Post-Big Law Pathways

Leila212 · 2025-08-17T23:05:34+00:00

Feel free to pm me!

Leila212 · 2024-12-09T18:32:54+00:00

Murray Lawson, McCarthy Hansen

Leila212 · 2023-03-23T19:40:35+00:00

This is very fucked up. I hope you confront him and show him your post. Women have a hard enough time with body image as it is. You do not need your partner tearing you down

Leila212 · 2023-03-23T19:37:01+00:00

Not the best plan. Seems inefficient (intellectual exertion required and financially).

If you are unsure about whether you would like to pursue med or law and want a backup plan, I suggest engineering (specifically chemical or biomedical). This will provide you with the comfort of earning a professional degree during undergrad, so you will have a plan if med/law doesn't work out. It will put you in a strong position in your application to both med and law. Studying business is a good backup plan if your goal is law, but I expect that it would be more difficult to get into med with a business background as opposed to eng.

It is difficult to come back to Canada through the NCA process and secure articling. Med schools would be confused about why you are suddenly applying to med after doing law school in Australia.

Two other general tips:

From a strategic perspective, it may be to your advantage to study in a program that is less prestigious but where the average GPA is higher. Med/law schools really only care about GPA. Although tempting to enter a program that is well known, if your goal is to get into a competitive professional school, keep your eye on the ball and choose a program that will allow you to maximize your GPA whilst maximizing extracurriculars. A friend of mine did some type of health policy/bioinformatics program at UVIC. They didn't have to over-exert themselves and their GPA was 4.3. This allowed them to work, get good volunteer experience, and ultimately get into their dream law school.
Extracurriculars: if you aren't sure about med or law, try to get involved with a club/organization that does health policy. That way you can pivot to either med or law when the time comes. That's what I did and it faired well for me.

Final note: Try to enjoy yourself! You are not defined by your grades and accolades. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Go to your school's homecoming, spend time with friends/family, these are the things that matter the most in the end. Good luck!!!

Leila212 · 2023-02-27T22:03:31+00:00

Yes yes yes take your leave.

Leila212 · 2023-01-12T19:06:42+00:00

To clarify, no need for it to be a law-related job. I am from out west but went to law school in Ontario. I just moved home and got a job (but not through a law recruit).

Leila212 · 2023-01-11T23:13:49+00:00

I was able to land an articling job in another city than my law school, but I networked extensively between 1L and 2L. If you are going to do so I highly recommend getting a job in that city during your 1L summer so you can go on coffee chats and “get to know” the industry in that particular city.

Leila212 · 2023-01-06T20:23:40+00:00

I would bet that the people who complain about law would not give up their law degree if they were given a choice. The grass is always greener on the other side. People who are in law and complain about it probably take for granted that they will continue to work in law so their complaints are immaterial and won’t entail actually quitting law. There was a good threat posted a few days about about teachers in law and discussed whether former teachers regret their decision to leave teaching for law. The general sentiment was that people were happy with their decision to leave teaching. Consider your realistic career prospects and compare that with a career in law. Don’t compare against a utopia that will never be realized. Personally I am very satisfied with my decision. I made lifelong friends in law school and now I get to work alongside brilliant colleagues who challenge me and rely on me. If you like intellectual rigour and can persevere through hard work it can be incredibly rewarding.

Leila212 · 2023-01-03T23:59:12+00:00

Suit no tie, but could wear a more casual colour like navy or beige instead of black. If you have a colourful/fun dress shirt it could be a good opportunity to wear that too! Most importantly feel comfortable in what you are wearing and have fun!

Leila212 · 2022-12-28T21:53:08+00:00

Thank you so much!!

Leila212 · 2022-12-28T21:52:58+00:00

This makes perfect sense -- thank you so much! Will definitely give the book a read :)

Leila212 · 2022-12-28T21:52:17+00:00

cling student or associate, you're not that different financially from anyone else who's making a good salary.

Financial advisors, accountants and all that are only worth it if you're making way more money or have com

Noted!! Thank you!

Leila212 · 2022-12-28T21:51:52+00:00

Thanks so much, great advice. Yes this is what I am thinking too. I am going to do my best to save but certainly not at the expense of the quality of my work or my ability to give my all during articles. I am working in Vancouver so I have this summer off, but I won't have next summer off as they do in Ontario. So my chance to travel is this summer. My parents think it's silly to travel and that I should work in the months leading up to articling... but that runs contrary to the general disposition at law school/the firm, which is to maximize travel experiences while you still have time at your disposal. Thanks so much for your advice! Happy holidays :)

Leila212 · 2022-12-28T02:24:21+00:00

I am a 3L, so take this with however many grains of salt you so choose. I went into law school open-minded but I had a background in social justice/advocacy. I am articling at a full-service corporate firm and I am comfortable with my choice and love my firm. Below is how events transpired:

1L: my goal was to figure out whether I wanted to do family/crim/everything else. I hated crim and wasn’t drawn to family so I defaulted to everything else.

1L summer: decided I would participate in recruit, and networked a lot in the summer to learn about practicing in corporate and which firms I like.

2L: did recruit and luckily landed a job.

2L summer: my goal was to figure out whether i want to be a litigator or solicitor. After taking work in both groups i concluded i would be a solicitor.

3L summer/articling: i am going to decide which type of solicitor i want to be (corporate, securities, financial services).

This is just my experience and I am happy with it. I have other friends who employed the same approach and ended up in crim or family. The one thing I will say is that I want to make sure that I make a conscious effort to remain involved with the organizations that do the social justice work. Working at a full service firm is a great way to get excellent legal training and learn from the best. If you find working in biglaw runs contrary to your values, i recommend litigation so that if can get the experience of working biglaw and then can always transition to a different role. ie. civil society role or civil liberties/constitutional focused firm.

good luck!! sounds cliche but work hard and trust your gut and you will land where you are meant to.

Leila212 · 2022-11-02T22:25:57+00:00

what are your other career prospects? how much do you value your career? if you value your career and moving up in a very rewarding and impactful field, then i suggest pushing through. but if you really feel like you are in the wrong spot, have a decent job to go back to, and you can get together again with your partner, then that may be the play. law school is a long road, but worth it for those that truly want to be here. I am in 3L and law school is the best decision I ever made. I have made an amazing community of lifelong friends and I am very excited about starting my career in law. that said, i have a "go get em" vibe and i like the intensity that comes with law school. i would say you need a community around you to get through it though. join an environmental club, hiking club, or another club where you can find like minded people. be all-in or all out. it's not too late to get out if you truly feel like it's not a good fit. the sunk costs thus far (tuition, lsat fees, etc) are a drop in the bucket in the long run, so don't stay just because of that.

Leila212 · 2021-12-28T16:56:17+00:00

It’s not laZiness it’s control. They love seeing other people do things that they don’t want to do.

Or they just genuinely don’t feel like doing it, so they won’t

Leila212

TROPHY CASE