u/ticklemypickle9284

Just completed 1L (top 10%) at a Canadian law school. My long-term goal is to work in corporate New York. As of now, I've received a JD/MBA offer to continue at my current school, along with a one-year MBA tuition scholarship. I also received an offer to transfer to UofT's JD/MBA (still waiting on funding). My main issue is the uncertainty around Rotman (funding, timing, and whether the marginal NY placement advantage is worth giving up the certainty at my current school).

I guess I'd like to know:

a. How much does UofT's prestige actually matter for NY recruiting compared to schools like McGill or Osgoode (assuming strong 1L grades)?

b. How do NY firms view transfer students?

c. What level of funding can I expect from UofT Law or Rotman?

When I use the OSAP calculator, the joint JD/MBA options seem to show $1 as the tuition, while the standalone MBA option is the only one that appears to show an accurate tuition amount. I just wanted to ask how others have handled it when you applied.

I've tried contacting the Financial Aid & YorkU's OSAP offices, but have not yet received a response (10+ days).

I've heard classmates talk about in-house as a desirable long-term move after BigLaw, mostly because of lifestyle, stability, and business-side exposure (things I want, too!). Those of you who are in these roles, what's it actually like, and what types of in-house roles are considered "good" exits in BigLaw? How do they differ in terms of day-to-day work, compensation, hours, and career growth? I'm very interested in New York BigLaw as a starting point for its compensation and supposed exit options. I’m especially curious how someone with a JD/MBA background should think about positioning themselves long-term.

Context: I (25m) just finished 1L in a Canadian JD/MBA program (top 15%) in Ontario (not UofT). This summer, I'm working full-time as a legal intern at a police service. Before law school, I completed a BA in Criminology. I spent a few years at a Big 5 bank, mostly in retail with some personal banking experience, and I worked as a lab assistant (LifeLabs) during COVID. I also spent a few years in a small-business/project-management role and held some other minimum-wage jobs earlier on. I've completed the CSC and CIPP/C, and I've been thinking about whether additional credentials (e.g., CIPP/US, PMP, etc.) would be useful.

Current Summer Role: I'm doing meaningful work, but the workload is very light. Some days, I literally have nothing to do. So, instead of twiddling my thumbs, I've been aggressively networking with specific New York firms (only Canadian JD associates). Is this the best use of my time? Does networking matter? Should I be networking with the so-called in-house counsel roles instead (and, this early)?

I need to take 10 days off in September to travel back home to see my family.

Since classes start on September 14th, I'll likely miss the orientation. I heard the orientation for the MBA was a requirement, and that you need to get formal approval from the administration.

Besides getting approval, how detrimental would it be to miss orientation? Would missing them affect group formation, networking, career sessions, or anything else important?

Looking to see if anyone in the MBA or JD/MBA is interested in connecting before the Fall.

Shoot me a Dm if this interests you!

I posted a little while ago about whether doing the JD/MBA (at Osgoode) would be a smart way to give myself another real shot at New York.

Original post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/BigLawRecruiting/comments/1sf9fsv/canadian_jdmba_for_us_new_york_biglaw/

Winter grades were just released, so I now have a full year's worth of grades. I wanted to follow up to ask whether this strategy still makes sense and, more specifically, what to expect from this year's NY recruit. Or is it still too risky to add a whole MBA just to reapply?

Fall grades: A, A, B+

Winter grades: A+, A+, A, A, A, B+

*the B+ grades were in Criminal Law and Legal Writing*