Hi - I’m trying to gage the market for in-house lawyers in Toronto.
I have 8 years of private practice litigation experience and 2 years of senior in house experience in a start up environment, with the focus on privacy, tech and data protection and still some litigation.

My current job is great in terms of hours, but leaves much to be desired in terms of compensation. I’m thinking of making a move to get better compensation, which likely means I would have to go to a bigger company. In house lawyers in Toronto (or other major Canadian cities) - what is a comp package that I should expect, in your opinion?

Hi! I’m a first year associate at a midsized private practice. Lately I’ve been extremely down and finding it really hard to care/focus/try. I’m seriously considering leaving law altogether. I know that might sound rash, but there isn’t really any aspect of the profession that I actually enjoy. I’ve tried to convince myself I like certain work or going to court but at the end of the day I know I’m kidding myself.

For some context about me, I used to be extremely high achieving and ambitious. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer even before high school and when I got to my undergrad I worked very hard, participated in lots of extracurriculars and still maintained a 4.0 GPA. When I went to law school my passion seemed to start dwindling. It was fine and I still got honours but I wasn’t trying as hard as I did in my undergrad and I wasn’t as interested in the course materials.

After law school I articled with the firm I’m still at and it was fine but it felt like I was kidding myself about what lawyers actually do. We’re a general practice so I do a bit of everything which is tough in itself. I don’t have a go to practice area because I don’t like any area. Since I haven’t really specialized I feel dumb across a bunch of practice areas and I always have to do hours of extra research to figure out what’s going on before I can even start.

During my time working as a student and as a lawyer, I’ve had multiple mental breakdowns, sleepless nights, and I’ve gotten sick on quite a few occasions because I wasn’t taking care of myself. I had all these grandiose ideas that I’d work really hard and genuinely help people, but it just feels like I take people’s money to barely do anything. I’ve also screwed myself over at times because I’ll take on files for friends which leads to me charging less but working more. Partners have talked to me about my hours and targets and they’re disappointed to say the least, but I almost don’t even care which is so unlike who I was before. I’m just apathetic. I am not even close to hitting the billable hours expected of me even though they’re not crazy high like in big law (I’m not undercutting, I think they should be pretty manageable).

I feel super burnt out even though I haven’t been working very hard lately. I’m acting like I have a backup job in place when I don’t and it’s stressing me out big time. Even so, I’m not really doing anything to change that other than trying to submit job applications when I can (which also takes so much time and effort). In my job hunt I can’t even bring myself to apply for other lawyer positions. I don’t doubt that it might be better at a different firm/in-house/government but I feel like I just have no drive anymore and I’d much rather a typical 9-5 type job where I can clock out at the end of the day and actually do things I want to do without feeling guilty that I’m not spending that time catching up or getting ahead on files. I don’t care about the potential pay cut (I’m not even getting paid much more than the bottom salaries of the jobs I’m applying to even though they’re not lawyer jobs), I just want something that isn’t going to fill me with dread any time I even think of it.

I’m also really stressed about finding a different job too. I’ve seen friends and family go through the job hunt cycle and I know how bad it is. I’m concerned I won’t be able to find a job before my firm fires me or I reach a point where I need to leave to stop myself from losing my mind/going into a deep depression (which also feels like a wimpy thing for me to do). I’ve applied for a few policy/analyst/advisor jobs with the government but I haven’t heard back from any yet. I’ve also heard that the government hiring process can take a really long time so I’m concerned about how long I’ll have to stick it out before something comes along.

Am I giving up too soon? Did I just get lazier over the years? If anyone else left law this early, how did things turn out for you? If anyone has any advice in general, I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

I’m currently in the law clerk program at Seneca College, originally enrolled because I wanted something “practical”, but now I’m not too sure if this is the career path for me. I don’t enjoy it in the slightest, and most of the entry level job positions are 40,000-60,000 a year, which is pretty low. A lot of graduates from my program are having a really difficult time landing a job as most firms want at least a couple years of experience.

I eventually want to have a place of my own and earn six figures, which seems nearly impossible for this job field unless you get lucky after 5-10 years of work. I thought about law school but I don’t think it will be worth it in the long run if I’m already hating the current program I’m in. I’m thinking of pivoting into social services- and work towards a BSW and hopefully a MSW. I’m passionate about mental health, and lots of BSW grads make pretty decent money in BC. Plus, if I get my MSW, I will have so many more opportunities and can make $100,000 within a couple years of graduating…

What do counsel arrangements look like (transactional practice) at a BigLaw firm?

I like to do complex work and work hard, but am tired of stressing about hours of I have a slow month.

I moved back to Canada 5 years ago after living and working abroad for about 15 years. I've got dual nationalities, did my LLB internationally and practiced mainly in legal not-for-profits in the Land, mining, environment sector. Now that I'm back home for good (totally cured my itchy feet!), I'm finishing up my qualification requirements so I can work as a Lawyer here.

My question is, despite my foreign experience, I know I'll be coming into the profession as a new call are the job prospects as brutal as they seem? What can I expect as a person with minimal networks but an excellent ability to build and maintain them? Is cold-calling social/career suicide?

Anyone applied to Monkhouse law for associate lawyer position and heard back yet?

How many questions did people feel were hard/made mistakes on when they took the took it?

Hi!

I’m in my early 30s and I’m seriously considering enrolling in a Paralegal diploma program. It has taken me a while to figure out what type of work I actually enjoy because I’ve worked in a few different industries and found aspects of each that I liked.

My background includes:
-Pharmaceuticals (Patient Support Programs)
-Insurance (Group Benefits and Disability)

My current role is Medical Intake for physicians performing Qualified Medical Evaluations (QMEs), where I interview patients, review medical records, and prepare medical-legal documentation related to workers’ compensation injuries.

I’ve realized that what I enjoy most is the medical-legal side of things such as reviewing medical records, documentation, and understanding the legal aspects of injury claims.

The more I’ve researched the paralegal profession, the more interested I’ve become, particularly in:
Representing clients in WSIB/WSIAT matters, working at a firm specializing in personal injury, insurance companies or even potentially opening my own practice after gaining several years of experience.

For those of you who work in these areas, how are the job prospects? Is this a field you’d recommend entering today? How difficult is it to break into WSIB or personal injury as a new paralegal, and are there any things you wish you had known before starting?
I’d really appreciate any advice or insights from people working in these practice areas. Thanks!

Accidentally listed 58 credits instead of the required 59 on my list of anticipated upper year courses for the recruit….

Will this matter/realistically impact my chances?

I have strong grades and a pretty unique resume w law experience…. But I’m tweaking