Hi, can anyone who has worked as legal counsel in the office of general counsel (or equivalent) at a big 4 accounting firm speak about their experience? How does it it compare to other in-house roles? Are these roles internal to the form, billable client facing, or both? How's the work-life balance? Is the work interesting? Anything else that might be worth considering?

hi i'm a recent crim grad and am exploring my options in the legal world. i wanted to be a lawyer but due to health issues i don't think i can dedicate the time needed for it, as well as the expenses. are there any other law clerks here who have a degree in crim? just looking for what the experience in school is like and what being a law clerk is like. i would most likely do an online program at seneca or george brown.

Hi guys just wondering if any of you know whether per diem crown attorney can qualify for a full-time crown attorney position?

Crown Attorney positions have Step 1 filter

Step 1: All regular/fixed-term OCAA and ALOC lawyers on staff, current Redeployment List Members and current Articling Student Hireback Pool Members.

I know its 3 months away but I'm quite nervous - I'm finishing my 2L year but I feel like I know nothing - I sort of "winged" my way through the legal research and writing 1L course at my law school since it was super easy....but now I feel like I will be caught out.

I know that research is a big part of a summer associate's role - my research process right now is just randomly typing in key words into Westlaw and LexisNexus, and then clicking as many slightly relevant cases as possible to skim over. I know this is super amateur and inefficient - what are some sample research questions/memos that I can "practice" on my researching and then comparing my answers to the final memo?

How do you all reckon I prepare for a 2L Summer position?

Long story short, I had a horrible law school experience due to mental health issues. Had zero drive, interest, or career goals. Graduated from U of T at the bottom of the class. After graduating, I decided not to take the bar exam or article and have been searching for jobs ever since. Turns out, a humanities degree gets you nowhere. A JD without a license gets you nowhere. I've tried thinking of alternate careers I'm interested in- teacher, therapist, librarian. I like the idea of being in a helping profession and feeling fulfilled by work does matter to me. Unfortunately these fields pay pennies and have other difficulties like job scarcity. Also thought about learning to code- I'm not technical-minded but was studious enough to do well in mathy subjects. Maybe doable, requires a lot of self-directed work, but payoff is high if I can hack it.

IDK. I feel so lost. Should I just try to make my way back to law? How would I even explain my year of floundering after law school?

Edit: I know I sound very directionless, and I am. Had well-off parents so I wasn't pushed to seriously consider how I was going to make money. Very impacted by mental health for years. This is my fault. But before anyone gets jealous my parents went bankrupt and now I'm left to fend for myself, which I guess is the push I need to get my act together.

just wondering if anyone heard back from firms yet? The thread on canlawforum seems to be quiet as well…

I'm a 10 year call who has exclusively practiced general lit and employment at a midsized firm in a major city, not Toronto or Vancouver. We've recently started a family and my priorities have completely shifted. Work-life balance is now at the forefront. I want my kid to have a dad.

Navigating career success in law has thankfully been a narrow proposition so far: bill, originate, profit. I'm good at those things.

When I look at in house postings online, I see a lot of posts for M&A and securities types and worry that 10 years of lit may limit my opportunities.

Ideally, I'm looking for a role where I can manage a lit portfolio and leave the grunt work to external counsel. Though, I'm skilled enough to do front line work, if needed. I would also like the long term upside of a business management role. Is that a real job? If so, how do I go about finding it?

Throwaway for obvious reasons.

If you have been paying attention to the clown show south of your border, you know what is happening to federal civil servants.

I've been with the government in a non-litigation role for a long time, with in-house experience before that. While I hope our system holds and laws are upheld, recent history doesn't make me feel too confident, so I'm making backup plans.

I've considered moving internationally for a long time, but my profession doesn't provide many easy options. So I'm brainstorming JD-preferred roles that could open some doors.

