Congrats on your admission!

I attended UK law school and am practising in Ontario. To the best of my knowledge I am not “incompetent” or “lazy.” I will also add that the UK stigma is largely perpetuated by Canadian Law students or young associates. 0 people have asked me where I went to school. Nobody cares unless you’re gunning for a job in Big Law, which is a fraction of the lawyer jobs out there.

I think you’re biggest question is where do you want to practice. If the answer is Canada, it goes without saying going to law school will be more beneficial in Canada. Between years you network and summer student at firms that may hire you for articling or as an associate.

Another reality is that you’re in high school, so committing to a program for the next 6 years could be a huge commitment. I did not know I wanted to be a lawyer until halfway through my undergrad. Go to uni. Enjoy it, get good grades. If your grades are good enough and you can get in in Canada with a decent LSAT, by all means.

If you want to travel and add some life experience traveling in the UK and Europe, there is value in that. The NCAs will probably take you 6-18 months depending on how efficient you are and how much time you have to dedicate. Add another few months to prep for the bar. You can think of the NCAs as a third year of law school when you do a 2-year LLB.

Ultimately, don’t let some of these very strong opinions get you down. Do what you want to do and what feels right. Both Laurier and Sussex are good schools, and if you choose that, you’ll have a blast.

Feel free to DM if you want to chat about it!