Students share their experiences
As part of Ultra Vires’ annual recruit survey, we asked the Class of 2026 to participate in a survey about their general thoughts and experiences regarding the Toronto 2L recruit. Selected responses to those survey questions were edited for clarity, anonymized, and reproduced below.
THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Respondents gave an average of 4.2 out of 5 when rating how helpful they found the CDO in preparing them for the recruitment process. Most respondents consulted with Theresa Chan, followed by a similar amount with Aglaia Lowo and Lindsay McKay. Generally, respondents reported that having calls with the CDO was helpful during the in-firm week, and that they were great at checking up on them. However, some respondents wanted more critical feedback on their materials and better support for non-Bay Street jobs.
Do you have any comments on the CDO’s services for the recruitment process (regardless of whether you participated)?
The CDO was helpful:
Theresa, Aglaia and Lindsay were all helpful in preparing for interviews. I found Theresa’s feedback regarding my cover letter and resume to be particularly useful and felt like her input helped in creating a much stronger application.
Incredibly helpful and supportive. I had cancer this summer and Theresa especially checked in with me often.
I spoke with Theresa on Thursday when I received no ITCs for the upcoming Tuesday call day. On Wednesday after call day, she remembered and reached out to me to check in. It was really nice of her to remember and check in.
Extremely helpful, especially for getting used to being interviewed by different people.
The CDO was very helpful in preparing the applications – i.e., writing cover letters. I didn’t find the CDO quite as helpful for interview prep. But during in-firm week, being able to call Theresa and get her advice was amazing.
The CDO was incredibly helpful and supportive throughout the entire process. Theresa, Aglaia, and Lindsay all offered insightful and constructive advice that made the recruit so much easier to navigate.
There’s room for improvement:
I felt it was helpful at the time but looking back I wish they had managed expectations more or been more critical. I didn’t really get any interviews despite getting positive feedback from the CDO and I wish they had seen my materials more like employers did.
Could use more appointments.
It was confusing to get conflicting information sometimes, depending on which CDO member I was consulting.
They can be a little more critical with cover letters!
The CDO is less helpful for non-corporate jobs:
The CDO is helpful but it’s clear that they’re looking out for the school’s reputation so their advice might not always promote the student’s best interest.
Support on preparing for government positions was not as strong as for private practice (ex. information on what to expect, what they are looking for/prefer etc was not as up to date or robust, albeit understandably so), but otherwise very helpful and supportive.
I thought Aglaia was very kind and helpful in meeting with me and helping me review cover letters and resumes. However, I wished that the CDO had more expertise for people looking for jobs outside big-law; they did not seem to be knowledgeable about how interviews for criminal law firms worked at all.
Would be helpful for the CDO to provide more tailored advice and resources to students who are not interested in corporate law.
I am happy that they focused their services on Bay St. Their time is zero-sum and the majority of UofT law students do end up on Bay St — it only makes sense that they allocated their resources accordingly.
Yet, was it better this year for union-side L&E? Students shared mixed opinions:
Keep up the great work with helping people in union side L&E. I think things went in a great direction this year and were improved upon from last year. I’d say continue to find ways to support students in the lead up as there are some parts to it that are quite unique and had to be explained to me (ex. no dinners and receptions but the expectation to ask for follow up coffee-chats with lawyers at firms you’re interested in).
The advice given by CDO is generally not applicable for union-side labour firms. They know bay street firms very well but many legal careers do not follow that trajectory.
NETWORKING
100% of respondents engaged in some form of networking before applications were due. Coffee-chats were the most common form of networking. Firm tours (virtual and in-person), and open houses were also popular. Of those who networked, 76% of respondents said they networked with the employer from which they accepted an offer.
Some respondents found networking helpful, especially for determining firm culture and fit. However, there were mixed responses on whether it was helpful for receiving offers.
Do you have any comments on networking?
Helpful for everything:
Super helpful – especially as a student who landed a job with all Ps!
More useful than I thought it would be. Also less intimidating once you do it a couple times.
I got OCI’s with almost every firm I networked with, and I only got an OCI from one firm that I didn’t network with. For me, I think networking was make-or-break and I am extremely glad I did as much networking as I did before applying.
