Another year, another recruit
Since the inception of Ultra Vires in 1999, we’ve reported on results of the annual Toronto recruit for 2L summer students. Similar to previous years, U of T Law ranks first for the percent of the 2L class hired through the recruit. Over 50 percent of the Class of 2023 secured a summer position in Toronto.
Of course, these numbers are not fully representative. Not all students participate in the recruit. At least 37 U of T Law students (around 15 percent of the 2L class) will be heading to New York this summer, as we reported in last month’s issue. Some students will be returning to their 1L employers. And for others, the recruit was never something they wished to partake in.
We recognize that the recruit is often framed as the be-all, end-all. Law students face immense pressure to find success through the recruit, with a Bay Street job considered to be the hallmark of a successful legal career.
We’re part of the problem. With every year we publish a recruit special, we reinforce the idea that the recruit is core to the law student experience. It’s not. Each year shows that we have students who did not land a job in the recruit and did just fine. They found work in academia, government, legal clinics, in-house departments, boutique firms, and yes, even back on Bay Street.
We made a conscious effort this year to solicit content from students who did not find employment through the formal recruit, deliberately or otherwise. In this special feature, you will find reflections from upper years who found jobs outside the recruit, why a student opted out entirely, and an article on alternative career paths including movement lawyering.
This is in addition to our annual recruit content: the long-awaited Toronto recruit numbers, anonymized feedback on the recruit from our students, demographic data, and more.
This recruit special would not be possible without the support of our entire UV Volume 23 team. Special thanks to Angela Feng (2L) and Hussein E. E. Fawzy (2L) for spearheading the recruit surveys and data crunching, and to Jennifer Sun (2L) for her gorgeous graphics and cover art. Thank you also to the employers that responded to our requests and showed their support for law student journalism. Finally, thank you to all the students who participated in our data collection—thank you for your honesty and reliving what we know is a tiring and stressful process. No matter the outcome, we’re so proud of you.
