Twenty students flock south
Honghu Wang (2L)*
This year, twenty eager students from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law are heading down to New York, where they will be introduced to Big Law, and be wined and dined, by some of the top law firms in the United States (see chart). Eight are JD/MBA students.
| Firm | No. of Students Hired |
| Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP | 1 |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP | 3 |
| Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP | 1 |
| Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP | 3 |
| Shearman & Sterling LLP | 2 |
| Sidley Austin LLP | 1 |
| Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | 1 |
| Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates | 1 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell LLP | 2 |
| Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP | 1 |
| White & Case LLP | 4 |
| Total | 20 |
For comparison, sources who have worked in New York this past summer estimate their numbers between twenty-five and thirty, and the year before at about twenty (Ultra Vires did not report on the New York recruit in recent years).
Ultra Vires also polled those students headed down to the Big Apple on the number of Hs they received in their first year. Thirteen of them responded: the average number of Hs is 7.7, with a range of 4 to 11. These figures are self-reported, so the usual caveats apply. (UV counts one HH as two Hs and one P as zero Hs.)
While those who secured jobs in New York tended to do well in school, not all those who did well chose New York. At least one student, who declined to be named, reported receiving thirteen Hs while opting out of the New York recruit entirely.
For that student, family and a better work-life balance in Toronto were deciding factors. New York associates are often expected to bill more than 2,000 hours a year, with some firms expecting 2,400 or more. Bay Street firms, by contrast, expect closer to 1,800 hours. For that individual, Toronto seemed, at least for the time being, the better destination.
For others, the allure of New York proved irresistible. Starting salaries there recently increased to 190,000 USD, the equivalent of $246,000. In Toronto, articling salaries have not moved since 2007. It remains at $75,000.
Money was not the only motivating factor, though. Olivia Hodson (2L) said, “professionally, New York is arguably the most challenging and intense legal market you can find and for me that was appealing… it leaves you with great exit options in the long term. Living in New York is probably a super cool experience and having the opportunity to live there is hard to pass on.”
The New York recruitment process also proved straightforward in comparison to the Toronto process. After on-campus interviews (which were not on campus), firms invited compelling candidates down for a day of in-firm interviews. Successful candidates then had twenty-eight days to make a decision; many firms encouraged students to return to their offices to meet more lawyers.
Harrison Perry-Daiter (2L) thought the twenty-eight day decision period allowed him to make an informed decision.
He also commented, “our alumni network was a real standout… I had tons of insightful conversations leading into in-firms and OCIs. It was nice to see our brand and network have some carry.”
This piece was updated on October 20, 2018.
*The writer participated in the New York recruit.