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Canadian Thread - LSAT/Law School
LSATisland
Free Trial Inactive Sage
From various posts, I see that there are a lot of Canadians here. I figured that it might be useful to have a thread devoted to Canadian related topics, whether related to the LSAT or law school.
I am entering my 2nd year at a Canadian law school, and try helping out on the forum when I can. Feel free to ask me anything on the forum or via PM; I'd love to help to the extent that I can. Regardless, I think a Canadian thread might be useful as these topics will all be in one post instead of strewn all over.
I am entering my 2nd year at a Canadian law school, and try helping out on the forum when I can. Feel free to ask me anything on the forum or via PM; I'd love to help to the extent that I can. Regardless, I think a Canadian thread might be useful as these topics will all be in one post instead of strewn all over.
Comments
Bumping this thread to the front as I'm on here again after a long time away and I would be happy to help anyone if I can.
I'm going to school in the US (Canadian Student), but wanted to know what kinds of law are common in Canada? I feel as though the Canadian market is much smaller most Canadian lawyers end up on Bay street. What kinds of law are practiced commonly other than corporate here?
Hi @"grace.tang.ca" I think most of the areas of law I can think of are practiced in Canada just like in the US, though your point re: size of Canadian market vs US is of course true. Is there a particular area of law that you're thinking of?
@LSATisland , I'm going to be pursuing a combination of corporate, health and IP law
Those are the areas of interest for me as a science and business major. The Law School I'll be attending has a patent clinic and health clinic, so I'll be sure to check them out!
Just chiming in to say, thank goodness there's an active Canadian thread, eh.
Question for you, do you know of any Canadians who studied in The US and then came back to Canada and are practicing?
Hello fellow Canadians! EYYYYYYY!
I'm also a STEM graduate trying to apply to law schools in the US solely because of the sheer difference in pharmaceutical market / IP industry between US vs Canada.
What are some splitter-friendly schools in Canada?
Generally speaking, Canada isn't quite as splitter friendly as some schools in the States. The schools here tend to place a greater weightage on one's undergraduate performance. That said, from the research that I've done, in Ontario, Western and Queen's seem to place an emphasis on one's best 2 (B2)/last 2 (L2) years' GPA (they still do factor in cGPA, however). This might tend to favor splitters as admissions committee's can (somewhat) overlook a poor performance in a given year. Likewise, U of T too has a best 3 year's policy (they do not factor in your worst year).
As for the rest of Canada, UAlberta and UCalgary are purely L2 schools (they don't factor in an individual's cGPA). Again, this might be considered splitter friendly. Dalhousie factors the higher score between your cGPA and L2. UBC and U Vic drop your lowest 4 and 6 courses, respectively.
@thisissparta Thank you so much for this information. Really helps. If you don't mind me asking, are you planning on applying to Canadian schools as well?
I am! Not planning on applying for the upcoming cycle, though. I'm headed to grad school at U of T first, and then planning on applying to law school (probably the cycle after the upcoming one).
That's awesome! It's nice that you already know your area of interest prior to law school. Many of my fellow students changed their plans during law school, so it might be good idea to still explore other areas during law school, in addition to progressing further in your specific area.
Yup, welcome! I like your profile name.
Sure, I know some that transferred mid-school and others that transferred following graduation. For the latter, there is a process called NCA which requires the transferee to take a few exams (they assess your application and then determine the amount of tests required - I think between 4 to 12 or so) in addition to taking the bar of course. Are you planning on going to a US school and then practicing within Canada?
Oh, that's really cool. Sounds like some of your interests might overlap with @"grace.tang.ca"
If I'm not mistaken, I believe McGill is such an example. I can only speak to U of T's admissions with certainty: they assess your application by 1/3 LSAT score, 1/3 GPA, and 1/3 Personal Statement. Although I suppose that the last third might include the life experiences included in the statement, I like the fact that they place equal weight on the personal statement. A true personal statement can really reflect a lot about the person writing. It's like Frost's definition of style as representing how the writer takes her/himself and what s/he is saying. "It is the mind skating circles around itself as it moves forward."
Awesome! Great to see someone plunging in on the pursuit of knowledge.
Hey! I'm a US-Canadian citizen. I'm from Florida and I'm attending university at Waterloo, I just wanted to chime in and say that I have close ties to the U of T law school admissions process. I'm the President of our legal studies society at UW and I've worked closely with a senior admissions officer from U of T to arrange law school admission info-sessions. If you guys have questions feel free to ask!
The person I know has told me these things on "securing" your chances at U of T:
1.) Aim for a LSAT score of 160+
2.) Have a GPA of over 80%
3.) Take time to build your personal profile/ write your personal statement with GREAT thought - also use resources such as your university's writing center to proofread/ change your statement
4.) GET INVOLVED. They care about seeing you as a person with interests! Grades aren't everything.
5.) There is 0 expectation of you to work in a law firm. It's difficult as an undergraduate but obviously if you can, go for it. Otherwise, they still respect you working and getting volunteer experience. They like to see consistency.
6.) Get letters from one professor (at least) and one from your place of employment.
This is all I can think of ATM but feel free to shoot me a message with any questions! I also know in terms of scholarships and financial aid, U of T is extremely generous. Hope this helps
Yeah, those are all great, accurate points @ashleighkong22. I've worked with the admissions office as well, volunteering to assist them with their programs and tours. I've also found the admissions officers really helpful, transparent and informative for prospective students. I'm sure other schools are like that too, and it really reflects the benefit of communicating with the admissions representatives. Are you planning to stay in Canada for law school?
I am not 100% sure, but want to know what my options are
Would I need to article upon returning to Canada? Would acquiring a Canadian LLM be of any help??
THANK YOUU
The NCA process applies to all transferees, as far as I know. A Canadian LLM does not evade the process, but it may reduce the amount of tests you would need to take to 4 (which is the minimum). That alone would likely not be a good reason to do an LLM, since taking a few tests is much easier than a year-long graduate degree. (Also, it's possible you'd only need to take 4 anyhow; they evaluate each applicant independently.)
If you transferred back to Canada right after law school, you'd need to article. I believe if you worked for some time in the U.S., you can evade articling but I'm not sure the length of work necessary for this.
I should probably add that I'm speaking of the Ontario process. I'm not familiar with the regulations of other provinces.
@LSATisland I would like to come back to the US but I will apply to some Canadian law schools! At the end, I'll be looking at the school who can offer me the best path and most financial aid. I'm grateful that either choice, I will pay "local" rates instead of international fees. Are you planning to stay in Canada?
Yes, I'm planning on staying in Canada. I applied both to U.S. and Canadian law schools, but ultimately chose Canada because of that reason.
Wow, you're fortunate to have the advantage of local rates with either option.
Anyone in the Toronto area who is looking for a study buddy for the September exam?
A little late on the response but - did you happen to apply to UBC? I want to apply to law schools in Cali (I'm tired of east coast lol). Just curious to know if you applied to UBC! It's a great school and I'm just wondering what the value or difference would be going to UBC vs. a UCalifornia school...
Hi @AshleighK
I didn't apply to UBC but I hear it's a great school. Sorry I can't advise much more than that!