Internationally-Trained
Lawyers:
Becoming a Lawyer in Ontario
Introduction
Welcome to Canada! The purpose of this guide is to provide you with an
understanding of the Ontario licensing process. There are several steps involved
in becoming a lawyer in Canada; a key one is securing an articling position. For
those of you who are not familiar with the process, we know that it can be very
confusing and frustrating to understand. We hope this guide will help.
Researching Articling Positions
Application deadlines for articling positions vary among jurisdictions, beginning
as early as May in some parts of Ontario. The deadline at most Toronto law firms
is early July. However, there are other positions that become available after this
date. Most students do secure an articling position by the time they have
completed their third year of law school. Your law school’s career office might be
able to help you in your search for articles. However, it is important to be
proactive in your search. There are many offices that do not advertise positions.
You can find firms that do not advertise by looking through various directories
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listed on the Internet and on the website for your law school’s career office. Also,
there are many students who find positions through networking with lawyers and
other professionals.
We strongly suggest that you read through the attached memo. It includes
information on the mandatory licensing and academic requirements for
admission to the Ontario Bar, Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) guidelines
on articling recruitment, researching and applying for articling positions and
where to find more helpful information about putting together effective application
packages. For additional information, please visit the LSUC website at
http://education.lsuc.on.ca.
Please Note –This publication is provided for informational purposes only – it is
not a substitute for reviewing information published by relevant authorities
or governing bodies. Further, specific content contained in these materials
such as firm names and contact information, as well as, dates and other
temporal specific information may no longer be valid after the date of
publication as these specifics change frequently. Please ensure that you
check current resources, including the job posting section of your law school’s
career office, when making applications to firms/offices.
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Information for Internationally-Trained Lawyers
You have made the decision to become a lawyer in Ontario. What should
you do?
S TE P 1:
U N D E R S T AN D
TH E P R O C E S S AN D TI M E L I N E S TO B E C O M E
A L AW Y E R I N C AN AD A .
There are several online resources for internationally trained lawyers who hope
to become licensed in Canada.
First, find a career map for internationally trained legal professionals online and
carefully review the stages of becoming a lawyer in Canada.
The Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) also provides information on the
licensing process.
The stages of the process are:
1) Application to National Committee on Accreditation (NCA)
2) Exams/courses to meet requirements of NCA
3) Certification from NCA
4) Application for licensing process through Law Society of Upper Canada
(LSUC)
5) Licensing Process: Solicitors and Barristers exams, articling work
experience in a law office, professional responsibility course
6) Convocation (Call to the Bar) after successfully completing steps 1
through 5
The timelines usually are (but check for your particular year):
NCA Certification:
January:
NCA exams
May – July: Applications to law firms for articling positions one year in
advance of start date
August:
NCA Exams
LSUC Licensing Process:
November:
Application to LSUC to enter licensing process
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June:
Bar exams
August:
10-month articling term typically commences
November:
Bar exams (if unable to write in June)
March:
Bar exams (if unable to write in June)
June:
Ceremonies when most students are called to the Bar
Please note that the NCA and the Law Society of Upper Canada are
separate entities.
 The NCA assesses your qualifications prior to your arrival in Canada.