As a student with fairly average grades, I think networking made a huge difference! I coffee-chatted at least 3 people from my top 10 firms. I would focus on coffee-chatting people that you have a genuine interest in though, as I think quality over quantity of the conversations matter as well. I don’t believe there is a huge difference in coffee-chatting lawyers/partners compared to students, with the exception of the recruiter or members of the student committee. Lastly, it’s good to start earlier rather than later (e.g. beginning of the summer)!
For the big top firms, the coffee-chats I did before applying (to name drop on my cover letter) were not overly helpful for actually getting an OCI. I think without the grades, it is difficult even if you network extensively. But – if you do get an OCI and an in-firm, I found it beneficial to then mention people that I had spoke during the summer (shows them you have an interest).
Helpful for deciding but doesn’t really help you get a job:
It helps to be able to distinguish a firm and maybe helps in creating a somewhat stronger cover letter – I do not think it makes or breaks an application. I think it is much more useful to speak to students (summer and articling) and newer associates who have more experience with the student program.
Found it helpful to learn about firms but not sure it did anything to help me get interviews.
I think it is nominally helpful in securing OCIs/in-firms but very helpful in determining what firm you ultimately want to work at. I can’t imagine making a decision strictly based on the 2.5 days of interviews.
More helpful than I expected! Sometimes firm websites can give a misleading picture of what practice areas the firm deals with on a day-to-day basis.
Networking multiple times with several firms helped me create a shortlist of firms to apply to. I could tell from networking alone that I wouldn’t have enjoyed working at certain firms. I didn’t apply to those and it simplified the process for me so that I could focus on the firms I actually could see myself in.
Found it helpful, mostly for cover letter tailoring and vibe-assessing.
It was really valuable to develop genuine personal connections with students and young associates. It helped me get a sense of what I was looking for in a job.
Unsure how useful it was as a marker of interest, but it did help me get a better understanding of the firms and how to tailor my application.
Not helpful:
Did not network a lot; received offers from firms with whom I did not network.
Did not network with my firm as much as I did with other firms where I did not secure an offer.
I think it’s highly overrated. Seems like my successes and failures had truly nothing to do with which firms I actually networked with.
It did not mean anything at all and now feels like it was a giant waste of time. Kinda like the recruit.
Not as helpful as I anticipated. I received OCIs from many employers I did not network with and I received an offer from a firm I did not network with.
Got offers from places that I did not network, it definitely doesn’t seem necessary but could be helpful.
Other comments:
Just network enough that you can actually say why you’d want to go to a firm with some credibility. No need to overdo it.
Networking is really only good for name-dropping on a cover letter (if they even really care anymore) and only for boutique firms.
Important to be genuine and candid when asking questions and showing interest.
I networked quite a bit, but it was really about quality over quantity; had the best responses from places I networked with once but had a really meaningful conversation. Whether or not said conversation was in person or not seemed immaterial.
EVENTS DURING IN-FIRM WEEK
Do you have any comments on the events?
Helpful to see firm’s culture:
While the events were tiring, I think they were very helpful in seeing how people interacted with their colleagues which was important to me in picking which firm I wanted to ‘first-choice.’
I found events a good way to gauge firm culture and how interested firms were in me.
Going to events helped me decide where I did not want to work but I don’t think it significantly affected their consideration of me.
Receptions with lots of people were a lot more helpful for getting a sense of the culture than dinners.
Need to go to show interest:
I did hear a large full-service firm say outright, “we don’t care as much if you put your interview on the second day, especially if you’re a competitive candidate, but you have to go to our dinner or we will think you do not want an offer from us.” This was at a workshop, so not specific to me.
Attendance matters as a show of interest and a chance to network.
Don’t NEED to go:
Some firms may read into your absence more than others. However, I think showing interest by asking to meet more people and doing well in interviews can often be enough to override this concern. Would highly recommend consulting upper years to get a better idea of how a particular firm views attendance at these events.
I spent the full time at a reception at Firm 1 on day 1. I spent the full time at a reception at Firm 2 on day 2. I did not reject or cancel any events I was invited to. Neither firm gave me an offer.
Don’t like them:
I wish dinners did not exist — awkward asf.
At dinner, a student that I was seated with bonded with a partner based on the fact that the said partner and the student’s family friend had worked at the same firm. As a first-generation, racialized law student, I had nothing to contribute to this conversation and felt like an outsider throughout the entire meal.
