Fifty-five first-years obtained employment through the 1L Recruit, down from last year
Toronto 1L Recruit
This year’s official Toronto 1L Recruit provided summer jobs for 55 1L students, down from the 66 hires in 2019. Of the 55 total positions, 21 went to students from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (a whopping 42 percent, up from 35 percent in 2019 and 40 percent in 2018). Of those 23 successful U of T contenders, 18 were from the JD program and the remaining five were from the dual JD/MBA program.
Twelve employers participated in the 1L Recruit this year, compared to 14 in 2019. Of those participating, most displayed a small (but noticeable) decline in job positions — Aird & Berlis LLP and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP both hired one less student than in 2019. Dentons Canada LLP hired two less, while other firms that usually hire through the 1L Recruit, including Torys LLP and Zarek Taylor Grossman Hanrahan LLP, opted to not hire any 1Ls altogether.
Out of the 12 employers who participated in the 2020 Recruit, ten responded to our inquiries. With respect to the two firms that did not provide their statistics, Ridout & Maybee LLP hired one student last year and Smart & Biggar LLP did not participate in the 2019 Toronto 1L Recruit.
Note that JD numbers in the below chart include non-JD/MBA joint-degree candidates.
Faculty of Law Internal Recruit
The Career Development Office estimated that 51 1Ls obtained employment through the Law School Summer Employment Program (LSSEP). Students who secured jobs through the LSSEP spent their summers working in places such as Downtown Legal Services, the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, the Faculty of Law itself, Future of Law/Blue J Legal Fellowship, and the International Human Rights Program.
In response to the effects of COVID-19 on the job market, the Faculty announced in April 2020 the creation of an additional pool of positions for 3-week summer Research Assistantships. Of the 63 students who were placed in the Research Assistant program, 40 were 1Ls.
Read last year’s 1L Recruitment Results here.
Editor’s Note: This piece was edited on September 29, 2021 to reflect Bereskin & Parr’s response to our inquiry.
