Rejected yesterday evening, notified via email. 157 LSAT, 3.71/4 cGPA, 3.72 L2. Applied general.

It might push the needle in your favour, but I wouldn’t risk it. At the end of the day there’s no exact science to how things go on the recruiter’s end. One recruiter in Calgary explicitly told me that seeing a borderline candidate apply to the Toronto and Calgary offices of their firm was the deciding factor in not inviting them for an interview. Interpret it how you want. My personal sense is that not stellar grades + doing law school in Ontario is enough raise eyebrows upon seeing that you’re applying to both Calgary and Toronto offices. 

Thanks for your update - I just added the point that I have been in Alberta with family and friends up till high school, and my undergrad + law school is in Ontario. Anything changes with this?

With your grades, applying to all big law firms in Calgary and Toronto strikes me as almost guaranteeing that you won’t get any interviews from either city. I don’t know what school you’re at, but unfortunately your grades seem too low to get Toronto big law interviews. Calgary firms will see that you’re applying to their Toronto offices and this will be a red flag, signalling to them that you’re not committed to staying in Calgary, and this may be a strong reason for not interviewing you.    As your grades would probably give a better chance in Calgary, my advice is to apply to only to Calgary offices and not to Toronto offices. Still, big law might be a reach at this point, so consider applying broadly.

It's May. Your best bet for a relevant summer job at this juncture is approaching professors to do a research assistant kind of thing. Maybe one of them has idle research funds and could use a hand. Big law may be a reach for you. Apply as broadly as possible. You're not disqualified from getting the job you want by any means, but you are not particularly well-situated for it and applying to the greatest number possible is the single biggest boost you can give to your chances of ultimately landing something in the recruit. 

I also did not know anyone...until I started building my own network by reaching out to alums and Canadians working in NY. It's never too late to start networking. Even if you don't secure a job this time around, establishing contacts in the NY market will be helpful when you want to move down later. 

Hi everyone! Currently overwhelmed so glad to get some insight over 2 areas I am working through right now:   1) 1L Summer Jobs - I applied to almost all firms in the last 1L recruit in Toronto and Calgary but didn't get to hear back from any of them. Happy to note any connections, advice, or tips for getting a job this summer. I am pretty flexible with field/practice-area (law firm, in-house, banking, etc.), location, time, and pay/benefits this summer. Add: I have been in Alberta with family and friends up till high school, and my undergrad + law school is in Ontario. 2) 2L Recruit - I'll be taking part in the upcoming 2L recruit for Toronto and Calgary. With that I just got my 1L grades which give me between a B and B- as my overall 1L average. With an equal amount of Bs and B-'s with a few B+'s, I have a C+ and D+ in Legal Ethics and Indigenous so I am concerned how would my overall application stand? What should I do to make this situation better? I've took part in negotiation + moot competitions, pro bono work, and an executive role in my law school's corporate law club throughout my 1L. I also have client service/work experiences from the past 5 years, which includes real estate sales from the past 3 years onwards and [before that] retail banking and fast-food service all during undergrad.   I am focussed on either big law/corporate (due to my work background) or government (litigation or prosecution) for the 2L recruit, but I'm not sure if I need to stay open/stick with one field or reconsider altogether. Great to hear from y'all! Thanks