Just coming on here to give everyone hope about persevering through this often bizarre and demoralizing legal recruitment process. Today I received a call from one of my top articling employers offering me a position. Yes, their top choice must have turned it down, but all you need is one opportunity!! Everything has a way of working out.

Hello folks!

I am considering applying for a PSLOC and would love to hear suggestions or advice from people who have applied before.

I am a 3L student from Ontario law school. I have been working for both my 1L and 2L summer and already got my articling secured. I am considering to apply for a PSLOC because I am an international student and the tuition is crazy. My parents have paid for my law school tuition for the first two years, and will be paying my final year tuition as well. However, their savings are almost drained because of this, and I might face difficulty covering my living expenses for my final year.

Another concern for me is that although my articling place will pay for my bar exam and licensing fees, I will need to pay for these myself in March or April in advance, and won't be able to receive the reimbursement until July or August.

I am planing to start my articling job right after the bar exam like in very early July, so I will be able to make money, but I am still worried about my financial situation, and I do want to stop ask my parents for money as soon as possible.

I am only in Canada for 2 years so my credit score right now is between 700-720. I don't think I need a huge amount if I am going to apply for a PSLOC, probably around 5k-8k, just want to have a back up plan.

For those who have experience in this, should I try applying for one? My articling salary is not that much, around $65,000 probated for 10 months, and it is unlikely I will get a hire back from my articling placement. I know the junior market is terrible right now. Is it realistic for me to pay back the debts if I ended up borrowing money from the LOC? And will there be any harm if I get a PSLOC but did not use money from it?

Thanks so much in advance to those who are willing to share their experience and thoughts with me!

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If so, when exactly? Do I need to buy one?

Hi guys!

I’m trying to figure out what letter grade TRU would assign to my cGPA when applying to law school. I have an 82% cGPA from UBCO and was wondering if anyone here knows how TRU would accurately convert that into a letter grade.

Thank you.

My articling began on July 6th, and I submitted my LSO start of placement before my start date and I even followed up with LSO on July 6th as it said my Experiential Training Details shows as "Incomplete" and whether everything is in good order on my end and they responded on July 8th that my Experiential Training Details will not turn to complete until I finish my articling term but they made no mention that there was anything wrong with my placement record.

I was just casually browsing my LSO profile today and found out that my articling status said "Not Approved" and I have been articling for one month and now there is a chance this month would not even count toward my articling term. As per LSO standards, the lawyer I am articling for is on the list of approved principal lawyers so there is no issue there.

Has anyone else experienced this - if so, please let me know how you rectified the issue.

I am so stressed out, I didn’t get any calls. I thought I did good, one firm reached out yesterday saying I was really impressive and whatnot and they already offered the position to somekne but if they decline I’ll get the job, but today they emailed me the person accepted. i literally gave it my all this cycle and i cant even think of applying again. idk what to do, I am actually having panic attacks.

Assuming I don’t say anything completely crazy at the interview, how many OCIs would I need to land a big law job in the 2L recruit with a B+ average, clinic experience, some mooting?

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone has any insight to how important your cover letter is? Probably just post submitting anxiousness but I followed all of my schools tips from the CDO etc. Just wondering if a cover letter could make or break getting an OCI? TYIA from a super nervous 2L

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations for interview coach, ideally someone familiar with the legal market and articling recruitment in Toronto.

My application materials aren't the issue. I have strong grades (Grade A) from law school, passed Barriters and Solicitors, and my drafting is sharp enough that I’m consistently getting shortlisted. Recently, I landed 4 articling interviews.

The problem is the actual interview. I suffer from severe interview anxiety, and it has always been my biggest hurdle. Despite getting my foot in the door, my nerves completely take over when I'm in the hot seat and I start fumbling even when I know the answer.

I just found out that I didn't clear a single one of those 4 interviews, and I am honestly devastated. I feel completely stuck and don't know what to do next

Hello all,

I hope you are all doing well. I will be going to TRU law this September and I aim to have an average of B+ (77-79), towards the end of my first year.

How achievable is this? Do you have any tips on what I can do to achieve such range? I would be incredibly grateful if you can share anything that worked for you.

Thank you

Has anyone in the Vancouver articling recruit received any first-choice language back from a firm yet? If so, which firm?

I’m attending Allard in the fall, and was wondering if anyone had any tips about how to do well in law school. Thanks!

I’m an internationally trained lawyer who completed an LLM in Canada, my accreditation requirements, and was called to the Ontario bar in 2026. After my LLM, I worked as a legal assistant while completing my NCAs. I spent about a year trying to find a good articling position but unfortunately wasn’t successful, so I eventually articled at the same small solo practice. I completed my articles in April 2026.

