Student ambassadors available for questions

[laskinlaw 3]

Four of us are student ambassadors (2x2L, 2x1L) and are going to share the load to answer any questions about the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead, so if you want to ask, go ahead!

 

Obviously, we won't be able to answer specifics about admissions (like your chances or when you should hear back) but happy to do our best to answer other questions - both for incoming students and anyone else.

[KryptoV 5]

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions!

 

I will be starting 1L in Sept. and I was wondering if there was anything you wished you had known or prepared for prior to beginning 1L.

 

Any hints or tips would be appreciated.

 

I have lived in TBay all my life (I even went to high school at PACI), so this question is more specifically about 1L as opposed to TBay life in general.

[manordlu11 30]

Good day, 

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.

I had written a thread previously with some questions I had, but I'll summarize the biggest ones here.

How does the legal market seem in Thunder Bay? Does it appear as though the two previous classes (2013, 2014) will saturate the market pretty quickly, or is it big enough that students should not have too much trouble finding work for the foreseeable future?

 

Are most students planning on working in Northwestern Ontario after graduation, or will a bunch of them migrate back to Southern Ontario?
 

Tuition is set at around $15 000. What can a student expect in the way of scholarships and bursaries, and to what extent is that based on entrance statistics?

 

What sort of extra-curricular activities does Lakehead Law offer its students. 

 

What is the curve?

 

What's an first-year associate's salary?

 

How has your overall experience been at Lakehead?
 

Thanks again for your time!

[laskinlaw 3]

Hi KryptoV, 

 

That is awesome that you went to high school at PACI - it is such a beautiful school! 

 

In regards to any hints or tips about 1L, I found that being organized was extremely important. Since we have a small student population, most of our classes are comprised of 30 students and we even have tutorials with around 10 students. This creates a great environment to learn and it also keeps you on your toes and motivates you to be prepared for class! Being organized from the beginning really helps with accomplishing all of the work. Everyone is different though, so everyone has their own style for staying on top of the workload and staying organized. Personally I liked limiting myself to a specific amount of time for certain readings in order to make sure I got everything done. Then, if I had extra time at the end of the day, I would go back over the things that gave me more trouble. In general, since Lakehead is a small school we have a really collaborative and supportive group of students, which really helps when you are starting out in 1L.

 

General tips and hints is a broad question and difficult to give a good answer to, so hopefully I helped a bit and if there is anything more specific you are looking for, feel free to reply!

 

Thanks! 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions!

 

I will be starting 1L in Sept. and I was wondering if there was anything you wished you had known or prepared for prior to beginning 1L.

 

Any hints or tips would be appreciated.

 

I have lived in TBay all my life (I even went to high school at PACI), so this question is more specifically about 1L as opposed to TBay life in general.

[KryptoV 5]

Hi laskinlaw,

 

Sorry, I knew it was a fairly broad question when I asked it. I assumed that if there was one huge thing it would have come to mind immediately and the fact that nothing did is reassuring.

 

Thanks!

[laskinlaw 3]

Hi Manordlu11,

 

The Thunder Bay legal community has been extremely supportive of our program and eager to aid us in anyway they can. There are quite a few local lawyers who get involved in our program, from being our mentor in our civil practice class to teaching a variety of 2L classes or even a soccer game against the Thunder Bay Law Association. These interactions provide us with opportunities to get to know the legal community and different lawyers on a one-on-one basis. Local lawyers and judges are able to get to know us, which is extremely helpful when it comes to searching for a job. 

 

The Thunder Bay job market will not become saturated with the two current classes graduating. There are a lot of opportunities for growth here in Thunder Bay, especially because the Thunder Bay Law Association is on the older side of the spectrum, they are looking for new lawyers to work with. Further, there are a lot of students who are signed up to do their placements all over Ontario, in a variety of cities. A number of these students will be migrating back to southern Ontario upon graduation. 

 

I will try and get back to you with respect to your question on bursaries, personally I know I received around $2,000.00 - but I will do my best to get you more concrete information in that regard. 

 

Since we are a small school it is so easy to get involved; there are a number of opportunities. I am very pleased with our student body and the clubs/groups we have created over the last year and a half. That being said, there are obviously plenty of opportunities to form new clubs, which is exciting all on its own. To name a few of our clubs: Law Students' Society, Northern Compass Student Newspaper; Indigenous Law Students Association; Lakehead University Environmental Law Students Association; and Lakehead University's Women in Law Club - plus a variety of other clubs. We also have a couple of soccer teams and weekly basketball in our own gym.

 

We do not have a curve. 

 

I am not entirely sure what you mean by a first-year associates salary, but if you are referring to either a 1L summer position or your salary upon graduation then it would be the same as any other student's or lawyer's salary. 

 

I have really enjoyed my time at Lakehead. It has been a great opportunity to be a part of something new. The small class sizes, community support, and the practical aspect of the program has been amazing and a great environment in which to learn. 

 

Hopefully I was able to give you the answers you were looking for - let us know if you need further clarification or have any other questions!

 

Thanks!  

 

Good day, 

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.

I had written a thread previously with some questions I had, but I'll summarize the biggest ones here.

How does the legal market seem in Thunder Bay? Does it appear as though the two previous classes (2013, 2014) will saturate the market pretty quickly, or is it big enough that students should not have too much trouble finding work for the foreseeable future?

 

Are most students planning on working in Northwestern Ontario after graduation, or will a bunch of them migrate back to Southern Ontario?
 

Tuition is set at around $15 000. What can a student expect in the way of scholarships and bursaries, and to what extent is that based on entrance statistics?

 

What sort of extra-curricular activities does Lakehead Law offer its students. 

 

What is the curve?

