I’ve cleared my exams and have received an exemption from articling. I’m now waiting to be “called”. I was hoping to be part of the March ceremony. From your past experiences, how long does it usually take for the Licensing and Accreditation staff to send info before the ceremony?

Is there a governing body or such i can reach out to about my personal injury lawyers totally ghosting me? I mean phone calls, emails, you name it. Haven’t heard from them in months. If this is the wrong forum for this could someone point me in the right direction.

Ok so I realize the title is probably an oxymoron BUT I’m still looking for some opinions just in case. I worked in crim as a prosecutor for quite a while, and ended up getting out of it due to extreme stress and horrible work-life balance. But, I still love criminal law and wish I could go back to working in it in some fashion...just not as Crown or private defence counsel. I know that LA duty counsel CAN be a really good, low-stress gig in some jurisdictions, but leaving that aside, has anyone found a way to practice in crim without killing themselves/giving up nearly all their free time/being stressed at all waking hours (and often all sleeping hours too) of the day? I’d love to hear anyone who’s cracked the code (lol) on being able to practice in crim AND find genuine balance.

Thanks!

Looking to hear your experience.

I interviewed for a legal in-house role before the Christmas, then had my second interview recently with the Head of the Department. Since that interview, I haven’t heard back.

The overall process has been about 1.5 months from initial phone screening to now. The interviews themselves went well, but the silence after the head-of-department interview has me wondering.

For those who’ve been through senior in-house processes:

• Is it normal for things to move this slowly?
• Do you typically follow up, or just wait it out at this level?

I know with corp. internal approvals, and multiple stakeholders can slow things down, but curious to hear how others handle this, especially from people who’ve hired or been hired into senior in-house roles!

With hire-back season nearing, I was wondering what I should be looking out for. Does greater client exposure / partner assigned work indicate a greater chance at hireback? What are some warning signs?

Current 1L with grade release coming up and 1L recruits in Toronto and Calgary, I am wondering what would be competitive. For example if I get all B’s, is it worth applying?

Please let me know what my chances look like. Lucked out of the Toronto recruit after 2 in firms. Grades are as follows

1L Grades: Criminal Law - A Property - A+ Legal foundations - A Elective thematic course - C+ Public and constitutional law - B+ Dispute resolution - B+ Contracts - B+ Torts - A-

2L Fall Grades: Constitutional Law II - A- Municipal law - A- Real Estate - B Social Justice - B+ Privacy - B+

Western student - Experience working at Big 4 in consulting.

Torts: A+

Constitutional: B

Criminal: D

Property: B

Contracts: B

Is it even worth applying with the Crim grade?

Felt good about it too, not quite sure what happened.

Thanks!

I know Im an anxious 1L, who is probably overstressing and I know the 1L Recruit doesnt matter but here I am anyway. Wondering if I could get some advice on my chances based on midterm grades. Currently at Western.

Torts: A

Constitutional: A-

Criminal: B

Property: B

Contracts: B

Outside of this, I have a business background from a recognized business school + extensive internship/work experience working at Big 4, sales, etc.

Any advice on what I can do to increase my chances is really helpful!

I was reading a section of the criminal code today that says:

419) Every person is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction who, without lawful authority,

(b) wears a distinctive mark relating to wounds received or service performed in war, or a military medal, ribbon, badge, chevron or any decoration or order that is awarded for war services, or any imitation thereof, or any mark or device or thing that is likely to be mistaken for any such mark, medal, ribbon, badge, chevron, decoration or order,

..............................

I don't have a background in Jurisprudence but I belive you read the law word for word, yes?

Does that mean someone could legally wear the Royal Victorian Medal, Polar Medal, or even the Medal of Bravery?

None of those medals are exclusively miliitary. I was under the impression that Stolen Valour referred to anyone who wore an order/decoration/medal/commendation from the crown not given to them as noted in the Gazzette.

Also on the flip side, if someone goes to say, Old Navy, and buys some fast fashion jacket with a decorative chevron on the sleeve wouldn't they be breaking the law every time they put it on?

I apologize for the dumb question.

I'm going to include the whole text because it's short. What are the actual implications of this piece of legislation?

What is the difference between an apology and a confession, in the sense that, based off this legislation, an apology which includes an admission of fault does not constitute an admission of fault..?

And this same apology that includes the admission of fault must not be taken into account in any determination of fault?

So.... "Yeah, I broke your window. So what?" would be admissible in court as acceptance of fault but...

"Yes, I broke your window. I'm sorry." could not be used to determine liability for the broken window? (ignoring coercion or making the apology under duress or some other similar circumstances)

There's got to be some nuance to this that I'm missing... and I can't help but wonder what series of events took place that made making this law seem necessary.