The LSUC regulates the Ontario legal profession and, as the regulator,
establishes the qualifications for entry to the Bar in this particular province.
Throughout the process, we recommend that internationally-trained professionals
attempt to gain Canadian work experience; it will be important in the
development of your application materials for articling. There is more on the
search for articles later in this memo.
S TE P 2:
A P P L I C AT I O N TO TH E N AT I O N AL C O M M I TTE E
A C C R E D I T ATI O N (NCA)
ON
Internationally trained lawyers, or Canadians with a law degree from a university
outside Canada who wish to practice law in Canada, must apply to the National
Committee on Accreditation (NCA) to evaluate their legal credentials and legal
experience. Upon completion of its review, the NCA issues a recommendation
describing any further legal education that the applicant needs to complete in
order to meet the standards of a Canadian LL.B. or J.D. degree.
At this stage you are often referred to as an “NCA Candidate”.
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S TE P 3:
W R I TI N G
E X AM S O R T AK I N G L AW S C H O O L C O U R S E S TO Q U AL I F Y
TO E N TE R TH E L I C E N S I N G P R O C E S S .
If you are required to do exams, there are only two times a year when you may
write: January and August.
If you plan to take courses through the law schools, you must prepare your online
application for November 1 before the September when you wish to start. The
law schools take a very small number of NCA candidates.
Once you have successfully completed all the challenge exams/course work set
by the NCA, you receive your certificate of qualification from the NCA.
At this stage, you are now able to apply for the licensing process described in
Step 4.
STEP 4:
AP P LY IN G
FOR THE LICENSING PROCESS
Each province in Canada has a different licensing process but the basic
principles are the same throughout the country: an assessment of the
understanding of substantive law (usually through exams), and practical legal
training.
This memo focuses on becoming a lawyer in Ontario. The Law Society of Upper
Canada (LSUC) is the governing body for lawyers in Ontario. The LSUC’s
primary responsibility is to regulate the legal profession. The LSUC is responsible
for setting the eligibility requirements for admission to the Ontario Bar and is
responsible for administering the Licensing Process. To learn more about the
Law Society and their role in regulating the legal profession, visit their website.
In order to be eligible to be called to the Bar in Ontario, students must complete
both the academic requirements and the licensing requirements of the Licensing
Process.
The academic requirement for entry into the Course is the successful completion
of a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B.) from a Canadian Law School or an NCA
Certificate of Qualification.
The licensing process for Ontario requires that you:
1) Write two full-day exams: the Barrister Licensing exam and the Solicitor
Licensing exam (there are three opportunities to sit for these exams
throughout the year);
2) Work for 10 months in a law office (this is called articling); and
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3) Take a Professional Responsibility course (provided online) during the 10month articling period.
NOTE: You must already have your NCA certificate in order to register to write
the two LSUC Bar exams, and the paperwork must be at the LSUC at least 30
business days prior to writing the exam. If you write your final exams for the NCA
in August, the results are usually available and the certificate issued in late
October. This means you would not be able to sit the LSUC exams in November,
but you may apply to the Registrar to write the exams in the following March.
During the licensing process you are referred to as an “articling student”.
Information on applications for employment that will be considered your articles is
included in the section on Finding Work in Canada below.
Once you have completed the exams, the articling, and the Professional
Responsibility course you will be invited to convocation where you swear an
oath, and enter the profession. At this stage, you are qualified to practice law in
Ontario.
NOTE: You may commence employment in a law office after you have finished
the last NCA exam (Step 3), and before you have received your NCA certificate
and applied to the LSUC for the licensing process (in Step 4). In some
circumstances, this time in the law office may count toward your articles if you
continue in the same office for your articles, you make an application to the
LSUC to have your experience applied retroactively to the September following
your last exam in August, and your principal writes a letter of support. Contact
the Registrar of the LSUC to confirm this process if you find yourself in this
situation.
M O R E I N FO R M ATI O N O N STEP 4:
F I N D I N G A J O B , AN D TH E A R TI C L I N G P RO C E S S
In this section we provide:
1) An overview of working in Canada, including information on finding
summer or part-time employment and volunteer opportunities;
2) An explanation of the Articling recruitment (required for the LSUC
licensing process);
3) An overview of the Canadian Legal Market where you might find your
articles and professional employment once you are Called to the Bar; AND
4) Tips on how to develop your application materials
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1) An Overview of Working in Canada
Students who wish to work in Canada, either on campus or off-campus, should
visit the Government of Canada’s web site to obtain information about
opportunities and eligibility to work during the school year and post-graduation for
them and their spouses. You can also find information on the websites of various
universities’ International Student Centres, including York University.
While you are in the process of having your credentials assessed, and before
you start articling, it is a good idea to try to gain work experience in Canada.
Useful websites for internationally trained lawyers seeking employment in
Canada







Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration - Career Map for
Internationally Trained Lawyers
Government of Canada - Foreign Credentials Referral Office
NCA
Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC)
Osgoode Hall Law School Career Development Office
Working Skills Centre
Community Colleges in Ontario
If you are finding it difficult to find paid employment, you might consider
volunteering at a law office to gain some work experience, and professional
references from a Canadian employer.
Many NCA candidates find this experience in:

Legal aid clinics – to identify the clinics in your area, visit Legal Aid Ontario