 

What's an first-year associate's salary?

 

How has your overall experience been at Lakehead?
 

Thanks again for your time!

[manordlu11 30]

Thanks for the answers, lots of information to consider!

[LSBound 0]

Hi there,

 

I have just been accepted and I'm wondering if it is possible to defer for a year.

 

Thank you!

[laskinlaw 3]

Hi LSBound,

 

Thanks for your question. As far as I am aware, deferrals are extremely rare and are considered on a case-by-case basis. I would recommend discussing deferrals in more detail with Annet. She will be able to give you a better idea of how the Faculty's deferrals process works. Her email address is: [email protected] .

 

Congratulations on your acceptance! Let us know if you have any more questions.

 

TT (1L)

 

Hi there,

 

I have just been accepted and I'm wondering if it is possible to defer for a year.

 

Thank you!

[laskinlaw 3]

The Lakehead Law: Class of 2018 Facebook page has officially launched! Make sure to join the group if you're an incoming student in September 2015! The Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeheadLawClassof2018/

[GnomeChomsky 8]

I don't suppose any of you would mind doing a "10 reasons to go to my school" and "10 reasons not to go to my school" in the school comparisons section.  Obviously you will probably want to do one of them under another profile, but it is something missing for Lakehead which the other schools have.  It would be very helpful.  Thanks.

[KryptoV 5]

I'll need to wait to join the FB group until after I give notice at work...don't wanna spill the beans too early!

[LawGirl807 0]

1. Are there any specific items/supplies you would recommend a 1L student purchase before the school year starts aside from the standard school supplies? 

 

2. Do you recommend buying books from Amazon or from the bookstore/ are used books available? 

 

[laskinlaw 3]

Hi LawGirl807, 

 

I would recommend buying tabs, they will become your best friend. As well as lots of the typical highlighters. 

 

In regards to books, there might be some second and third years who are looking to sell their books, so keep that in mind, if you don't mind a lightly used version. Otherwise, I have not found, for most books, that Amazon prices are much different than the price in the bookstore (although there are a couple exceptions). 

 

Personally, I have purchased quite a few books that weren't entirely necessary. If you are looking to save some money then the library will have the required and recommended textbooks on reserve, so that is a resource you can use. In addition, if you can wait until the first couple weeks are over to purchase your books then you will be in a position to determine how important the textbook is to the course material. Some classes will just have coursebooks, which in the past have been provided by the faculty with recommended textbooks as opposed to required. Once we get closer to September the required and recommended textbooks should be listed on Lakehead's library website. 

 

Hopefully that helps!

 

JE, 2L 

[puckhead 10]

Hi Folks - how have things gone in terms of getting decent summer jobs following 1L and 2L?

 

Thanks

[LawyerOfTomorrow 14]

Hi Folks - how have things gone in terms of getting decent summer jobs following 1L and 2L?

 

Thanks

 

 

Would really be interested in knowing this.

[LawyerOfTomorrow 14]

Additionally, if someone were interested in practicing in southern Ontario, or even Bay St.for that matter, would that be possible?

 

Have there been any placements and summer jobs in southern Ontario or on Bay?

[Pinkmst 2]

Hi, 2L student here.

 

I was able to get a post 1L summer job at a local firm in Thunder Bay. I would say about 40% of last year's 1L class landed summer legal jobs in either firms or clinics. The numbers are higher for the charter class (the year above me) because they got summer jobs after their first year and were able to keep those jobs after 2L, leaving fewer openings for my class coming in. 

 

As for working on Bay St. Lakehead is focused on Northern and Rural legal practise. If you want to work downtown Toronto you would be better off attending U of T, Queens, Windsor, etc. The curriculum at Lakehead is even geared to Aboriginal law, and sole practise. If your goal is to work on Bay St. I would re-consider choosing Lakehead.

[CanadianGypsy 19]

Additionally, if someone were interested in practicing in southern Ontario, or even Bay St.for that matter, would that be possible?

 

Have there been any placements and summer jobs in southern Ontario or on Bay?

 

Hi there,

 

I am a 3L at Lakehead. There are definitely placements and summer jobs in Southern Ontario, in other parts of the province, and summer jobs outside of the province, and I believe some students have gotten summer jobs on Bay (or close to it!). I disagree with Pinkmst. Lakehead prepares you with a hands on learning experience that will help you excel in any size firm, anywhere in the country (except Quebec of course). At this point, however, it will likely be more difficult to find work in a larger firm because we're such a new school, but there will be a few years of Lakehead grads in the workforce by the time you graduate, so it may be different by then!

 

I personally was set on the Bay Street path when I started at Lakehead, but I've since changed my mind. I'm summering at a really great mid-size firm, and now prefer to stick with a firm around this size. I'm not sure what your goals are with working at Bay Street (money? prestige? location? life goal?), but I can assure you that many of these goals can be achieved outside of Bay Street. 

[laskinlaw 3]

Hi All,

 

3L Ambassador here to chime in re: summer jobs/placements.

 

The first two classes have had a range of great summer jobs post 1L and 2L. Not only has the Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario scene been very receptive to summer students, but students have found jobs in Toronto (on and off Bay), Hamilton, Windsor and Ottawa as well as out of province. The work, as well as the locations, is varied and represents a good cross section of many areas of law. Going into the first year of 3L placements, it looks to be a similar dynamic.

 

From what I have heard and experienced so far, the program can set you up nicely for a variety of locations and legal fields. The school does a good job of emphasizing mandate areas in course offerings and curriculum (Aboriginal Law, Environmental Law, Northern and small town practice...), however this is by no means a bar to pursuing what you want, where you want.

 

If you want more information, or more specifics please feel free to PM me.