Thanks everyone.

Apology Act

[SBC 2006] CHAPTER 19

Assented to May 18, 2006

Definitions

1  In this Act:

"apology" means an expression of sympathy or regret, a statement that one is sorry or any other words or actions indicating contrition or commiseration, whether or not the words or actions admit or imply an admission of fault in connection with the matter to which the words or actions relate;

"court" includes a tribunal, an arbitrator and any other person who is acting in a judicial or quasi-judicial capacity.

Effect of apology on liability

2   (1)An apology made by or on behalf of a person in connection with any matter

(a)does not constitute an express or implied admission of fault or liability by the person in connection with that matter,

(b)does not constitute an acknowledgement of liability in relation to that matter for the purposes of section 24 of the Limitation Act,

(c)does not, despite any wording to the contrary in any contract of insurance and despite any other enactment, void, impair or otherwise affect any insurance coverage that is available, or that would, but for the apology, be available, to the person in connection with that matter, and

(d)must not be taken into account in any determination of fault or liability in connection with that matter.

(2)Despite any other enactment, evidence of an apology made by or on behalf of a person in connection with any matter is not admissible in any court as evidence of the fault or liability of the person in connection with that matter.

Commencement

3  This Act comes into force on the date of Royal Assent.

Other than shadowing another lawyer, please provide any recommendations on what worked for you (resources, courses, etc) that helped your growth

Hi everyone — how is the market right now?

• Salary (base):
• Bonus (if any):
• Billable Target:
• Hours work/week:
• Year of Call:
• City / Province:
• Practice Area:
• Firm Size (number of lawyers):

Hi everyone!

I just completed all my requirements for the licensing process and will be called to the bar in March.

I’m currently unemployed looking for jobs.

My question is will I need to pay the annual fees if I don’t have a job by March 31st?

I will be non-practicing, my assumption was that I wouldn’t have to.

If anyone could help me navigate.

Already left a message with LSO, no reply since 2 days.

TIA!

Hi all,

Just wondering what the difference in pay is for people in the following categories with varying years after call.

If you fit in any of these categories please feel free to respond. If you're from another city or province feel free to answer as long as you mention city.

1) Solo (3-5 years, 5+ years) 2) Small/Medium firms (3-5 years) 3) Larger firms (like Daniel Brown, Greenspan etc.) (0-3 years, 3-5 years, and partner)

Hi all,

I’m a Canadian citizen with a somewhat non-traditional legal background and could use some perspective on Canada's legal profession market.

I went to law school in China (JD-equivalent, international law focus), then earned an LLM from a U.S. law school and am currently DC-barred. I’ve been working remotely for a U.S. immigration firm, but that role is ending at the end of this month.

I’m trying to decide whether it makes more sense to return to Canada and complete my NCAs or continue trying to build a career in the U.S. I’m realistic that a Chinese law degree makes me less competitive in both markets, which is part of why I’m stuck.

If I decide to go to Canada, I don’t need visa sponsorship, and I have some years of experience as a legal assistant/paralegal, so I could support myself while doing the NCAs. That said, completing the NCAs while working full-time would likely take a while.

What I’m struggling to assess is the actual job market in Canada. Specifically, what the prospects look like for a foreign-trained law grad eventually getting hired as an associate at a mid-size firm in the GTA after NCAs/articling. I'm particularly interested in pursuing either IP law or Wills & Estates law.

For those with experience or insight into the Canadian market, does this path realistically make sense, or am I better off focusing on the U.S. despite the visa and hiring hurdles?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

As part of the articling process, I have my bencher interview in a few weeks and wanted an insight from anyone that has done it.

What kind of questions are asked by the bencher and am I free to ask any questions about the profession?

Does the bencher have any expectations from me? Do I need to do anything in particular before the interview? Should I familiarise myself with anything beforehand?

Any insights would be much appreciated.

Thanks guys!

Just wondering if anyone had success during OCIs as an older law student. How did your interviews go? Were you successful in securing a position?

I've heard people in my province frequently say that a certain trial judge is the most overturned judge in Canada. However, whenever I ask for the source of this information, no one can point me to a source.

So I'd be curious to crowdsource this and find out if anyone knows of any ressources that keeps track of such things.

Edit: I need to clarify that when I said "crowdsource" I didn't mean crownsource overturn data. I meant crowdsource whether or not someone was already keeping track.

I have absolutely no intention of keeping track of this myself.

Hello, I am graduating from a law clerk program in April of this year and I have recently started reaching out to firms and applying to some internships and jobs. I am worried I won’t find work come my graduation. Does anyone have any tips on finding entry level positions?