So, im in a burnout phase rn.

Im currently on my 4th month in articling, only have 8 weeks left, but i feel like i reached my limit.

My articling principal is very difficult to deal with, everytime i want to ask him a question about a case it's like gambling: he will listen and explain or he will scream at me to figure it out myself (usually the latter). Last monday, he forced me to write something that goes against my obligations as an articling, well i didnt write like he wanted to and he exploded on me, he screamed so loudly that the whole building could hear it, it was a dehumanizing experience. Ever since, i feel like i reached my limit: i throw up from anxiety every morning, i wake up and i break down, i cant focus, i do stupid mistakes, im constantly exhausted.

I know being a lawyer is tough and i need to toughen up and blablabla but i swear i cant. I want to ask for 3 days off but he gave me so many cases to take care of that im scared that he will just put it all on me when im back and explode at me again. Should i take a few days off and only come back Friday even if i have work to do?

I really feel like i reached my limit, he's constantly treating me like shit and criticizing me. Note that last week he screamed at me because i wrote an analysis based on a credit report and he didnt want me to follow what the credit report of the company was saying ??? A few days later i asked to check smt about the said company and it fucking went bankrupt like i said on my fucking analysis. Well when he noticed that, he only said that we came to the conclusion on the analysis that the company would likely go bankrupt but NO he didnt???? He literally screamed at me for concluding that and now that im right he takes all the credit and just continues criticizing my work. Then he blames me for not giving enough conclusions and propositions but no shit if he's always screaming at me. Anyways, should i take a 3 days break and only come back Friday, even if i have work to do?

Even with all of that i feel bad too bad to not show up, i need advices on wether i should listen to my body and take a little break or just go.

Silly little question but my Brain is fried and I don’t want to read through the manuals if someone else already knows the answer:

Are there different guidelines provided to crown prosecutors between the provinces? If there are differences, are they only relating to differences in regulatory offences rather than prosecutorial standards?

For example: would an Albertan crown prosecutor operate according to different factors to determine public interest versus an Ontarian crown versus a Manitoban crown?

Other than Forte/Guo, has anyone come across cases of law society discipline as a result of improper social media usage? Looking for cases for a paper I am writing and have hit a wall - TIA!

Two Police officers left a Occurrence number card in my mail box PRxxxxxxxxxxxx, they where from Brampton 21 division. whenI emailed the officder he did not provide a reason for the occurrence number. what can be done?

It’s surprising to me that so many firms still stick to using physical minute books instead of adopting software. Honestly, I can’t help but wonder what advantage physical books still have in today’s digital world. Personally, I don’t think it’s about cost. It feels more like a hesitation or even fear of change.

Anyone have any recent experience scheduling a long trial in Toronto? I have a scheduling court appearance in late January 2025 to set pre-trial and trial dates and we estimate trial to be 3-4 weeks.

Just curious about when approx Toronto is scheduling long trials and how far out.

Thanks

I got interviews with a couple firms from the formal 2L recruit, but unfortunately I didn’t get any offers… however, I applied to the post formal recruit and got zero interviews…not sure what happened there, but I’m feeling confused and a bit let down.

hey there

i will be applying to law school in the near future (anywhere from 2-3 years from now). Im an American citizen raised in Canada, and currently go to a canadian school (UofT).

ive heard about how law isnt the best for money always, which im def not doing it for the money per say as i have a genuine interest in law and working in law. however, money is still important to me.

is it better to be a lawyer in the US? i feel like as much as id love to stay in canada, part of me wants to move to the states and find opportunities there. its the states! and though i love canada given my citizenship it might open opportunities for me.

if you could work in the states would you? what are the benefits?

What kind of money do you make coming right out of law school? Is it possible to make mid 100k a few years after finishing?

So, I applied to Rotman as my first choice since my main goal is to get into investment banking or consulting. But if that doesn’t work out, my backup plan is to aim for law school after undergrad.

I’ve heard that majors like Stats, which involve a lot of math, are super tough to get good grades in at U of T.

Since GPA and LSAT scores are key for law school, do you think it’s better to go with Social Science as my second choice? That way, I could do a major like Econ or Poli Sci, which might give me a better shot at law school.

https://preview.redd.it/u8150dm7xa4e1.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4918b72795f31c2db2a81a8f93a9d22c1a274568

https://preview.redd.it/e97w6qkuw94e1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=855045594c54e3b3bbe849c4552ad636665f4705

I have heard the market for articling and for new calls is rough. Any advice in job searching for a practicing lawyer looking to transfer from a prairie province to BC/Victoria? How many years of experience would you need to be competitive?

Hello! Has anyone had success with 2L transfer? Can you help a brother out?

-Good grades -strong province tie

What else should I do?

Hi all,

I’m a 2023 law grad from the UK that has completed national equivalency exams while working as a Judicial Assistant in the criminal and civil divisions in the ACOJ, for over a year now. I have a strong CV, academic and judicial references but my network is small. The Judges I work with are all very supportive and encouraging and have reached out to their previous firms inquiring for possible opportunities, unfortunately all I get back is “we’re not hiring students right now” or “we currently have too many students hired”. I have applied to legal aid in edmonton and calgary, have joined the mentorship program with the canadian bar association, and continue to observe random court sessions during my breaks to use every opportunity I have to learn something and possibly network with practicing lawyers. I don’t know what to do next. I feel discouraged. Does anyone have any tips that would help me secure articles? What would set my cold call email apart? What do principals want to see/hear? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

Just wondering how common my experience is. Love my job but I’m feeling so unmotivated because the legal assistants at the firm seem to really not want to work with me and do it in a way where the lawyers are unaware of how badly I have been feeling.

