Hello friends,

Can anybody let me know what are the chances of landing a job in Canada after doing LLM (in Corporate or IP) from top most universities (like McGill, UoT or Ottawa etc.)?

It is true that a LLM graduate can not become a member of the bar. But I want to know about other opportunities such as working as an IP or Corporate Counsel for a company or legal consultant for a law firm etc. that may exist.

Kind Regards...

U of T has a career development office for graduate students. I have not used it myself, but if you do decide to do a LLM at U of T perhaps you can get them to help you with your job search.

Thanx Vanquish...

I am asking for long term job prospects... It is somehow easy to obtain permanent residenceship in Canada as compared other countries..... How is the job market??? If 70-80% of the LLM students are able to get job over there, then it is worth to do LLM from Canada, otherwise I go for US or UK/Europe....

Regards...

For what's it's worth, the impression I got during the career presentations was that it was possible to get work in canada after the LLM. How easy or likely that is, I frankly cannot give a precise answer, since I personally am not aiming for a career in legal practice. A lot of my fellow U of T LLM classmates are also in a similar position, as their usual motive for doing the LLM degree is as a stepping stone to academia or as an advance degree which they will use upon returning to their own countries. Accordingly, it is not possible for me to tell you whether 70-80% of LLM students got jobs in Canada since most do the LLM for reasons other than finding work in Canada. On a side note, if you're considering a career in academia, the placement rates from U of T seem relatively good since a lot of ex foreign U of T students have found employment either in U of T or other canadian universites.

In relation to practice, my own impression from the couple of calls i have made and from talking to other LLM students is that regardless of jurisdiction (be it canada, uk, europe or the us) or qualifications, any foreign trained lawyer will have a relatively much harder time finding employment than their domestic counterpart. Another factor you should consider is that for the US at least, the costs of an LLM are considerably higher than Canada, while, at least from the postings on this board, it seems that even with a US LLM degree, it is still exceededly difficult to get a job, so much so that a lot of posters are considering converting to JD degrees. If you're doing an LLM in order to practice, I feel that it is best to select a university with an active careers office and an active placement system. Do remember that while most US universities do have such an office, a lot of these offices do not normally cater to graduate students.

If you really want to be employed in another jurisdiction besides your own, I personally think that the best bet is to try and get into a large international law firm in your own country such as baker and mckenzie or clifford chance if available and then ask for a transfer later. An LLM from a respected university be it in canada, US or europe might help you in that regard.

Perhaps you could call up the U of T careers office and direct this question to them? I know it's a long shot since you're not a student yet and so i'm not sure whether they will answer your queries but realistically they have been doing this kind of thing full time and so they would be in a much better position to answer your rather specific queries than me or any other LLM student for that matter. You can find their number on the U of T law website

Thanks Vanquish...

I am totally agree with your viewpoint. I have contacted another alumni of UoT who also had same views and told me it is possible to get a job after doing LLM from UoT. What are your view about McGill which also have a good international reputation?

It is true, US is more costlier than Canada but for long term career prospects, I can take loan for doing LLM from one of top 10 law schools. The thing is that I have long term plans for Canada, not for US.

With regard to working with a big firm, I will try for that after doing LLM. At present I am working with one of best Middle East (Asia) IP Firm which has around 30 offices worldwide. Apart from that I am law graduate from one of the best law school in India and have experience of more than 3 years.

Regards....

Personally, if I were to go for career prospects in Canada, I would still choose U of T over Mcgill. This is due to two reasons.


Firstly, while Mcgill is an excellent school, the one advantage I think that the U of T has over Mcgill is that it is virtually next to Bay Street where a lot of large Canadian Law Firms are located. Due to its proximity, U of T does have quite a few practitioners who give courses in the school. Accordingly I feel that studying in U of T presents you with more networking opportunities; which are essential for securing a job.

Secondly, U of T also has a law and theory seminar where LLM students present the practical implications of their research to Law Firms. The ability to present your work might, in turn, help you to impress a few partners.

Of course, I'm currently studying in U of T, so maybe you got to take my bias in account :).

Thanx for your continuous reply...

It's great that you are currently studying at UoT... Please also let me know the chances of getting scholarship at UoT.... and also criteria for it...... means give more weightage to your academic grades(like UK) or your professional exp (like US)?.....

I m a law graduate from one of best law school in India.... my credentials are 2nd upper class (university does not provide for rank, may be in between top 10-15%) + 2 IPRs diplomas + 1 Fellowship Cert. + 1-2 publications + 3 years prof. exp.... Considering my credentials what is your say....

regards

There is really no hard and fast rule when it comes to scholarships, it all comes down to demand and supply. All i can say is that U of T typically takes in only strong 2nd upper/1st class applicants and these applicants come from very good schools. Furthermore, I know several fellow LLMers with substantial work experience. Accordingly, I think the competition for the scholarships on offer would likely be extremely competitive given the caliber of the LLM class.

