‘Tis the Recruit Season
In this Recruit Special, you’ll find the 2025 2L summer recruit numbers for Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, as well as numbers for the 2025 1L/2L summer Ottawa intellectual property recruit. Like last year’s special, this edition also includes more detailed information from 2L U of T students who participated in the Toronto recruit, including demographic details and their own comments on the process.
Year after year, UV publishes this data to bring transparency to a process that otherwise seems elusive, and even random. We take pride in the fact that UV has provided reliable information—information that is a source of reassurance and guidance—to prospective and current students across the country.
However, we recognize that these numbers can also be a source of immense stress for students. The annual recruit special reinforces the idea that the recruit is an all-important event for law students. That is not our intention whatsoever.
In order to bridge the gap in data regarding positions outside of the formal recruit processes, UV intends to expand its data collection to statistics from U of T’s Law School’s Summer Employment Program.
And the recruit process, unlike what it may feel like, is not the be-all, end-all. There are incredible opportunities outside of the recruit process, through which students in the years before yourselves have found positions that align with their passions and interests. These positions are wide-ranging, including academia, in-house, government, boutique firms, public interest organizations, legal clinics, and many more. We encourage you to speak to the Career Development Office for support in finding the right fit for you.
In both this issue and the October issue, we have featured students’ perspectives on the recruit process, serious and satire. We recommend reading about Carson Cook (3L) and Alicia Corbiere’s (2L) summer internships at Rama First Nation. For another perspective on the recruit process as a whole, we recommend Jonathan Ku’s (2L) article on “Rethinking the 2L Recruit”.
But most of all, we encourage everyone who participated in the recruit process(es) to prioritize yourself. The recruit is a difficult process with unique pressures and expectations. You are expected to juggle academics and extracurriculars on top of a mentally and socially draining process. In the midst of this chaos, it can be easy to lose sight of your well-being. Many students experience burnout and other mental health challenges.
Should you need mental health support, access resources available to you at both the law school and the University. We have included a list of resources below. Manager of Mental Health and Wellness Chantelle Brown-Kent is available to meet with students. In addition, you are welcome to book an appointment with Elizabeth Montgomery, the On-location Counsellor, by calling Health and Wellness at 416.978.8030 and selecting option ‘5’.
Last, but certainly not least, we extend our sincere gratitude and congratulations to our Volume 26 team for all of their work making this issue a reality. In particular, thank you to our Recruit Editor, Rosemary Fang (2L), and our Recruit Reporters, Alice Min (3L), Celine Tsang (2L), and Jane Byun (2L), for their tireless work over the past many months. We would also like to thank our Staff Photographer, Kabir Singh Dhillon (2L), for his incredible work on the cover page. A special thank you to all the employers that responded to our requests and, in doing so, contributed to the accuracy of this special and the transparency of the overall recruit process. We are certain that current and future law students across the country will significantly benefit from this feature.
It bears repeating that the recruit does not indicate your worth as a law student or as a person. And although it may not feel like this right now, it is a passing moment.
Mental Health Resources:
- Supporting a student in distress: studentlife.utoronto.ca/service/faculty-support-for-responding-to-distressed-students/
- U of T MySSP is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone, video, or chat in multiple languages
Students can contact:
- The Health and Wellness Centre (M–F, 9am to 4:30pm): 416-978-8030, or visit the Student Mental Health Portal online
- CAMH 24/7 Psychiatric Emergency Department: 1051 Queen St. W, or call 416-535-8501
- Talk Suicide Canada helpline: 1-833-456-4566
- See also: ontario.cmha.ca/documents/are-you-in-crisis/ or camh.ca/en/suicide-prevention/get-help