Law offices that serve members of their community
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WHAT IS ARTICLING?
The objective of the articling phase of the licensing process is to provide students
with the opportunity to apply the knowledge they gained in law school and to
acquire hands-on learning experience through practice oriented skills
development and legal training under the supervision of an established lawyer.
The type of work assigned to a student may be similar to that assigned to a junior
lawyer. Students may only article with a lawyer who has been approved by the
Law Society as an Articling Principal (“Principal”). For more information, see how
a lawyer may become a Principal.
Note:
Articling recruitment begins a full year before you start in the law
office. While this formal recruitment process is completed in the
summer for many positions starting the following year, some positions
will become available between current and the following summer. The
application deadlines vary depending on the job and the
jurisdiction.
It is very important to be aware of the many deadlines involved in the
qualification process. Make sure you are aware of the dates and the
websites where positions are posted while you are still going through
the accreditation process managed by the NCA.
NCA students are not restricted in the articling positions for which they may
apply. They are in the same position as a JD/LL.B student.
HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING AN ARTICLING JOB AND WHEN DO I APPLY?
You must apply for articling positions with law firms/offices, corporations or
government departments that are qualified to supervise articling students.
The LSUC provides some online resources for those who are searching for
articling positions.
Hiring is typically done one year before the articling job starts! The usual
timeline for law students who expect to complete their course requirements April
30 proceeds as follows:
May/June/July -- Apply for articling positions. Applications must be
submitted to firms by fixed deadlines that are set for May/June and July and
the deadlines vary depending on the city in Ontario where you would plan to
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article. – ARTICLING POSITIONS ARE USUALLY FILLED ONE YEAR IN
ADVANCE of the actual date when you will start your employment.
A majority of Toronto employers have an application deadline of early July,
with interviews in mid-August, for articling positions that begin in August of the
following year.
You will do your course work during the academic year between September
and April. You will only be eligible to article in the spring if you have
completed your NCA requirements by that May.
Apply for articling positions while you complete your course
requirements. Finding an articling position can be challenging and timeconsuming. Do not underestimate how much effort you will need to put
into your job search.
When do I do my course work?
You will study for your NCA exams, and/or the course work if you are a
registered student at one of the law schools, during the year before you start
your articles.
WHAT IF I DON’T FIND AN ARTICLING JOB IN THE MAIN RECRUITMENT
PROCESS?
Keep searching for your articling position. Many offices do not recruit with the
majority of the firms/offices because it is easier to find candidates after the
hectic pace of the first recruitment cycle. Smaller firms/offices and
corporations will wait until they have established their budgets in the new year
before they hire.
WHEN DO I TAKE THE LSUC LICENSING EXAMS?
Most students who have completed their studies in April will take the licensing
exams (Barrister and Solicitor exams) in June. These exams are held on
three occasions in any given year so check with the LSUC for more
information.
WHEN DO I ARTICLE?
Most often students commence their articles after the licensing exams. The
articling period runs for 10 months unless the LSUC agrees to an abridged
articles (shorter than the 10 months officially required).
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ARE THERE RULES ABOUT WHO CAN HIRE ARTICLING STUDENTS AND
WHEN?
Yes! The Law Society of Upper Canada regulates the articling hiring process
and there are rules as to when hiring can take place and what lawyers can
take on articling students. You should become familiar with the Articling
Recruitment Procedures.
If you are registered at an Ontario law school, and expect to take more than one
year to complete your coursework, there are advantages:

You have more time to learn about the hiring process, research
firms/offices, hone your language skills in the legal community, and gain
Canadian work experience.