A few months before I finished, the lawyer told me she would likely keep me on as a law clerk until I found an associate position. However, one week before my articles ended, she changed her mind and let me go. It was a difficult experience, and I took some time afterwards to recover and spend time with my family.

Since June, I’ve been applying for associate positions, mainly in real estate/solicitor work, which is the area I have experience in and want to continue practising. It’s now mid-August and I haven’t received a single interview for an associate position.
I know this is partly because I’m internationally trained and don’t have the typical Canadian articling-to-associate path. I’m worried that the longer I’m unemployed, the harder it will become to get back into practice.

Someone suggested that I take a law clerk position for the time being so that I can stay employed and continue gaining Canadian legal experience while applying for associate roles.

My concern is: does being a law clerk after being called to the bar look bad on a lawyer’s CV? Could firms see it as a step backwards or question why I wasn’t working as a lawyer? Would working as a clerk for 6–12 months actually hurt my chances of eventually getting an associate position?

Alternatively, should I avoid clerk positions altogether and just keep applying for associate roles while doing something outside the legal field to pay the bills?

I’m honestly very confused about what the smartest move is. I’ve invested several years and a lot of money into becoming a lawyer, and this situation has been extremely discouraging. I would really appreciate honest guidance from lawyers/recruiters, especially anyone who has taken a non-traditional path into Canadian practice.

What would you do in my position? And if you were hiring an associate, would seeing a law clerk position after call significantly concern you?

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Currently a lawyer in india

Gpa ( as calculated by WES ) :- 4.0

LSAT :- 172

Done 4-5 legal internships, a judicial internship, volunteer for an ngo since 2 yeats and also do pro bono services, , would have 1 year of work experience as an associate by 2027 August .

1. Chance me for top Canadian schools for JD like UofT, Osgoode.

2. Also tell me which law schools should I target ; my goal is to get in top law firms in canada ( I know US big law is difficult because of H1b but still )

3. are employment prospects for internationals as good as domestic for top law schools like UofT, Osgoode .

4. does applications in canada close early ? For ex i was reading for UofT and deadline for application was states as 1 Nov 2026. I was hoping to finish my applications by late Nov or early December as i would have done some more significant things to boost my application

5. Chances for scholarship even if just 30-40% ? UofT fees for internationals is 220k for whole program.

5. I plan to seek advanced standing/ prior learning recognition from my LL.B. degree. Is there any way to finish off my JD degree in 2 years instead of 3. I mostly read that one needs to apply to N CA for it.

6. Implications or disadvantages of finishing the degree in 2 years in terms of employment, OCls, clerkships, particularly for top law firms in canada.

7. I understand that Canadian grads manage to get in NY big law but as an Indian we need H1b. But still any chances of getting to work in US big law .

I had an interview with a firm today, who's doing a function tomorrow for all the students to come to... I only have one suit (Well two, but the other one is slightly ripped), obviously different shirts and ties. Should I try to get a different suit before hand? worried that they will notice me wearing the same suit

Is there any study equivalent to Quimbee, Studicata, Lexplug, etc? I realize that these are mostly for US law student. But I was wondering if any of you used something similar or a resource that help further your understanding. Bonus points if they have videos included.

Australian Law School as a Canadian?

Hi Guys, I just graduated from undergrad at Western and am thinking of going to Australia to study law, and then coming home to live in Canada.

Here's a little backstory: I graduated in June 2025, applied to Ontario law schools in November, worked for 6 months, and then traveled in Asia up until July. I assumed I would get into where I applied; however, I have been waitlisted, which was a shock, in all honesty. This may have been due to my marks, which started off rough in my first two years due to personal circumstances. (around 2.7 GPA), but then, when I got myself sorted out, my grades went up to around 3.7 in my final two years. Additionally, my LSAT was a 169. The most likely reason I did not get in was due to my personal statements, which were quite bad.

Currently, I would not like to wait another year + application cycle for a Canadian school, as it would be another 3 years to graduate on top of that, and another year-ish to be called to the bar.
So I am looking at some universities in Australia as I have always wanted to live there, have family there, and would like to do business there later in life. Additionally, I have found some Universities like Bond University that offer a 2-year (6 trimester) JD, which is very attractive to me, as I will be able to come home and then do my national accreditation in around 3 yr total, as opposed to 5ish years in Canada.

I am very motivated and believe that I will perform well in Australia; however, I am concerned that going to law school outside of Canada will look like an "easy way" to get a JD. And that I will be looked at as "less than", in comparison to going to law school in Canada.

As it stands, here are the main questions that I would appreciate your perspective on:

1. Should I just apply again in Canada, and wait the year out?
2. If I achieve academic honours, or achieve a high ranking in my classes, will I still be looked down on as 'taking the easy route'
3. I think international networking will be crucial to my line of work in the future, but that trade-off might be leaving me stranded in terms of Canadian connections.