Generally, I felt like meals only added stress to the students and were not an effective way of evaluating the candidates at all (even though I know nothing about how firms evaluate the students).
UNCOMFORTABLE ENCOUNTERS
When asked about any uncomfortable encounters they had during in-firm week, around 20% of respondents felt uncomfortable or were asked inappropriate questions during their interview(s). 9% of respondents preferred not to disclose.
Pressure to use first-choice language:
All but one (the one I accepted) wanted me to first-choice on day 1, with two employers virtually forcing me to tell them the other firms I was interviewing at, which led them to explain why those other firms were worse than their firm.
Pushing for first-choice.
At one firm I was very aggressively pressured to give first-choice or at least tell the firm where they stood. It was extremely uncomfortable.
Asked about other interviews:
Not inappropriate, but I was uncomfortable at how direct some firms were with asking me where my head was at. This was the first thing I was asked in my first interview at one firm.
I had several incidents. Two firms pressured me to tell them about other firms I was interviewing with. When I declined, they both “guessed” which firms I was interviewing at and then started bad-mouthing those firms.
Racism/Discrimination:
One of my interviewers at a full-service firm made a bigoted comment about a marginalized group of people.
I also had several uncomfortable moments where law firms knew that they couldn’t ask me about my citizenship, but toed the line where they tried to get me to comment on it several times.
Culture did not seem inclusive of racialized folks.
At a certain seven-sister firm, I was only interviewed by white lawyers throughout the entire process, which made me quite uncomfortable. Really made me wonder if they were actually committed to promoting collaborative and diverse culture as they make it out to be.
Other:
A manager partner said he received a 170 on the LSAT and asked about my LSAT score. He also asked whether there were many athletes in my major because my major is considered an easy major.
For all my government interviews, questions were posed regarding the ability to manage a personal or ethical conflict with the office’s work, where the interviewers heavily implied that students must not express their views or allow them to affect their work in any way.
Some interviewers were clearly unprepared. As a result, we weren’t able to connect or have an engaging conversation. The interview consisted of a couple of generic questions and ended hastily. The firm appeared to be disorganized and unprofessional.
ADVICE, WISHES, AND MORE
When asked about their decision-making process, 42% of the respondents said their first-choice employer changed throughout the recruitment process. Out of these respondents, 15% said their first-choice employer changed during OCI’s, 12% said between OCI’s and in-firms, 61% said during in-firms, and 12% said they changed their minds throughout the entire process.
What advice would you give to someone participating in the process next year?
Keep an Open Mind:
Keep an open mind, don’t get too set on one firm, and go into the process objectively with the end goal of getting to know the firms as best as possible.
Do things early:
Start networking and preparing your applications early (mid to end of May), apply broadly, and do as many OCIs as you can. OCIs go by quickly and don’t require a lot of physical energy, so I think it’s smart to leave as many options as possible open when you are still early in the process.
Focus on yourself, start early, and put 120% into the preparation so you have no regrets. Memorize the names and practice areas of everybody you’re interviewing with.
Know what you want:
Really think hard about what sort of places you might want to work at before the application phase. Don’t get caught up in feeling like you have to apply very broadly just because you want any job. The interview week is intense and it won’t serve you well to be spending time with employers you won’t have actually want to work for.
Have fun; know exactly what you want; have a story to tell about yourself; don’t be afraid to ask prodding, hard hitting questions if you have those concerns!
Schedule time to THINK and PROCESS. You will need to start making decisions quickly, and that is hard to do if you have no time to think between 8am-11pm (when dinner ends).
You can’t control everything:
Don’t let interviews take over your life. Prepare, but let yourself relax as well. There’s only so much we can actually control about this process.
Do your research but be yourself. At the end of the day, an interview is just a conversation.
On using first-choice language:
Navigate how to maneuver around not giving first-choice but still making them happy.
first-choice is powerful, so use it. But, you need to continue to give others firms lots of attention too.
if they do interviews on day 3, Tuesday night is likely too late to first-choice them (if you want to guarantee an interview).
If you have average grades and come across as slightly awkward or slightly neurodivergent, then apply to the government as a backup because their interviews are substantive, so you won’t lose points for being yourself.
Be true to yourself:
Be honest with yourself and where you are comfortable. It is not worth working at a place that makes you feel uncomfortable for any reason. If they can’t put on a good face for recruit week, you probably don’t want to see what they are like the rest of the time.
