Frequently Asked Questions

After first year, the choice of courses is entirely optional (within certain academic requirements). The breadth of theoretical and practical courses offered at U of T Law means that students specialize only to the extent they wish to.

Although the Faculty does not offer specializations or programs of focus available at other law schools, the expertise of our Faculty is unparalleled.  

The richness of upper year courses is the heart of our JD program.  The breadth and diversity of the curriculum offered allows students to craft programs of study tailored to their individual needs and ambitions.

Students may select from amongst more than 100 upper year courses each year, including those as fundamental as Evidence Law and Business Organizations to those as unique and varied as Financial Crimes; Comparative Anti-Terrorism and National Security Law; Law, Religion and Public Discourse; and Modern Political Trials.  In addition, the Faculty's commitment to ensuring that our leading academics are in the classroom means that students study with the leaders in the field across a wide array of subject matters including law and development, corporate law, health law, family law, criminal law and other areas too numerous to mention.  The Faculty is also extremely fortunate to be supported by an outstanding array of adjunct professors who shape their fields and who bring a sophisticated understanding of legal realities to the classroom.  Their courses include topics as diverse as International Arbitration, Animal Rights, Freedom of Expression and the Press, and International Criminal Law.  Finally, one of the Faculty's defining features is its broad transnational engagement.  The Distinguished Visiting Faculty Program, which brings the world's leading scholars and jurists to the law school, is one expression of this engagement.  Distinguished Visitors have included some of the most influential jurists, scholars and legal thinkers from Canada and around the world.

If you have a specific are of interest, the Faculty will be able to satisfy it.  If you would like more information about the Faculty's curriculum, please refer to Academic Programs.

Students select upper year courses based on their academic interests and goals, providing they meet the academic requirements. For example:

• A student interested in litigation and dispute settlement might select courses such as Alternative Dispute Resolution, Advanced Civil Litigation Strategies, Trial Advocacy, and Negotiation. This could be supplemented by participation in the first year voluntary moots, and the second year compulsory and competitive moots. This student may also join one of our numerous advocacy-focused extra-curricular activities.
• A student with an interest in international issues might study Comparative Constitutional Law, International Law and Compliance, International Trade Regulation, Public International Law, and Private International Law. This could be augmented by participation in a International Human Rights Program working group during the year. During the summer, the student could pursue an International Human Rights Program Summer Fellowship or the Dr. Scott Guan Work in China Fellowship. This student could also get involved in the student-run International Law Society. 

Each year, approximately 20 percent of the class participates in at least one combined degree. Employers may consider a combined degree advantageous since it gives students insight into different but related disciplines. Students are able to demonstrate to employers specialized knowledge and perspectives in an area other than law.

For example, many law firms with corporate departments hire students with a combined JD/MBA degree because of the business expertise those students can bring to the firm. Similarly, firms specializing in family law or government departments dealing with children may welcome someone who has also obtained a MSW in addition to their law degree.

Explore the full list of combined programs offered by the law school here.

If you are considering a joint degree, we strongly encourage you to reach out to upper year students or alumni to find out how they feel they benefitted and whether it assisted them in obtaining the career you are hoping for. Pursuing an additional degree is never a guarantee that particular employers will hire you. However, if you choose to pursue a joint degree because of genuine interest, and can articulate to prospective employers a strong rationale for your decision to pursue it, this can certainly serve to bolster your application.

Finally, make sure you speak to both the admissions staff in the other Faculty, as well as Assistant Dean Sara Faherty here at the law school, to ensure you are eligible for the program, confirm important deadlines, and discuss what a joint degree will mean for your upper-year law course planning options.

Our strong academic reputation is well understood by prospective employers and our graduates enjoy tremendous success in securing placements at law firms and industry, public interest and government departments. U of T Law also has a remarkable placement rate for judicial clerkships at all levels of courts.  See our Career Statistics page for detailed information in this regard.

By graduation each year, on average over 95% of the class has secured an articling placement, a pre-requisite to being called to the various provincial bars. Furthermore, our graduating classes typically enjoy the highest rate of placement at the time of graduation of any Ontario law school.

In the first year following graduation from the JD program, students must article in order to fulfill the requirements for being called to the bar of a Canadian province. The CDO will assist you in obtaining an articling position, whether in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, London, Ottawa, or any other Canadian city.

Also, some articling employers offer second-year summer employment programs, which for many law students translates into meaningful work experience and an offer of an articling position upon graduation.

Students should carefully consider their articling options in order to find an employer that will give them the background, guidance, and training they need.