You will have the opportunity to apply for law jobs for the summer through
the On Campus Interview (OCI) process. If you want to article at a large
full-service law firm obtaining a summer job through OCIs can increase
your chances of being offered an articling position at the firm where you
work for the summer. For many employers, summer positions are also
arranged a year in advance. Toronto OCI applications must be submitted
to law firms in early September. Contact the Career Office in July or
August to find out more about the OCI process, how to submit your
resume, and the employers who take part in these interviews.
Please note: The services and resources of the law schools are typically only
available to NCA students who have accepted their offer and paid their fees to
the Admissions Office.
3) An Overview of the Canadian Legal Market
This is a brief summary of some of the options within the Canadian legal market.
There are many other opportunities that are not mentioned in this section that
you may be interested in. They include numerous law-related and non-lawrelated positions in Canada, as well as international opportunities.
LAW FIRMS
The large (100+ lawyers) full-service law firms are located in downtown Toronto,
and are called “Bay Street Firms” because of their geographical location. They
are often attractive to students and lawyers because of the broad experience and
legal training that they offer. The larger law firms tend to have excellent libraries,
access to electronic databases, secretarial help, and other advantages. On the
other hand, the lifestyle at a large law firm can be challenging. The hours tend to
be extremely long, and students and young associates tend to have much less
responsibility than they might have at a smaller firm. Exposure to direct work
with clients may be minimal in your junior years.
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A small firm or a boutique firm on the other hand can be a firm that provides a full
range of services but on a smaller scale than a large firm, or it may specialize in
a particular area of law. Some may choose small firms for the environment and
learning opportunities. Small firms typically give students and young associates
greater responsibility, and it is easier to get to know other lawyers in the firm
quickly. Boutiques or specialty firms provide a more intense learning and handson experience for students and young associates with a strong interest in a
particular area of law. However, smaller firms often have fewer resources than
larger firms, which may mean spending more time doing your own administrative
work than you would have to do at a larger firm. Salaries are typically lower,
although some boutique firms may have comparable compensation schemes.
“FOREIGN LEGAL CONSULTANT”
Students with an international law degree have to be aware that finding a job in a
Toronto law firm is a challenge. Law firms are generally interested in international
graduate students who are qualified, or will be qualified to practice law in Ontario.
In these cases, they will be hired either on an associate or articling student.
Another option to be involved in the practice of law in Canada is to practice the
law of your jurisdiction as a “foreign legal consultant”. While foreign legal
consultants do exist in Canada, the number of foreign lawyers who obtain such
employment is rather small.
There are some opportunities with large law firms that hire foreign legal
consultants to work on specific cases in some areas of law. These positions are
usually short-term positions, and are rarely advertised. International graduate
students who are interested in this should find out which firms have international
practices, and contact lawyers who work on specific cases in which their
expertise may be needed. The LSUC offers information about registering to
practice as a foreign consultant in Ontario.
GOVERNMENT
Government offices at the federal, provincial and municipal levels offer a wide
range of opportunities in and out of legal practice. Both the federal and provincial
governments are large employers that provide both short-term internships and
more permanent positions for lawyers and law students - for example, criminal
prosecutions, civil and constitutional litigation, policy departments within various
ministries, and specialized legal advice. If you are interested in government
opportunities, you should approach the specific offices. The type of work that is
available varies widely across various ministries and departments. The best way
to find out about the type of work that is available within the government office in
which you are interested, is to review their web sites and to talk to someone who
is familiar with the government office. The remuneration in government office is
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lower than large firms, but typically as high as or higher than small firms. On the
other hand, work hours are more balanced than in private practice.
Students who are internationally trained should be aware that you must be called
to the Bar in order to practice as a lawyer with a government office. However,
there are opportunities within the government offices that may involve law-related
work where you would be able to apply some of your legal skills, but where you
do not need to be called to the Bar (e.g. policy advisors). You can find out about
such opportunities by searching their web sites, and checking job postings.
For more information about government offices’ web sites, please check the
section on Researching Employers of this handbook.
LEGAL CLINICS AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS
There are many legal clinics and advocacy organizations in Canada, dealing with
a wide range of issues. Often this type of work starts on a volunteer basis, but
may lead to paid work. Some clinics offer paid positions as staff lawyers, often on
a contract basis. These organizations offer great experience in advocacy, client
relationships, case management, public legal education, etc. Many students
work at a legal clinic or advocacy organization during their studies. Although
clinic work can provide a very rewarding experience, it can also at times be
frustrating, mainly due to the lack of funds. You have to be prepared for a career
with less security and much lower compensation. If this kind of work interests
you, it is advisable to get involved with an organization as a volunteer while you
are still a student.
For more detail on careers in public interest law, students registered at Osgoode
may download the Public Interest Guide from the Osgoode Legal Ease document
library. Additionally, you may find useful information at PSLawNet.
IN-HOUSE LAWYERS
Many corporations or public organizations have their in-house legal departments.
Examples include financial institutions, a telecommunications companies, media
companies, or the local transit organization. Organizations with their own inhouse legal departments are often large enough that you may obtain the same
variety of work as you would at a large law firm. You may be exposed to work on
a broad range of legal matters, including corporate, contracts, employment,
municipal law, etc. You may also have a greater opportunity to be exposed to
direct work with clients. Working in-house offers a chance to combine legal
training with prior experience or specialized skills in a particular industry. As all of
your work will be within a specific industry, you should ensure that this particular
field falls within your interests.
EXPANDING YOUR OPTIONS
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Consider positions outside of the Greater Toronto Area. Law offices in Hamilton,
Barrie, Pickering, and Oshawa (to name but a few) hire articling students and
offer very interesting work. Many of these places are accessible by car or public
transit from Toronto. If you are able to work outside of Toronto, include these
regions in your job search.
If you are interested in articling outside of Ontario, it is best to review the rules
and regulations of the Bar of the specific province in which you are interested.
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut Territory
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon Territory
ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL LEGAL PRACTICE
AND LAW-RELATED CAREER OPTIONS
There are many ways to use your legal skills and training in another professional
capacity. Your legal skills are transferable and may be valuable in many jobs.
There are numerous possibilities, and it is impossible to list them all. We will
provide you here with a selection of our ideas of professional opportunities of
alternatives to traditional legal practice:

legal publisher/writer/editor

policy advisor/analyst

law librarian

legal recruiter

bar admissions course instructor

mediator

human rights advocate

regulatory affairs analyst
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
legal translator/court interpreter

researcher at an academic institution or research institute

program developer, coordinator or officer (e.g. at an NGO or UN
organization)

academic

community college instructor

public relations professional

consultant (e.g. human resources, information technology, business
development)

conference developer

investigator

enforcement officer

banker

politician
DEVELOPING YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
You can start to explore alternative careers and ways to use your law degree by
attending seminars and workshops, meeting with alumni who are in alternative
careers, and volunteering or working in an organization that interests you. A
good way to find out about current opportunities is to check the classifieds
regularly and check any postings that sound interesting to you.
You should assess your skills, both your unique specialized skills (e.g., drafting
legal documents) and your transferable skills that could be useful in another
industry (e.g., analytical/critical thinking). In searching for alternative or lawrelated work, the next step is to assess your interests, and think about your past
experiences and activities that you have enjoyed. Always keep an open mind.
Start your job search by getting to know the job market, and identifying
employers you may want to find out more about. One of the best ways to find out
about various options is to talk to people you know. Ask your contacts about
opportunities that they are familiar with, in the field that interests you, and ask for
names of other people that you should contact. You will need to build your
professional network. When talking to people, keep notes about who you met,
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and what you discussed. You should follow up and stay in touch – this expands
your network.
FINDING
A
P O S I TI O N
Check Job Postings
1. Totallegaljobs.ca
2. Articling postings your law school’s career office website
3. The Law Society of Upper Canada’s Articling Registry
4. The NALP Canadian Directory of Legal Employers
You may also want to check the weekly Ontario Reports, available in the law
library, since the “classifieds” section often has postings for junior lawyers at
firms that might consider hiring an articling student instead.
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Networking
It is extremely important to tell people that you are looking for an articling
position. Seek out new contacts in the legal profession – this is excellent
experience for the networking you will have to do as a lawyer. Attend
conferences, and other functions that are a great way to meet members of the
profession who practice in legal fields that coincide with your own interests. This
will help you to gather more information about what they do and how they started
their careers. Also consider setting up “informational interviews” where you meet
someone to talk about his or her work and career path. This can be a very useful
strategy. Also, attend conferences and events: professional associations, such
as the Ontario Bar Association, have events where you can meet practising
lawyers (see www.oba.org/); the CSO holds workshops with guest speakers
throughout the school year, as well as a Career Fair and Public Interest Fair in
March.
How to build your network