Being yourself in interviews is more valuable than getting out “the most important points of your resume”.
Trust yourself and know that while this is an important moment in your career, it’s not the end. It’s very likely this will not be the last place you ever work, so focus on finding a place that you think will be a good starting point for your career.
Really reflect on yourself and what YOU want. Don’t try to jump through each firm’s hoops.
Don’t be afraid to make decisions that cut down your options if there are firms that you really like. For example, accepting fewer in-firm interviews means that you can focus your energy on the firms that you can actually see yourself being in and, in my situation, that worked out to receiving two offers from firms that I was very interested in, including my first-choice firm.
Trust your instincts, do what’s best for you not necessarily what everyone else is doing. you don’t need to work at a full-service firm.
Understand that there are factors that are far beyond your control – you can do everything “right” and still be left with no offers. Anyone who thinks that luck does not play a role in the recruit is lying.
You are at a severe disadvantage if you don’t look and act like the majority of their lawyers – firms may care a bit about EDI, but they care more about the “fit” (whatever that means).
Interview only at places you are actually interested in.
Other:
Don’t apply to 70 employers like I did, completely unnecessary and a massive waste of time.
Try and enjoy it! Pack snacks, water, and coffee so you don’t have to spend time waiting to buy things.
Play the game. It is a dumb game, but you need to play it.
Grades are king.
It’s possible to land with all Ps if you interview well, prepare well, and make your paper materials as amazing as possible.
Read between the lines! You’re interviewing the firm as much as they’re interviewing you! An interviewer may say that they have a supportive, non-hierarchical culture, but then host a tour where they introduce every lawyer who walks by while never introducing the three legal assistants standing a foot away.
Get a 1L job lmao. Also, I really think success was correlated with my ability to be a good conversationalist during interviews and social events. You can prepare all you want, but I decided to only lightly prep for in-firms and instead relied on being extroverted and happy to talk. If you have that skill, rely on it. If you don’t, start fostering it now.
Mock interviews are SO valuable; they help you sound more natural if you prepared a lot.
Take a swig of whisky and hang on.
The actual interviewing is the easiest part, it’s all the “courtship ritual” outside stuff that makes it exhausting/challenging/overwhelming. Once you get in the room it will be fine, then you just get to meet a bunch of cool people.
Try to really connect with at least one person at the firms you’re interviewing at. You ultimately want a strong advocate in your corner, and finding that person pre-recruit or during the recruit will make the process easier. I found that people I had pleasant interactions with pre-recruit via coffee-chats or networking events were a welcome presence during the interview process.
What did you not want your interviewers to know about you?
Personal identity:
(For most) my Islamic faith.
My lack of business background.
My political beliefs.
That I support Palestine.
I didn’t really want to talk about my sexuality. They all knew about it because it was something reflected on my resume through my affiliation with certain organizations, but I also did not want it to be something at the center of my interviews, or something that changed in any way the likelihood of me receiving an offer or not.
My genuine interest in social justice and progressive lawyering. I also wanted them to know who I was holistically so I could feel accepted in the firm.
Other options:
The fact that I was strategically telling different employers I was interested in different practice areas depending on the firm’s main areas of practice.
Interviewing with both full service firms, and public interest boutiques.
That I was only pretending to be interested in transactional work. I truly only want to do litigation.
Other:
I had no intentions of staying long-term at certain firms.
That I was giving them first choice late on day 3 because I had just gotten cut by the firm I first choiced the morning of day 2!
N/A – I wanted to be transparent.
What, if anything, would you change about the recruitment process?
Call day:
Call day makes no sense. Employers’ intentions re: interviews should be released at the same time on the portal or through CDOs, and scheduling should happen online or via email. The trickle-in of ITCs over a week was also not fun.
Call day could be done through a portal.
Using an online system to schedule interviews instead of “call day” would reduce the length of the recruitment process.
Call day was very chaotic. I wish it was like the LSSEP process, where you indicate your firm preferences, and the CDO assigns you slots. A few of my top choices couldn’t get through to me on call day (because my lower choices called first), so I ended up having to interview with my top choices at later times/day 2.
Timing:
I would have the recruit process be over a shorter timeline (e.g. over the summer like the New York recruit) because it felt like an additional weight on my shoulder for almost 5 months, distracting me from everything else.
