ALBERTA 2024-25 ITLNCA OCIS - 2L SUMMER RECRUITMENT

Applying to ITLNCA’s ALBERTA OCIs? This information is for you!

1. Applications for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates* are due on viLawPortal by August 19, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. MDT.

See viLawPortal: https://recruitcdn.viglobalcloud.com/
See the “Important Dates” section below and confirm these dates with the different sources listed here.

*ITLs and NCA applicants include:

NCA candidates including self-study NCA candidates;
NCA candidates enrolled in a Professional LLM at Osgoode Professional Development;
NCA candidates enrolled in a GPLLM at the University of Toronto;
NCA candidates enrolled in the LLM CL at the University of British Columbia;
NCA candidates enrolled in the Internationally Trained Lawyer Pathway at the University of Alberta;
NCA candidates enrolled in NCA equivalent course(s) at a recognized Canadian university; and
ITLs who already received their Certificate of Qualification from the NCA

2. To participate in ITLNCA OCIs you must:

a) Follow the naming convention below for all documents you submit in viLawPortal, i.e.:

ITLNCA - Resume - Full Name
ITLNCA - Resume - Will Smith.doc,.pdf, etc.
ITLNCA - Cover Letter - Full Name
ITLNCA - Cover Letter - Will Smith.doc,.pdf, etc.

b) Include the following blurb at the end of your Cover Letter:

I would be pleased to be invited to an ITLNCA on-campus interview on September 26, 2024. To schedule an interview, please contact the ITLNCA Networks’ OCI Committee.

c) Provide ITLNCA NetworkS with (1) your full name as listed on your resume, (2) phone number, (3) email address, and (4) a list of all the legal employers you applied to. You must submit the above information by completing this form: https://forms.gle/3jLPGfQCaKGziMLZ9 no later than August 21, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. MDT.

3. Candidates should apply to ANY firms, government offices, and/or legal employers that they are genuinely interested in working with. Candidates should not only apply to the list of firms participating in Alberta ITLNCA OCIs.

A preliminary list of participating law firms, government offices, and/or legal employers will be made available on a rolling basis. Additional legal employers may be added to our participation list even after the application deadline in viLawPortal has closed. Therefore, candidates should apply to any firms, government offices, and/or legal employers that they are interested in working with.
Further, some legal employers do not hold OCIs and only invite candidates straight to the in-firm interview stage. Please apply to all positions you are interested in.

NB: Applicants do not need to have their Certificate of Qualification (CQ) to apply for OCIs. Applicants do not need to have their CQ before applying for articling positions, but applicants must receive their CQ before commencing their articling/licensing.

ALBERTA 2024-25 ITLNCA OCIS - IMPORTANT DATES:

1) Application Deadline in viLawPortal – August 19, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. MDT

The applicatoin deadline for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates in Alberta is August 19, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. MDT in viLawPortal: https://recruitcdn.viglobalcloud.com/
Attend the panels, networking events, open houses, and other recruitment events hosted by participating legal employers. Information about these events can be found on their company websites, LinkedIn, and social media.
All of ITLNCA NetworkS' educational materials and information sessions related to applications, interviews, résumés and cover letters can be viewed on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF6KZn4uRsdXKC43KhQd2GQ/videos

Note for Employers: The deadline to send your list of candidates and scheduling preference to oci@itln.ca for Alberta is August 29, 2024. Please advise us directly if you are unable to make this timeline.

2) ITLNCA OCI Call Day – September 5, 2024, starting at 8:00 a.m. MDT.

Have your phone on and ready to accept calls and emails at 8:00 a.m. MDT.
Successful candidates will be contacted by ITLNCA NetworkS’ neutral administrator(s) to inform them of their OCI offer(s).
Candidates will be informed about the name of all law firms and government offices that offered them an interview. Candidates will not be informed about the interview times or given a choice of when the interviews will happen.
Candidates will be contacted at the contact phone number provided to ITLNCA NetworkS (in step 2(c) above).
The deadline to accept your OCI offer(s) from ITLNCA NetworkS’ neutral administrator(s) is September 5, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. MDT.

3) Other important information/logistics before September 26, 2024.

Use this period to prepare for your virtual OCIs
You can expect communications and emails from the legal employers, including the link to your interview and/or calendar invite. ITLNCA NetworkS’ will not be sending the calendar invites to candidates. Therefore, candidates should monitor their emails closely for communications and emails from the legal employers they have accepted OCIs with.
Use this time to ensure that your technology is set up and ready to go for your OCIs. Each legal employer will be using the virtual software of their choice. Download the appropriate software before your interviews.
Do additional research on the legal employers and the interviewer(s). Watch the helpful YouTube videos provided above.

4) OCI Schedule & Other Information – by September 12, 2024 at midnight MDT.

Applicants who have been offered OCI(s) can expect an email from ITLNCA confirming the timing of their interviews, the name of their interviewer(s), and the virtual software the employer will be using for the interview (i.e. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.) by midnight on September 12, 2024 MDT.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL FOLDER FOR THIS EMAIL! DO NOT CONTACT US ASKING FOR THIS INFORMATION BEFORE CHECKING YOUR JUNK/SPAM FOLDER.

5) ITLNCA Virtual OCIs – September 26, 2024, between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. MDT.

Alberta ITLNCA OCIs will take place virtually on September 26, 2024.
All interviews are 17 minutes or 20 minutes in length
Each firm will use its preferred virtual platform (i.e. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, etc.). It will be up to the interviewing firm which platform they will use for virtual OCIs. Candidates will be expected to download the required software in advance. All software used will be free to download for candidates.

6) Invitation for in-firm interviews – after September 26, 2024, 5:30 p.m. MDT.

Firms will not be allowed to contact candidates prior to 5:30 p.m. on September 26, 2024, including offering candidates interview for the in-firm interview period and rejection emails.
No firm-initiated contact with candidates will be allowed after OCIs and before the in-firm interview period, except by phone or email for the purposes of scheduling of interviews or other meetings/social events to take place in the in-firm interview period
Candidate-initiated firm contact after OCIs requesting information by phone or email will be allowed. In person or virtual meetings between a candidate and a firm are not allowed after OCIs until the in-firm interview period.

7) Interview Week – between October 7, 2024 and October 11, 2024

The in-firm interview period will take place from October 7, 2024 to October 11, 2024.
No offers, intention to offer, or solicitation of candidates' intention to accept an offer with any given firm shall be communicated to any candidate prior to the Offer Date and Time

8) Offers of Employment – October 11, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. MDT

Offers will commence no earlier than October 11, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. MDT.
One hour prior to the offer time, firms will not contact candidates. Firms will be allowed to respond to candidate inquiries.
Folllowing the Offer Date, firms are free to schedule interviews and extend offers for summer student positions as they see fit.

Please note: ITLs who have completed their CQ are not subejct to recruitment rules 49.1-49.3 of the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta.

Please also see Calgary Firm Protocol, Recruitment for Summer 2025 (dated March 25, 2024)

ITLNCA NetworkS