Talk to friends, peers, professors, and former employers.

Participate in conferences, panels, and talk to speakers.

Get involved in community and volunteer work if your academic
schedule allows you to.
Networking tactics for internationally trained lawyers
Internationally trained lawyers face specific challenges with respect to
networking in a new environment, and may not know where to start. In
addition to already mentioned standard ways of building your network,
there are some other effective ways:

Start in your home country by contacting people who work or have
worked in the same field or geographic location. Consider anyone
you know who may have contacts in the place you will be
studying/applying for jobs, particularly professional contacts –
people with whom you have worked in the past, and your law
professors.

When you arrive in Toronto, contact your country’s embassy or
consular office. Your embassy, and in particular its commercial
attaché, may be able to provide you with a list of entities doing
business in Canada or Canadian entities doing business in your
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home country. You may also be able to get information on law firms
that represent these entities.

Contact your local cultural community. Find out if there is an
association of lawyers from the region/country you are coming
from.

Don’t underestimate the value of personal contacts – talk to friends,
peers, past employers, family etc.
Researching Employers
A number of directories and databases provide information about legal
employers. Use Canadian Law List, Martindale.com, and the Canadian Directory
of Legal Employers to look up employers by practice area, location, and other
criteria.
Creating an Articling Position
It is possible to create an articling position with a lawyer willing to supervise you
for the 10-month period and willing to provide an educational experience that
meets the licensing requirements. Students may only article with a lawyer who
has been approved by LSUC as an Articling Principal. Also, the CLCDN has a
brochure outlining what being an articling principle entails and the benefits of
hiring an articling student. If you would like to provide this brochure to a
prospective articling principle, please request copies from your law school’s
career office.
Law Society Initiatives for Students Seeking Articles
In addition to its Articling Registry, the Law Society provides other services to
students seeking articling positions. On the LSUC Finding Articles webpage, you
can submit a biographical paragraph that will be distributed to potential
employers and others in the legal community. You can also participate in a
Mentorship Program that will pair you with a member of the profession for advice
and encouragement. This webpage also has links to student testimonials
(including one from a former NCA candidate), placement reports, and job search
videos that you can watch online. The videos are on topics such as résumés,
interviewing, and networking.
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HOW
TO
P R E P AR E
AN
A P P L I C ATI O N P AC K AG E
The following information and tips are for preparing your cover letters and
resumes:

This takes time – you could spend up to an hour of preparation and an
hour of writing/editing for each paragraph in your cover letter; keep in mind
it is your first writing sample for a future employer.

Law firm recruiters tell us that a student’s application package should be
treated as his/her first assignment for the position and will be evaluated on
those grounds

Pay attention to details, be accurate, and make your best effort to produce
a sophisticated and error-free application.

Please remember that this is general advice and there are individual
circumstances that may lead you to deviate from these general ideas.
Cover Letter: What to Include
A cover letter is an example of your written advocacy. The recruiters will be
looking at many aspects of your writing including clarity of expression, economy
of language, focused content, and an understanding of the position and of
yourself.
Font: Use a font that is easy to read and is not a distraction. Maintain the
same font throughout the cover letter and resume (you can change the font
size occasionally).
Paper: Use plain white or off-white paper that will survive one or two passes
through a photocopy machine.
o DO NOT USE coloured paper, rice paper, fancy graphics, or
shading
Contact information: All your contact information should be at the top of the
page and we suggest that you use the same format as on your resume. This
will give your application package a polished effect and they will look like a
“matching set.”
Telephone Numbers: If possible, use only one telephone number so that it is
easy for the recruiter to know how to reach you. Ensure that this telephone
number has a professional sounding voicemail message.
E-Mail Address: Use your @canadianlawschool email address for three
reasons:
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
The email will not be bounced back because you have reached a storage
limit. It is highly likely that you will receive several emails from firms
during recruitment programs.

