The Career Development Office seeks to assist students in finding rewarding and meaningful employment. Among its many services and resources, the CDO provides one-on-one counselling to discuss your career options and job search strategy. In addition, our office provides job postings, programs and events, as well as guides to help you in each stage of your job search and application.
Please note: the U of T job board/database is password protected. All current U of T law students have access to the system. If you are a current student and do not have your password for the UTLC system, please contact the CDO at cdo.law@utoronto.ca.
Job Postings
The CDO solicits and advertises job postings throughout the year for summer, part-time, and articling opportunities. Available positions are posted in the Jobs section of UTLC. Students in search of employment should check the job board regularly.
First Year Summer Jobs
Information regarding first year law firm positions is prepared annually in December and distributed by the CDO as a handout. Students can find job postings and a 1L Employment Guide on UTLC.
Although recruitment for first year summer positions is minimal, there are several recruitment processes in which students can participate, including those for summer positions in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and several small cities in Ontario. The CDO delivers several programs and produces multiple guides to inform students on the timing nature of these recruits.
Second Year Summer Jobs
For the vast majority of students, second year is the one in which their legal ambitions begin to become clear. It is also the year in which the greatest number of recruitment cycles takes place, including for both summer and articling positions.
Law firm recruitment for second year students occurs in the fall of each year. The CDO makes available a Second Year "Summer Employment Guide" that is designed to provide you with the basic information required to pursue these positions. The guide, which also offers valuable tips about effective application and interview strategies, is available in the Document Library of UTLC.
Students will have the opportunity to pursue a wide variety of positions in private practice, government, public interest and more in cities across the country. For information regarding the placement rates and employment trends of our students, including a list of employers with which our students secured summer employment, please go to Career Statistics.
Detailed information regarding the various options noted above will be made available throughout second year by way of programs, e-mail communication and written resources.
Third Year Articling Positions
Students who intend to practice law in any province in Canada must spend a specified period of time as an articled law student. Articling terms usually last between 10 - 12 months and commence in the summer/fall following a student's graduation from law school. Our students enjoy an outstanding articling placement rate. The majority of students article with medium to large full-service firms, but many students also satisfy the articling requirement at boutique firms or by clerking with a variety of courts across Canada.
The CDO delivers an Articling Information Session in March of each academic year. In addition, the office produces a number of guides, which pertain to the various articling cycles in cities and provinces across Canada. All job postings, articling handbooks and the national summary of key articling dates are housed in the Resource Library on UTLC.