It's been a long time since I've been in the job market, and frankly, I didn't think I would ever leave my current job, so this is all very sudden and unexpected (and sad). I'd like to stay in a job doing public service at a non-profit or company that does something beneficial for society, but I don't know where to start my search. I don't even know if a US attorney with administrative law experience is something anyone would want unless they were licensed to practice in Canada.

I guess I'm asking whether anyone thinks it's a waste of time and, if not, what type of positions I should look for?

Hello,

I graduated from the Law program at the University of Cambridge (UK) and am currently in the process of getting my Certification of Qualification from the National Committee of Accreditation.

I’ve come across numerous threads about the challenges UK law graduates face in securing articling positions in Canada, particularly in Toronto. At the same time, I’ve read that having attended a top university offers some advantages.

With that in mind, I would appreciate any insights on law firms in Toronto that tend to look favorably upon Oxbridge graduates. Additionally, if you have any recommendations on firms I should consider applying to for articling, pls share. Thank you in advance!

My employer very generously has recently told me they will pay for whatever education (certificate program, courses etc - basically anything short of a full LLM) I want, so long as it is related in some way to corporate law, business or finance. It also doesn't have to be in any particular province, or limited to Canada.

Obviously, this is great, and I would like to take them up on the offer. I know Osgoode offers some short courses and certificate programs, but where else can I look for similar courses (in Canada or elsewhere)?

Unfortunately, when I try to google this, most results I get are for JD/LLB/LLM programs, and I can't find much for established lawyers.

Let me know if you know if any interesting courses, programs, or certificates that I could look into, or where a good place to search would be

I’m an incoming law student at UCalgary for 2025 and have some questions about a career in corporate law. I want to do this type of law, and I’m aware that there’s a big corporate legal market in Calgary. However, I am wondering of a potential transition to Vancouver eventually. Reason being, I have been in Calgary most of my life, and would like to get a change in lifestyle and scenery as I would in Vancouver. Is this possible in law? Is it complicated because of bar licenses, and how much would the quality of life diminish? I know how cheaper cost of living in Calgary is compared to Vancouver, I guess I’m just asking for an opinion and if anyone has done this. I’m not completely set on moving to Vancouver, I am simply just weighing my potential options in the future.

I make a good salary as in-house, good company with challenging work. I asked about what the future looks like though for expanding my role beyond just compensation, or other ways I can build my leadership skills and was basically told I was describing the existing GC role.

I do good work, but it’s hard not to feel demotivated if this is far as the role is going to take me, or if they aren’t looking for me to take on additional responsibilities.

I appreciate the honesty, but also was definitely one of the stranger career conversations I’ve had. Mostly posting to see if other in-house just had to keep moving companies to continue that career momentum?

Hi all!

I’m aware of the ZSA private practice lawyer salary guide, but it only covers the bigger cities in Canada. Does anyone here know how the associate salaries run for corporate firms in Winnipeg?

Thanks in advance!

I am a 1L mature student. My employment history is solely criminal related. I recently did a mock interview through the CBA and was advised that without meeting me, one would assume I want to practice criminal law, however, I want to go corporate.

Should I have a professional development section on my resume with business/corporate law related seminars and workshops to show I am leaning somewhere other than criminal?

Company/ benefits/ base/ package/ perks wise. My friend says Canadian pay is not even close to US pay and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who makes 250k base at less than a GC level.

I want three things out of my future career:

- Interesting work that I care about: helping people, dealing with real problems, seeing an impact of my work. (My background is pumps and pipes, and I never want to think about them again)

- Freedom to start my own firm/business/thing at some point.

- Lucrative (400k+ a year) with some semblance of a life (I want to be a good parent and have time for me).

What area of law would give me that? Is this even possible? If you had to guide a first year law student on what steps to take to achieve these three things in their career what would you tell them? What things would they have to do?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sentencing-hitmen-murder-former-air-india-suspect-malik-1.7443497

Are these two decisions conflicting each other?

It seems the Ontario case doesn’t consider the relevant factors such as those discussed in the Alberta appeal.