It is your full name and likely more professional than hotmail or gmail
accounts.
Remember: Forwarded email accounts, such as your law school account, could
still display the address that your email has been forwarded to, so you may want
to remove your forwarding options.
Remember to include:

the date;

the recruiter’s formal name, title, name of law office and address; and

a “re” line underneath the “Dear Mr./Ms …” which states, for example, “Re:
Application for … “ in Bold
Length of Letter: Rarely should a cover letter exceed one page and generally it
will be about three paragraphs long.
Language/Style in Letter:

Use formal language; avoid contractions; use active and not passive verbs.

Use professional language and try to avoid emotional idioms (such as “I am
excited…”).

Use the most direct words for what you are describing and try to avoid
coupling or tripling descriptions.

Keep your sentences clear and fairly simple. Try to avoid sentences that
exceed two lines.

Check the firm website to ensure that you have spelled the firm name and
contact name correctly.

Ensure that you double check to ensure that you have put the right contact for
the appropriate firm.
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First paragraph:

Identify yourself: the year you are in; the fact that you are studying law at a
specific Canadian law school; which position you are applying for; and
mention anyone you know well in a particular office who has guided you
toward applying to that office.

Convey the research you have conducted on the office and include reasons
specific to their office why you want to work for them.

You can mention their practice areas, mentorship programs, lectures and
publications they have been involved in,

You can mention who the firm has represented, deals they have done, and/or
communities they represent (for clinics).

This is your opportunity to convince them of your genuine interest in their
office but do not spend too much time and space repeating information they
put up on their website.
Second and third paragraphs:

Usually you want to focus on your skills and where you developed them in
these paragraphs.

In your resume you will have given descriptions of your employment and
volunteer experience.

In the cover letter, you highlight the skills you developed in order to meet the
expectations of your employers.

It is very important that you link the skills you claim, to the experiences you
describe in the resume. It is not enough to say “I have excellent research and
writing skills” – instead you need to say something like, “I developed strong
research skills working for Professor A, who was writing a book on the impact
of S. 15 of the Charter on women’s equality. As a result of my developing
expertise and writing ability, I was invited to write a chapter for the book and it
will be published in June of this year.”
Preparation for writing paragraphs: consider writing a list of the skills that you
imagine will be needed for the position and then go through your resume and
write those skills down beside the work you have done that best establishes you
have these skills. Then, try to group them so you can advocate effectively for
yourself.
Market your former responsibilities at non-law jobs in language that a law
office can understand and appreciate (i.e., ability to multi-task in camp counselor
position).
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
Make the links between the skills developed in your academic programs
(writing papers, researching, working independently, developing testing
methodologies, synthesis and analysis, reading statistics, etc.) and those
you expect to be using in a law environment.
Close your letter in a short paragraph: Do not repeat your telephone number
or email address since it is already in the heading of your material.
Proofread your material meticulously and if possible read it out loud to
check for both flow and grammar. Have someone else read it for you, as
well.
Remember to sign your cover letter: forgetting to sign the cover letter is one
of the most common mistakes students make. Note: If an employer states that
applications may be sent by e-mail, you may use an electronic signature.
However, keep in mind that doing so will increase the file size of the attachment.
Cover Letter: What to Exclude
Recruiters have informed us that frequently student applications are rejected
because they contain information that is inappropriate or clearly demonstrates
that the student did not understand the nature of a cover letter.
It is not necessary to say where you found the position advertised because the
firms expect that most of you will have heard about positions through your law
school’s career office or other conventional recruitment methods.
NOTE: If you are applying to a position as a result of a recommendation from
someone, then you may open the letter with a reference to this person (ensure
that this person has agreed to let you use their name).
Cover letter: Language/Style:

Avoid hyperbolic flattery about yourself or overstating your
accomplishments. This will reduce your credibility.

Avoid repeating the same words or ideas. Find synonyms and move on to
another point about yourself. The best way to catch repetition and ensure
a letter flows smoothly is to read it aloud.

Keep away from conclusions about yourself (such as “I am an excellent
researcher”). Rather, stick to facts. Describe what you have accomplished
and how you have achieved your goals thus far.

Avoid the use of narrative. You are not telling a story with your cover
letter, but rather you are advocating your position as a competitive
applicant.

Avoid humour and sarcasm.
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E-Mail Addresses: Do not use email addresses that are humorous or in poor
taste. The firms are likely to consider it unprofessional. Remember that
forwarded email accounts could still display the address that your email has
been forwarded to, so you may want to remove your forwarding options.
Be Honest: Do not write anything in a letter you are not comfortable reading
to your family or friends. If you do not want others knowing what you said,
this is your best indication that you have overstated your accomplishments.
Spell Check: Do not rely on spell check to identify all spelling errors. Some
words will not be caught (such as practice vs. practise; counsel vs. council;
advice vs. advise).
Common Mistakes:

Council/Counsel – it is Faculty Council, but a lawyer is Counsel – thus, it
is, for example, “Duty Counsel”

Compliment/Complement – you compliment someone when you flatter
them; your studies and practical experience complement each other when
they are mutually reinforcing.