Hi. I have a few questions. First here is some details. There was a minor fender bender collision that occurred in a construction zone in Edmonton where 2 lanes were supposed to zipper merge into one lane. I have dash camera footage showing I was in the lane already when the other driver hit my car. Other driver clearly closed the gap that existed which is what caused it. After we got our vehicles onto a service road, I flagged down a nearby police officer who helped mediate the dispute and exchange of information as other driver was unreasonable. Other driver had no issues getting out of his vehicle to discuss with police officer and stated he was not injured at the time. Damage to my car was so minimal I did not even get it repaired and still have the same car with same dent. Damage to his car was only scratches and most of that was scuff marks on the dirty paint.

Now I am served with a lawsuit where this moron is claiming all kinds of bullshit injuries, loss of income/future income, etc.

Alberta government is recently stating they are going to a No-Fault Insurance system so this just seems to be coincidental to that public news. Its as if all the slimeballs are coming out of the woodwork to cash in as much as possible before the inevitable job losses to the legal system as many cases like this would not be possible under No Fault system.

My questions:

1. The date they posted on the letter they served me has the wrong date (wrong year). Is that a valid reason to have case thrown out? Can I just say I have no idea what accident they are talking about on that wrong date?
2. What is the statute of limitations on this type of thing?
3. Can I just go to the court and fill out my defence statement and ask the court to dismiss this as a frivolous lawsuit and abuse of court time?
4. Should I go to expense of hiring a lawyer? If I hire a lawyer should I just counter sue this asshole for everything he has?

I cannot understand why our legal system actually allows this kind of harassment. I am so fed up and stressed out. I already suffer from depression and anxiety and this is just making everything so much worse.

Can somebody give me some honest answers please. Thank you.

I’m at a largeish all service firm in a mid-sized city. Currently articling but am struggling to decide if I want to be placed in the litigation or corporate group as an associate since I enjoy both.

So far I’ve gathered the main pros and cons for each group:

Corporate

Pros: less write downs so easier to meet revenue target for bonus, opportunities to earn through BD, often collaborative rather than adversarial, don’t have to go to court

Cons: less predictability in schedule and busy periods, difficult to take vacation, demanding clients, need to work to find work and be staffed on files

Litigation

Pros: tons of work available so easy to bill lots and stay busy, sometimes really interesting files

Cons: adversarial and slow process which I find frustrating, repetitive insurance defence would be large part of practice in first few years

Sometimes I think lit is for me because I’m a stronger at research than drafting contracts so far. On the other hand, I have anxiety around public speaking and don’t think I’d enjoy going to court.

ALSO, I really would like to keep the most amount of exit options open which makes me lean more towards corporate.

Am I missing anything? What do you wish you knew if you were choosing again.

Hi everyone,

I am looking for advice from lawyers/people with experience and insight to provide.

I am a graduating L3 in Quebec City but probably relocating to Montreal if possible. I have worked for law firms as a student my entire law school career. I am currently at a small boutique law firm that does very specific type of law (think immigration/labour/family). I am in no way certain that I want to practice in that field, although I don’t hate it I would ideally explore a little bit more.

I did not get good enough grades throughout law school to really stand out and go to big law to be able to explore in that way, but I was wondering if anyone has strong thoughts if in the state of the market am I better off accepting an articling position where I am at and moving on in a year or two? Trying to find a job post-articling?

I lacked a bit motivation the first 2 years hence my mediocre results in school, but I am a strong worker and everyone has always been happy with my work in the law firms I worked at.

I want something solid, not to make me rich right away but at last be able to pay my bills and start paying my debts off.

Thank you to everyone that takes the time to provide me with their perspective.

I'm currently a 3L at a Montreal university and i've finally determined which fields interest me the most. As an artist, I really want to practice in intellectual property and business law either in private or in-house. However, as someone who also loves games it would be a dream to practice law for a video game company.

Montreal has many companies in the field but I barely see any opportunities available before bar school articling. I was wondering if anyone had experience in the field and could tell me how they got into it or their career path in general. Also, what is your practice like in terms of hours worked and a typical day at work?

Thank you in advance!

EDIT: wording/spelling.

As a paralegal student preparing to get my license later this year, I’ve been contemplating whether pursuing law school in Ontario is truly worth it. I genuinely enjoy learning and the academic environment, but I can't help but worry about the financial implications of law school compared to the potential career outcomes. Is the significant time and financial investment in law school justified, or is it better to build a solid and fulfilling career as a licensed paralegal? I want to ensure that the effort I put into further education translates into a good financial outcome, and I wonder if staying within the scope of paralegal practice in Ontario would be just as rewarding without the added burden.

pls give me opinions lol!

I'm 4-7 years in (being vague deliberately) and feeling burnt out. I absolutely know I don't want to build a litigation practice though I don't mind supporting a senior lawyer forever, but I know this is unrealistic because it's uneconomical.

What are some alternative career options? I know a senior litigation partner from McCarthys went in-house a few years ago but this certainly is not the norm for litigators. I've always had an interest in real estate so am considering real estate development but uncertain how to jump in exactly.

I'm really struggling here and would appreciate some guidance. Thank you.

This is my first and probably only time posting.

I am a new call and looking for tips from my fellow colleagues on how to make through the first few years when everything is new, unclear and daunting.

When did you find it gets better? Did you set boundaries with work?

Hi all! I’m currently in law school in the US (Hawaii) but was born n raised in BC. Embarrassing I’m unfamiliar with the process of becoming a lawyer in Canada.

As of right now, I know I want to take the bar for BC and Hawaii but amore familiar with the American process.

Does anyone know when the 2025 administrative call dates are? Has the LSO shifted to admitting people on rolling basis now rather than set dates? If that is the case does any know how long it typically takes to be called once you’ve submitted your application for an administrative call?