Umm... HEY!

I am also interested in applying to U of T... but i have one concern... someone told me that canadian law firms hire canadian lawyers before international students no matter how good their grades/scores are... is this true?
if this is the case then there's no point in applying for me... as besides getting a worthwhile degree, i too would want to shift to canada for practise...

Jaideep,

If you want to do IP or technology law in general:

1 -- consider where all the Canada Research Chairs in Law & Technology related areas are;
2 -- consider a course that gives you the possibility of taking part in an internship programme in law firms, technology companies, governmental bodies or non-profits in the IT segment during your Master;
3 -- take a look at the profile of the Dean of your Law School and see what he stands for.

I think I don't even need to name the University for you to identify of which programme I am speaking about.

Cheers!

Hi mt2006!!!
Thanks for your advise..

I do understand which Uni you are talking.... I am planning to apply next week... Even I communicate with one of its professor.. Hope I will get into its LLM program....
Could you please let me know whether admissions are made on rolling basis and how much time it takes to decide on admission appln....

Regards.....

I cannot precise this for you. All this process was started long time ago in my case and I cannot recall the details. But I think it didn't take long. I believe applications are indeed assessed on a rolling basis, and if you are applying now you shall hear from them soon. In any event, I am sure Mme Laplante or Miss Downing will be happy to assist you! Good luck!

Hi

I know this is a really dated post. Though, I'd still appreciate any advice on my situation. I recently graduated from a top law school in India. I have enrolled at the Bar Council of Delhi in India (so I am now a qualified lawyer in India). I will be pursuing my BCL (LLM) at Oxford this year. I am looking for a job in Canada.

Any advice?

You need to qualify your LLB in Canada first
http://www.flsc.ca/en/foreignLawyers/foreignLawyers.asp

Hello
I am Nidhi from India and I ll be joining UTO for llm in this fall (september) 2011. I wanted to opt for International Business law but I am confused about the courses to choose upon under this subject as I am not aware about the heavyness of these courses and also confused about the courses which should be choosed keeping in mind the credits of the subjects.
another dobt is should I go for IP or international business law/corporate law.
Lastly anyone whoi s planning to go to UTO.......
Please reply to the above doubts....

Hi Nidhi,
I am planning to apply for LLM next year. I have done my LLB and registered with Bar Council of Delhi. Can you share information about scholarships available for international students and things i should keep in mind before applying?
Also, do you have any knowledge about possibility of securing a job after completion of LLM and internships/training contracts while pursuing LLM?
Kindly let me know.
All the best for ur LLM!
Thanks

Hi Monica....m glad at least somebody replied.....
Ok so you are not applying this year....
Firstly regarding scholarship.....university have their own criteria for giving scholarship...scholarship forms are given with the admission application and then they decide on merits. So its very competitive. Another option is to get scholarship from outside sources, i.e. outside university. You can get enough material on internet and there are many options for international students.
Secondly regarding job prospects, well even I will be a new student there so cant say much about it. But I have heard that for job hunts Canadian firms are a good option.
Even I have registered this year. So where are you from and from where you have done your LLB?
Thanks.

#1- You can't get a job with a law first without first qualifying your LLB degree--- http://www.flsc.ca/en/foreignLawyers/guidelines.asp --- you have to apply to this society to have your degree qualified.. After writing your challenge exams and passing them, you will need to apply to a law firm to complete articling (legal training) which lasts about 9 months... After these processes are completed you will be called to the Canadian Bar and are eligible to apply for work as a lawyer..
All of this has to be completed regardless of whether you are completing an LLM if you want to work in Canada.

"But I have heard that for job hunts Canadian firms are a good option. "

Welcome to the real world. I am sorry I might sound harsh but the scene for foreign lawyers(especially lawyers) is a pretty sad scene here. There are absolutely no jobs available, no articling positions available. The only advantage L.L.M here would give u is an option and easier way to apply for PR.

U have to qualify here as a lawyer before u can work here...This entire procedure would take a minimum of a year to four to five years. There are other jobs available like paralegals, legal aid, banks, compliance, contract mgmt etc but u wont be working as a lawyer persay. The Canadian market is a very closed market.

Before u come here for ur L.L.M u shud arrange for all the documents from India (which can be quite a pain) and apply to NCA for accredidation so that u dont waste time after ur L.L.M in applying for an evaluation of ur degree....

Thanks Tanushree for your advice and Ill keep that in mind.:)
Have you done your LLM from UOT?
and can you please guide me more about the job prospects over there after LLM.
Thanks.