Students often forget to make the link between what they claim to be able
to do and their actual experiences.

Be careful about using lingo from your previous professional experiences
and remember that the first person reading your application is a recruiter
who likely had a previous career as a lawyer, or similar professional
identity. They were probably not working in a lab testing strands of DNA,
nor immersed in the marketing discourse of an advertising firm, and are
therefore looking for information that explains what you have
accomplished, and your responsibilities, rather than your specialized
knowledge on these technical matters.

Passive tense and convoluted sentence structure. We have said it before,
and we will say it again. Think about what you want to say, and get to the
point immediately. Keep it simple – it is your strongest skill in advocacy.
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Student ABC
Address
Address
Date
Name of Recruiter, Title
Name of Employer
Address
Re: Application for Articling Position
Dear Ms/Mr Last Name of Recruiter,
Paragraph ONE: I am an internationally trained lawyer, and expect to be
qualified to article in Ontario as of Month and Year. I am interested in your
firm/office because … (here you provide an explanation of why you are applying
to them. You should have done research on the firm or office, and be able to
speak to their practice areas, culture, or anything else that appeals to you. If you
can tie it with your previous work or volunteer experience, or education, that is
most effective). The first paragraph should be only 3 or 4 lines.
Paragraph TWO and possibly Paragraph Three: Describe your skills and abilities
– make the link with your work experience so the reader has good reason to
believe your claims. See this as a demonstration of your advocacy and writing
skills.
Final Paragraph: Thank you very much for considering my application, and I
hope to hear from you soon.
Best Regards,
Student ABC
Encl: resume, transcripts
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RESUMES
What to Include
Similar to the cover letter, the recruiters are expecting you to present your
information in a format that is both easy to understand and read (meaning your
format should be clear, and your language/descriptions concise). There is a fair
bit of flexibility in designing your resume, but remember, you need to convey very
specific information in a manner that is easy to understand.
Font: Use a font that is easy to read (likely the same font as the cover letter).
Length: Canadian law student resumes are two pages.

If you have a one-page resume with which you are pleased, then keep it in
that format as law firms/offices the offices are increasingly seeing one-page
resumes.

Remember that you want to be strategic about information – the people
reviewing your application need to understand why they should interview you.

Rarely should you go to three pages.
Organization:

Format all information in reverse chronological order.

Generally, education comes first.

Organize the categories in a way that best highlights your achievements.

Format your information from one category to the next in the same way so
that the whole resume has consistency.
Technique:

Think about techniques for making the information easy to understand.

We suggest you: 1) bold the name of your schools and employers; 2) italicize
the position you held; and 3) bullet points for your responsibilities.

Remember, these are suggestions. You are free to develop your own style for
conveying the details in a clear, and accessible format
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Education:
 You are a candidate for a law degree at this stage, so write LL.B. Candidate
20XX or Bachelor of Laws Candidate 20XX

Include all your post-secondary education in reverse chronological order.

High school is no longer relevant – you are a professional now. We
acknowledge that it is difficult to delete the reference to valedictorian, and
scholarships, but we hope you have more recent experiences to highlight that
reflect your more recent achievements.
Awards and Scholarships:

If you have a list of awards, include them in a separate section.

If you have one or two awards/scholarships, consider including them under
the relevant University as a bullet point.
Employment:

When listing employment, include the city where the office is located –
especially if you have worked in different places.

Many students will not have had an opportunity to gain direct legal work
experience. Do not worry if most of your previous employment seems
unrelated. Describe your responsibilities and accomplishments in some detail,
and make the argument in your cover letter for the transferable skills you
developed as a result.

Try not to have gaps in your resume – if you spent a summer travelling, let
them know in the cover letter or with an entry in the resume.
Take time to consider how to describe your responsibilities:
The recruiters are looking for such traits as leadership, loyalty to an employer,
dedication, progression, trustworthiness, timeliness, and an ability to work under
pressure. Being a waiter or working on a construction crew certainly requires
these skills and it is up to you to communicate this information effectively.
Write careful descriptions of your jobs – translate technical jargon into accessible
language and ensure that a person completely unfamiliar with a specific position
can understand what you have achieved.
Be strategic – imagine the information a law firm needs to have in order to
consider interviewing you. Add it in.
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Volunteer Experience:
Include your volunteer work in a separate section, or include it with your other
experience if it is limited. In that case, be sure to call the section “Experience”. It
does not matter if it is paid or unpaid experience; it is the skills you gained in the
position. Describe your responsibilities if they have been extensive.
Languages:
 Include all the languages that you speak and be accurate about your
conversation level (oral, written, basic, intermediate, advanced, fluent etc.).

NOTE: do not include English as one of your languages as this is assumed.
Interests:
It is important to include your personal interests. Interviewers often turn to your
personal interests to initiate “small talk” conversations in an effort to make you
feel more comfortable at the beginning of an interview.

Be sure to be specific enough in your descriptions so that the conversation
can be focused.

Include any musical instruments that you play.