The CDO provides resources including:

• up-to-date articling and summer employment guides and handbooks
• information packages about employment opportunities in major cities
• resumé writing and interview skills seminars, as well as individual sessions with a career advisor
• an individual review of your application package and discussion of interview strategies, including mock interviews
• annual career fairs and “on campus” virtual interview programs

The CDO compiles current information on articling and associate salaries. We often advise our students on salary expectations.

• Articling salaries in Toronto range from approximately $35,000 to $100,000 per year.
• Students who article with a mid- to large-size Toronto law firm earn about $75,000 to $100,000 a year.
• Articling salaries outside of Toronto, and in particular, outside of Ontario are lower.

Yes. Our law school is accredited not only by the Law Society of Ontario - the governing body for the Ontario legal profession - but other provincial and territorial law societies throughout Canada.

But legal governing bodies in each province have varying requirements for admission to the practice of law. You should contact the specific law society to which you seek admission to confirm their requirements, however, each provincial law society requires some period of articling following completion of a Canadian law degree.

A good place to begin your search on the different requirements of each provincial body is at the website of the Canadian Federation of Law Societies of Canada. 

In a nutshell, it depends. Like the different provincial law societies, each state has its own entrance requirements, particularly when it comes to law degrees from other countries. Currently, states which accept our law degree as “equivalent” to an American law degree are New York and Massachusetts.  Another popular destination for our graduates is California, but to be eligible to write the California Bar, one must first be called to the Bar of a Canadian province, or another American state such as New York.

Detailed requirements for every state are available in a publication called the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements published by the American Bar Association, which is updated every year. You should investigate this information early in order to avoid disappointment in the future.

Absolutely. Graduates seek a variety of positions in practice as well as in non-traditional careers upon completion of their law degree or articles. For example, some students choose to clerk for judges at a Canadian court, or article with a policy division of the government, a public interest organization, a union, or a corporation.

You may choose to pursue a career in academics, the civil service, with an international human rights organization, or within business. We have graduates who are actors, labour relation consultants, career counsellors, human rights advocates, professors, university administrators, company presidents, investment bankers, stockbrokers, and small business owners - the list is endless.

All these people, although pursuing non-traditional paths, have benefited from the acquisition of a law degree. But before you decide to pursue a non-traditional career, it may be useful to get an articling position that exposes you to several areas of law. This may help determine exactly which direction you should take. Once you are a student you can also learn more about various career paths through programming offered by the Career Development Office such as panel discussions, resources, and individual career advising meetings. Lastly, current students have access to the CDO’s Podcast – Lawyers Doing Cool Things –  to learn about the vast array of career options available to those with a JD degree.

The best way to pursue your interests is to:

• take courses in your areas of interest
• participate in the many exciting and innovative programs offered by the law school
• get involved in extra-curricular activities in that area of interest

You can also:

• pursue your interests by seeking faculty members whose area of interest or expertise mirrors your own and undertaking a writing project with one such person
• take the opportunity to do research and writing in your area of interest
• attend the many seminars and lectures by visiting speakers that run throughout the academic year which relate to your area of interest
• seek out a summer or articling employer that specializes in your interest (for example, a boutique intellectual property firm)

Make an appointment with the CDO to discuss your options and develop a bespoke career plan.

Making genuine connections with people and learning about what they do is important throughout your time at law school as well as throughout your legal career. 

We encourage you to get to know your professors by attending their office hours, introduce yourself to guest speakers, talk to staff at the law school, and meet practicing lawyers. All have something unique to offer you about the legal community. You never know who your next advocate will be, and what insights you can take away from a great conversation.

At law school, we offer a number of opportunities to practice these skills at employer panel events, our annual Career Fair, and the employer coaching conversations we make available for our students. We also provide support for out students' networking efforts, including through written resources, one-on-one appointments, practice networking sessions, and our Leadership Skills Program.

In the fall of 1L, the priority is settling into law school life. That said, we encourage you to start thinking about your career early. Make sure you attend the CDO’s 1L career foundation series sessions to learn about 1L opportunities. Following that, feel free to schedule an appointment with an advisor to obtain answers to questions and put together a plan!

1L job opportunities are very limited in general, and only a couple of government employers hire (usually in February). This number jumps significantly for 2L summer positions and articling roles in the government.

Public interest employers are often under-resourced, so there are very few of them that can offer paid summer positions for 1L or even 2L students. The best way to work with a public interest employer in 1L or 2L is to inquire about a summer fellowship. Public interest fellowships and internships are part of the Law School Summer Employment Program (LSSEP), the application deadline for which is early in the new year. Check the Job Opportunities for more information on 1L and 2L summer fellowship opportunities through LSSEP. Many of the larger public interest employers can, however, offer some limited funding for an articling student. As such, you’ll often see job postings for public interest employers leading up to the articling recruitment process.