Ontario (Ministry of Transportation) v. Celadon Canada Inc, 2009 ONCJ 465

https://canlii.ca/t/25vhj

Total Oilfield Rentals Limited Partnership v Canada (Attorney General), 2014 ABCA 250

https://canlii.ca/t/g8lnl

Hello! I am an American citizen considering immigrating to Canada. I have a J.D. and administrative law experience. I do not want to become licensed to practice in Canada. Are there fields in which I could work where having an American Law degree would benefit? I am very open to any field where my degree might be useful. Thank you!

Hello, I will be starting law school in the fall and would like to practice in corporate law in Calgary ideally. I’m wondering how much corporate lawyers actually make here, as I’m unsure how accurate the salaries on google are. Thank you!

I have questions about the Legal Aid Ontario roster. If you are a lawyer on the roster, do you receive enough legal aid certificates to sustain your practice and your living expenses? How many legal aid certificates do you receive in a month on average? Are there periods of time where you don't receive any legal aid certificates?

Is modelling a memo after the writing and citation style of a factum generally accepted or should the academic citation guide be used instead?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/two-girls-who-pleaded-guilty-in-alleged-fatal-swarming-sentenced-to-probation/

As someone who does not practice in this area, for those who are familiar with the criminal justice system, can you explain this? It seems like a vastly unpopular outcome, not only on Reddit, but in the public as well.

Hi all! Hopefully this post doesn't seem "dumb" but it is a genuine question.

I'm a 23 year old who has come to a crossroads in my career. I've worked in automotive sales and finance since I was 19 and now I'm looking to do a career change. I recently got admitted into a paralegal diploma program, although I also want to gain some experience in the field to ensure I'm making the right decision for myself. I want to make a long term career shift.

What are my chances of landing a role such as a "legal assistant" to get my foot into the door? I want to work at a firm while I'm in school so I can gain some experience, as well as work in the career sector that I'm now interested in to determine what it entails. I also do live alone and need to support myself financially while I'm in school.

I'm incredibly passionate but I come from no experience. Everyone starts somewhere and I don't quite have a blueprint yet but gaining some sort of experience to me is very important. I don't care too much about pay, more so about the experience.

Is there any hope for me? Should i write out letters to various firms expressing my eagerness to learn and work?

Hi All - what is the market rate salary and benefit package (if there’s one) for first year call in private practice?

I know it’ll be a big range, but according to ZSA lawyer salary guide for 2024 released in June 2024, small firm would be $90,000; mid sized firm: $110,000 and large firm: $130,000.

Does it sound reasonable? Is that a reliable source?

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

Edit: this will be in the GTA area. Sorry, wasn’t clear in my original post. Also, I’m particularly interested in small firms.

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2025/2025onsc424/2025onsc424.html

Talk about an unusual history.

"He has yet to pay outstanding costs orders. He has been unrelenting in his pursuit of the insurance proceeds despite the clear order of Nishikawa J. that he is not entitled to them. After failing the first time, he tried again before Nishikawa J. He appealed both of her decisions unsuccessfully. Then he tried bankruptcy proceedings. Then he tried assessment proceedings. In each case, he has acted against a party under disability. He has repeatedly sought to prevent the party from being properly represented. Courts have found his behaviour to be shocking. That he is a lawyer taking steps against an incapacitated former client exceeds that description, in my view. His unrelenting efforts to obtain the ATE insurance proceeds to pay his ever-increasing costs claims are frivolous, vexatious, and decidedly an abuse of this court’s process."

Curious what in-house lawyers make in Canada? We (Counselwell) and ZSA Legal Recruitment just published the 2025 Canadian In-House Lawyer Salary Report and it's free to download!

In this free report, based on 759 survey submissions, you'll find a ton of clear, practical, and easy-to-understand compensation metrics for the Canadian in-house legal community.

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➡️ Trends from 2024
➡️ Top-paying industries
➡️ Lowest-paying specialties
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Feel free to comment here with any questions!

Avi
Founder, Counselwell