The very long process of getting to in-firms, and then the very quick nature of in-firms and the oppressiveness of first-choice language.
Employers should be allowed to issue offers whenever they’d like.
The in-firm process was exhausting. At the same time, getting to meet so many people over the three days helped me make my decision. Finding a way to meet a high volume of people while making the days shorter would be ideal.
The fact that it’s only 3 days, and the use of first-choice language.
I think interviews on interview week should be regulated with no second or third interviews allowed and no dinners or receptions. The whole process is too involved and stressful and, I think spending the amount of time you’re expected to spend with these firms is unnecessary.
Blackout period on Day 2 or some other way to give students time to reflect on who they should give “first-choice” to.
First-choice language:
Getting rid of first-choice language entirely would put less pressure on students and allow for more informed decision making. Recruitment is three days— students shouldn’t have to essentially commit themselves to a firm on the first/second day.
It should be as meritocratic as possible, and first-choice language should disqualify you. However, firms should be able to tell you if you’ll be getting an offer, and be disciplined if they say this and then don’t extend it. The opaque nature of the conversation surrounding this impedes both sides.
The “first-choice language” dance is silly, especially when you are interviewing at smaller firms that don’t do second rounds or social events. Very difficult to know where you stand after one 60 minute interview.
Replace with a ranking system. Every student has an internal ranking of the firms, and every firm has an internal ranking of the students. The data already exists. I wish students and firms could submit this data to a website and an algorithm could sort out and distribute jobs so that we don’t have to worry about first-choice language, everyone gets a choice they are relatively happy with, and fewer people fall through the cracks and remain unemployed.
Communication from firms:
I would appreciate more clarity from firms about where they stood with you. I understand that firms cannot communicate offers, but they should be able to communicate interest and disinterest.
Operate purely in your self-interest. The firms are doing the same. They will pull some not great tactics, and you shouldn’t bind yourself to arbitrary rules through the process.
Everything:
Abolish it.
Get rid of this current process entirely, and make it more like New York.
Did you experience any employers not following the LSO Procedures? If yes, how?
I was told in a roundabout way that I would be getting an offer. “You’re a great candidate and you’ll be getting a lot of calls tonight so you will have to make a decision. How can we help you make that decision”. Not sure if it’s fully against the rules but what else could that mean.
All the big-law firms I interviewed with, except for one firm, either pressured me for first-choice or communicated offers before the prescribed date.
I heard that one seven-sister law firm communicated an offer to a student on Day 1.
Do you have any comments on the LSO Recruitment Procedures?
I understand the offer rule for a good reason, but it stops frank communication. I could not have gotten through the recruit without having honest conversations about my interest level in different firms and I think it is difficult to do that when there is no reciprocal honesty from firms (due to LSO guidelines).
For an industry filled with smart people, they came up with a pretty idiotic recruit.
Archaic and artificial.
Feels like a bit of a clown show. The NY recruit was much simpler and should be followed as an example.
Terrible procedures. Especially unfair and difficult for a student to navigate through this process.
Silly and disadvantages students by limiting their ability to meet more firms.
First-choice language is not a tool that helps students!!! You are forced to decide who your top choice is before you’re ready (usually after just day 1). Law firms should make offers to everyone they’re interested in and then have a waitlist.
Are you satisfied with the outcome of the recruitment process?
86% of the respondents were satisfied with the outcome of the recruitment process.
Satisfied:
I got my first-choice.
I went in looking for a split with a top-tier firm, and got exactly that.
Although I was cut last minute by the first-choice firm that I loved since the summer, I was able to run over to my second-choice firm and give them first-choice at 11:30 am on day 3 and secure an offer.
I got my top choice; I was able to meet lots of great people; My academics, extracurriculars, and personal life were not negatively impacted.
I really like the firm that I ended up with! I thought their firm culture matched mine very well.
I mean, I got the job, so how dissatisfied could I be?
Satisfied that I got a job. Unsatisfied by the level of stress it took to get that job.
Met great people along the way and received multiple offers.
Ultimately, I got my top firm but the process was traumatizing.
Not Satisfied:
I have mixed feelings. I really only had one position that I really wanted to get. But to be honest, I’m a lot happier about my post-recruit options than what I had during the recruit. So if anything, at most, this recruit was just a learning experience.
