University of Ottawa takes back the lead
The Ottawa intellectual property (IP) recruit concluded on Thursday, October 26, 2023, with at least 24 students hired. Seven firms participated, recruiting both 1L and 2L students. Six of those firms shared their results with Ultra Vires (UV).
As in previous years, the Ottawa IP recruit focused on hiring 1L students, hiring 16 students from 1L and 8 students from 2L.
Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP hired the most students this year, with nine in total, an increase from last year’s six hires. Smart & Biggar LLP came in second with five students hired.
In terms of school rankings, the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) had the most students hired from the Ottawa IP recruit, followed by U of T and Queen’s. Eight uOttawa students were hired, representing one-third of the offers made this year. This confirms that last year’s recruit, where there were zero students hired from uOttawa, was an anomaly.
This year, UV asked the number of applications each employer received and the number of interviews employers conducted. In an effort towards more transparency and informed decision-making, we hope this additional information will provide students with a clearer picture on how the recruit process works.
As in previous years, UV asked firms to share the total number of students hired with a graduate degree and the total number of students hired with a background in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM). There is a common belief that these qualifications can help students enter the IP law sphere. Although the sample size is too small to draw significant conclusions, of the 24 students hired, 22 had STEM backgrounds, and six had graduate degrees. While the reported number of six students is unusually small for the number of students hired with a graduate degree, it is likely not indicative of the actual number of students hired with a graduate degree since Gowling decided not to disclose this information this year.
Editor’s Note: Visit ultravires.ca for the most updated spreadsheets with information provided by employers after the time of publication.