Include all sports in which you are actively involved.

If you write creatively, include a list of what you compose (fiction, poetry,
screenplays) regardless of whether you have published.

Be able to talk for at least 10 minutes about any of your interests.
Resumes: What to Exclude
When you are reviewing sample resumes, remember to look at them critically.
Most samples contain something that can be improved.
Do not include: birth date, citizenship, or marital status.
Note: For those of you with gender-neutral names, you may choose to put Ms. or
Mr. to avoid any confusion.

Do not inflate or misrepresent your responsibilities or titles.

Do not describe obvious jobs with any details (such as receptionist, cashier).
If, however, you were a cashier that handled over $100,000 in daily sales,
then you may wish to include this information.

Do not send in a picture of yourself.

Do not put “references available on request.”
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
Do not print your resume on double-sided paper. Firms put a pile of
applications through all at once, and will not see the materials are doublesided and copy only every other page.
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STUDENT ABC
Address ● Phone number ● Email
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
Member of the Bar of ?? (Tell the reader where you are qualified to practice)
NCA Candidate, 20?? (state the year you reasonably expect to be able to article)
University of 123, Faculty of Law
LL.B. 2004
 Awards (list your awards here – if the list becomes too cumbersome, you can have a
separate section for them)
University of 456
B.A. 2001 (Political Science)
WORK EXPERIENCE
Law Clinic, XYZ, Toronto, Ontario
Volunteer, 2007 – 2008
 Conduct intake interviews (remember, here you want to describe what you accomplished,
and your responsibilities)
 Legal research on landlord and tenant law
 Prepare clients for appearances at tribunals
Law Firm DEF, City, Country
Associate, 2004 - 2007
 Responsible for approximately 60 files ongoing in areas of family, criminal, and
immigration law
 Communicated with clients and regulatory officials
 Regular appearances in front of tribunals, trial courts, and courts of appeal
Company GHI, City, Country
Manager, 2002 – 2004
 Drafted and edited corporate publications
 Worked in a French language environment.
 Edited Alcan’s Sustainability Report (internet version)
Restaurant JKL, City, Country
Server, 200 – 2002
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Cancer Research Association, fundraising team, 2000 – 20006
Student Newspaper, Editor, 2004
Law Students Association, Treasurer, 2003
INTERESTS
Soccer; Movies (political thrillers, documentaries); Gardening
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T R AN S C R I P TS
Transcripts are usually needed for all applications when you are applying for
summer employment, articles or associate positions up to five years after your
Call to the Bar (all postsecondary transcripts including undergraduate, graduate
and law).
Order well in advance: Ensure you have requested your transcripts for law
school and your previous degrees well in advance (weeks, and even months) of
an application deadline.
We recommend internationally trained lawyers to request their transcripts
immediately as it could take months for them to arrive in Toronto.
Photocopies of your official transcripts are appropriate for your application
package; you do not need to purchase an original for each application.
REFERENCES
If an office does not require a reference letter, do not feel obligated to obtain one
if you do not have a reference already available. However, if you have a great
reference you should include it, even if the firm(s) did not explicitly request one.
How many reference letters? One or two references should be sufficient in
situations where references are required, unless otherwise specified by the
employer.
Choosing a Referee:
 It is important that a referee be able to speak about your academic or work
experience and your character generally.

Do not get a “character reference” which is one that speaks only to your
character. You want your referee to be able to comment on your professional
abilities and possibly compare you to your peers.

Your most recent employer is likely your best reference
Form/Content of Letter:
 A "To whom it may concern" letter is fine as a reference letter since the law
firms are expecting the students to apply to more than one firm. Your
references do not have the time to perform mail merge functions for you. You
can photocopy the original for your application packages.

For those referees who are new to writing references (and who ask you what
to put in the letter), a standard reference letter may consist of three or four
parts (one or two sentences each part) as follows:
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
how the referee knows the student and for how long;

a comment on the student's work/academic ability (if possible also
compare you to your peers);

a comment on the student's character generally; and

a comment on whether the referee would hire or work with this
student again.
Sending out the reference letter:
 There is generally no reason for a referee to mail references separately
(unless you are applying to graduate school, or for some clerkships).

Photocopying reference letters: You can include the letter in your
application package. Ask for a few signed copies and make photocopies as
necessary. Originals can be used for your preferred offices.
Note: If you know that your references were telephoned, a brief thank you
note or email is appropriate.

Please let your references know what happens – if or when you have a
position. They will be genuinely concerned about your success, and might
be a resource for you in the future.
DEFINITIONS
Articling - the practical legal training/employment that is required for entry to the
Bar in all provinces in Canada.
LSUC – Law Society of Upper Canada
NCA – National Committee on Accreditation; the body that assesses your
credentials as an internationally trained lawyer based on course of study, and
work experience.
The CLCDN would like to thank the Career Development Office at Osgoode Hall
Law School and the Career Development Office at the University of Toronto
Faculty of Law for the information contained in this guide.
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