I got played pretty hard through the process. I got callbacks from 4/5 of the firms I interviewed with on day 1 (the 5th doesn’t do callbacks), so picked 3 of them to continue with and cancelled my day 2 first interview. One of the three firms called me on the morning of day 2 after I’d cancelled the others to tell me they were no longer pursuing my candidacy.
Did not receive an offer despite excellent grades and softs. Makes me wonder about the decision making process of these firms – especially when so many students who were successful in the recruit, simply put, do not look like me.
I have no job. How do you think I feel?
Do you have any mistakes or accidents that you would like to share?
First-choice language:
I regret using first-choice on one firm so early and not giving others a chance to sway my opinion. I regretted giving it to firm #1 so early after meeting with firm #2 because I loved it more than I anticipated! I ended up accepting an offer with firm #2 after firm #1 did me dirty and cut me late on day 3.
I gave my top firm first-choice language but then told them I needed time to think when they called me. I immediately called them back and we both laughed at how silly this process is.
Application materials:
Realized I had a typo on my resume (it appeared that a job started AFTER it ended) after I submitted and applications could not be changed. It did not matter and nobody seemed to notice, I still received lots of OCIs and in-firms.
I put a summer job under “volunteer and extracurricular experiences” on my CV by mistake. Interviewers asked me about this job with curiosity and nobody seemed to notice/mind the error.
I did the BIGGEST no-no in cover letter writing – I realized I used a different firm’s name in one of my cover letters. I now know why they didn’t call me back after OCIs.=
I called a woman ”Mr” on my cover letter.
Messing up names:
Prior to in-firms, I had a coffee-chat with a firm’s summer student. I mentioned her twice during in-firm interviews, because she was very kind and very informative about the firm’s culture and student program. Unfortunately, she also had an extremely similar name to one of my cousins (i.e., think ‘Joanne’ and ‘Joanna’). I only realized the third day that I had been misspeaking her name the entire time. Luckily, I was able to apologize and explain the situation to one of my interviewers. I received an offer from the firm in the end, so hopefully I’ll be able to apologize to her this summer!
Forgetting the name of the managing partner, misspelling a firm’s name 11 times, and crying at a reception.
I was interviewed by 4 lawyers at a firm. At the evening reception, a lawyer asked me who my interviewers were. I could only remember 2 of the 4 names. I felt awkward but I still got a day 2 interview.
Reception-related:
During a dinner, I started choking on a tempura flake and coughed violently for 10 minutes. The partner at my table tried his best to ignore it at first but got really concerned and asked if I was ok. Everything worked out and I ended up getting an offer there. How people at a firm respond to really awkward situations can tell you a lot about what it’s like to work there.
On Day 1 at a cocktail reception, near the end of the reception, I was so exhausted. Someone came up to speak with me and I said something along the lines of “Let’s talk about something other than business haha!” in a failed attempt to talk about something conversational, rather than about their work. Unfortunately, this person wanted to talk about the law firm. I also jokingly said to them: “I’m so tired, I’ve run out of words to say.” This person later revealed to me that they were the managing partner. Needless to say, I did not receive an offer from their firm.
I got the times mixed up for a solo dinner with two partners from a firm and showed up an hour late. We mutually ghosted each other after that awkward night.
Other
I forgot to scan a QR code to enter an elevator bay and managed to shut down all of the elevators in commerce court right before a big evening event. Despite causing a couple dozen people to show up to the event late, the firm still gave me an offer.
I was underprepared for applications, did not send out any applications to firms that were not big law (always broaden your options because the biggest firms are super competitive!) and only coffee-chatted with students instead of a mix of students and lawyers.
I had firms calling me and emailing me during the last hour prior to the blackout period on day 3. One of the firms sent me an email with only a few minutes left prior to the blackout. I responded with a very kind message–in which I called the firm by the wrong name. They still made me an offer.
Forgot my favourite jacket at a firm. You will be so stressed running between places, so don’t bring anything you love!
One employer offered me day three, and took it away after I said I could only meet after 11 am. Not because I was busy, but because I would have been much too exhausted to wake up at 5:30 am for the third straight day.
I cried in one of the boardrooms of a firm after an interview when my articling student host asked me how I was doing. It had been a stressful few days!
Closing Thoughts?
