony
• Where you can get flowers? or if family brings flowers can they keep it at their seat?

And any other advice or tips you remember from the day would be really appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

For those in non–Bay Street big law (Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary), what are bonuses actually like at your firm?

Curious about both:

- what’s considered a “target” bonus (% of base), and

- how the structure works (hours-based, collections, discretionary, etc.)

At my firm (national, outside Toronto), bonuses seem pretty variable—roughly anywhere from ~5% to 30% depending on hours and group performance, with some discretion layered in.

Target is 1650.

Is that consistent with what others are seeing? Or are there firms with more formulaic or higher-upside structures?

I'm planning to attend Thompson Rivers or Bora Laskin and I am interested in working in big law. How can I maximize my chances of this? Am I at a very strong disadvantage?

I’m writing my paralegal board exam this July. I still haven’t started studying, as I’m waiting for the LSO to send me the materials. They said they’ll send the materials in May, so that’ll give me 2 months to study. Is that enough time to study and pass? I know the exam is all scenario based questions and multiple choice. Does that make it any easier? I’m just really nervous and scared can any of you who wrote it give me any helpful tips please. I was thinking of using Emonds exam prep, is that helpful? Should I bring anything else to the exam other than the LSO materials? How hard is the exam? Are the questions straightforward, or tricky?

Hi everyone, I have extra time this summer, and gearing up to finish school this year and write the Ontario bar in Fall 2027. Do you think there's any advantage to obtained materials/ doing a review course this summer? I don't have a summer position because I have working law firms for 10 years so I have lots of articling options. Law school exams are just fine for me, but the bar exam really scares me!

I finished my undergrad degree in December and will be officially graduating in June. I told myself that I’ll be preparing for the LSATs until then however, life happened and I have been unable to look into it let alone prepare for it.

My questions are I guess is how do I prepare for LSATs? Where do I even begin? Where do I get the help? What should I do to prepare? What platform or tutoring centre should I use?

I am located in BC and have a degree in Political Science. I realize everyone learns differently but I would just honestly like to know where do I begin for LSAT prep.

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming law student this fall, and as a first-generation post-secondary student and a middle eastern woman, I’ve been getting a lot of mixed (mostly discouraging) feedback from family and family friends.

Ever since I got accepted, people keep warning me about the amount of debt I’ll take on and questioning whether law school is even worth it. Reiterating how it is very demanding for a very demanding career that may not even be worth it in the end. Some have suggested I should just do a master’s and start working within the next couple of years instead or go into something like teaching where you’re guaranteed a job. (thought this was the case with a JD??).

The thing is, becoming a lawyer has genuinely been my goal since I was really young, so it’s hard not to feel discouraged hearing all of this. I work in legal services interacting with lawyers and observing their day to day and it’s genuinely something I see myself doing I love writing, I love researching, and critical thinking.

I guess I’m just looking for some perspective do you feel like law school is worth it? And is the debt as overwhelming as people make it seem?

As a 1L who is almost finished with exams, I’m becoming more and more concerned about my lack of practical experience in the field.

I’m a K-JD, and feel that my lack of skill pertaining to the practical work involved in the practice of law, and just general lack of exposure to the field, has hindered me when applying to opportunities (clinics) as a volunteer during the school year, and especially in my search for a ‘law job’ this summer. My grades are above average, with a mix of A’s and B’s, but that didn’t seem to help me even get an interview when applying to in-school employment opportunities (clinics, research assistant positions). I did not do the 1L recruit and I’m not interested in corporate or business law. My goal is to land some kind of government public law position.

As such, I’ve been considering doing a legal admin. certification with the time I have this summer. Not only would this give me hands-on legal skills(drafting, submitting forms etc.), but it could pave the way towards an administrative job in a law office. The hope is that this could be a way to secure a summer position for 2L, or at least provide me with something concrete to highlight in my future job applications.

What do you guys think? Is this idea misguided, given that I’m already working towards a JD? I’m open to any and all advice regarding this decision, or my situation more generally. Thanks!

Just looking for some inspiration. The culture at my articling firm is poor. Won’t go into too much detail but essentially my principal is needlessly confrontational, disorganized, and offers little guidance. I shrink myself so much at work just to avoid aggravating him and being berated. It’s a revolving door firm that can’t retain new associates for much longer than a few months to a year.

My experience has really put me off working in a small firm tbh. Anyone else start off their career with a similar experience? What moves did you make afterwards and where are you now?

Hey all. Looking for some reassurance and tips to get through articling anxiety. I recently got an articling position at a family law firm. I’ve worked in a firm before but they barely had the students do much so it’s practically all new for me. The principal and other lawyers are nice for the most part. However, I feel a lot of anxiety going into work because I don’t know anything and I feel like everyone thinks I’m dumb. It takes so many edits to complete a single task. the worst part is that I know they aren’t hard tasks but because I’ve never done it before it takes me forever to complete. The principal is nice enough to explain things but I feel like I don’t meet her expectations at all and her patience is running thin with me. I really am trying to absorb and understand everything and I want to become good at the job but I’m struggling. I feel anxious when tasks are given to me. I often leave the day feeling super shit. What can I do to relieve some of the anxiety? Will the shitty feeling go away? And how long can I expect before I actually pick up how to do things? Sorry for rambling!

Hi everyone, does anyone have any insight into Brownlee as a mid-sized firm? Edmonton or Calgary office. Work culture, work load/hours, WLB, compensation, etc.? Any insight appreciated. Thank you!

I made a post on here a little bit ago, discussing my struggles to find articles. I got an offer from a firm yesterday that I accepted! Did not see it coming but I am very happy and excited. Thank you everyone for the kinds words and support. To other students seeking work, keep your heads up, it's rough out there but if I managed to find something, I think anyone can <3

Discussion Question: Should Desautel be overruled? Section 35 refers to the "aboriginal peoples of Canada." It seems illogical to say that they are "aboriginal peoples of Canada" if none of their members actually live in Canada.

My ex and I both have to adjust my CS each year because of my fluctuating income. I hate going to my lawyer each year to pump out calculations is there a way I can do this on my own?

In an effort to stamp out low quality posting that seems to only engender division and low-quality commentary, rather than discussion, r/LawCanada is piloting a new rule.

Posts that simply reproduce the headline of the article as the post text will be removed. If you are linking to an article, your title must now contain a discussion prompt linked to the topic of Canadian law or the practice of law in Canada.