I have found this whole process and system extremely difficult and stressful to manage. It seems that both the LSO and employers are totally out to lunch on the experience of students and best practices. Just to illustrate how stressful and poor this system and some employers are: I was assured a call from one employer during my in-firm interview that they would call me at 5pm on offer day whether I was receiving an offer or not. They didn’t call until noon the next day to say I had been waitlisted, and then again an hour later to say they had no spot for me. Per Theresa’s advice, I emailed their office twice and called their office as well with no response. When the person from their office called at noon the day after offer day, they acknowledged that they were aware that I had been calling and emailing, but offered no apology or recognition that they were only reaching out 18 hours after they said they would.
This is an insane process to hire lawyers.
Especially if you come from a non-law background, don’t be afraid to draw from those experiences! Be charming and charismatic. Know who you are. Don’t be able to ask the questions you want to ask. Surround yourself with friends and family and those who love and care for you no matter the outcome.
Be mindful when you are planning your schedule that time to think is really important. You may be asked to come back for day 2/3 during your interviews and then your schedule will fill up really fast, which can be stressful and perpetuates the lack of time to think about your options.
Miserable, ineffable, inexorable, inevitable. Lean into it, expect the worst, and have fun. I think for helpful students, it’s important to keep in mind that since Ultra Vires relies on firms and students self-reporting their results. So the number of UofT students that are reported as employed by the firms are always going to be an undercount of the actual numbers. The stats reported by UofT students responding to this survey are always going to be skewed by the fact that respondents are more likely to be those who were successful in the recruit, and are going to be an incomplete look are the numbers and types of people who are successful in the recruit. My friends and I relied on Ultra Vires articles on recruit-successful students’ stats and on Toronto recruit results, and I think got psyched out by the idea of what the model successful student is grade-wise and how many actual job spots there were. 1Ls and pre-recruit 2Ls should remember that these are all undercounts.
Advice for future students: If you have average grades, apply to as many places as possible and prepare to express deep interest in every place that you apply to. The 2L Recruit is an emotionally brutal experience. I received no ITCs until the last two days, after I emailed every firm I had an OCI with and expressed deep interest in them and asked whether I should expect an ITC on call day. I gave first-choice language to one firm, which rejected it. I gave first-choice language to another firm, which rejected it. A third firm separately rejected me. I gave first-choice to the government. The government called at 5pm and waitlisted me. The government then called again, about 40 minutes later, with an offer.
What an absolutely miserable process. Everything turned out to be completely futile. I have lost so much time and sleep for this months-long nonsense. I have no idea what went wrong, and everything looked great for a while before it all bottomed out. You, the students at the Faculty of Law, are all part of the problem. Everyone has been missing in action or even cagier than usual about themselves. It has been an isolating process that has brought out the worst in all of us. The law school hunger games live on.
I found it quite inconsiderate that some students signed up for more than 1 mock interview slot despite the CDO saying not to do so.
1) Do the heavy lifting prep work in the summer (e.g. coffee-chatting students and lawyers at the firms, reflecting on your values, figuring out how to frame your experiences and stories for the interviews)
2) The importance of your resume and cover letter cannot be overstated
3) Utilize the CDO and upper years! Do not be scared to reach out, everyone wants to help!
4) Prepare a list of approximately 10 stories that can be easily adapted to answer different types of questions during the interviews
5) Be present and be yourself during the interviews. Let them flow like a natural conversation, and perhaps you may even find yourself having some fun!
6) List out what you value and what are your non-negotiables in a law firm. The in-firm process goes by quickly. Being able to consult a list will help you make quick decisions when you are feeling overwhelmed by information overload.
Hated every single minute of it.
The in-firm process heavily advantages extroverted students and introverts should prepare extra because of it.
Hated this experience so much; trauma bonded with the friends I texted throughout the process; glad I will never have to do this again; good luck to the 1Ls and every other person who has to go through this in the future. On a serious note, reach out to upper years at school or even a different school. People are usually incredibly nice and willing to help you. Especially if you’re looking for a non-corporate summer position, the recruit is only half of the opportunities out there.
Received 3 offers from seven sister firms without first-choice language, which undermined the belief I had about its importance.
If you’re outgoing by nature, the recruit isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. While very stressful and far from perfectly designed, try to enjoy the process. You’ll meet a lot of cool people, have some great conversations, and, if things go well, hopefully come out the other side employed!
To students: don’t stretch yourself too thin! Focus on what matters to you and reject what does not serve you.