ONTARIO 2024-25 ITLNCA OCIs - 2L Summer Recruitment

Applying to ITLNCA’s ONTARIO 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 July 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

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 13, 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. EDT.

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 Ontario 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.

2024-25 OCIs - Ontario's participating employers:

Bennett Jones LLP
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Department of Justice
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP
Goodmans LLP
Gowling WLG
Lenczner Slaght LLP
MAG – Crown Law Office – Criminal
MAG – Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Miller Thompson LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
Ross Nasseri LLP
Stikeman Elliot LLP
Torys LLP
Wilderboer Dellelce LLP

Note: This list will be updated on a rolling basis. You must follow the rules in steps 1 through 3 above to apply to legal employers in viLawPortal, including those that are not in the legal employers list above.

ontario 2024-25 ITLNCA OCIs - IMPORTANT DATES:

1) Application Deadline in viLawPortal – by July 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

The application deadline for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates in Ontario is July 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. EDT 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 Ontario is August 23, 2024. Please advise us directly if you are unable to make this timeline.

2) ITLNCA OCI Call Day – August 30, 2024, starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

Have your phone on and ready to accept calls and emails at 8:00 a.m. EDT.
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 August 30, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. EDT.

3) Other important information/logistics before September 13, 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 6, 2024, at midnight EDT

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 6, 2024 EDT.
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 13, 2024, between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Ontario ITLNCA OCIs will take place virtually on September 13, 2024.
All interviews are 17 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) Call Day for Interview Week – October 22, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. EDT. (2nd Stage of OCI)

If candidates are successful in their OCI interview(s), they will be contacted directly by the Ontario legal employers on Call Day to be invited to participate in the second round of interviews (known as the "Interview Week”).
The time and date of interviews and other recruitment activities to be scheduled for the Interview Week shall not be communicated in any way until 8:00 a.m. on October 22, 2024.
Please read the LSO’s 2025 Toronto Summer Student Recruitment Procedures for more information: https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/articling-candidates/finding-a-placement/2025-toronto-summer-student-recruitment-proced-(1)

7) Interview Week – between November 4, 2024, at 8:00 a.m and November 6, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. EST.

“Interview Week'' is the second (and sometimes third) round of interviews during the OCI recruitment process.
You will be invited to this round of interviews directly by the legal employer.
During the Interview Week, interviews shall only be conducted between 8:00 a.m. on November 4, 2024, and 3:00 p.m. on November 6, 2024.
Note the relevant no-contact period: Between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on November 6, 2024, firms are prohibited from contacting students and students are prohibited from contacting firms. Recruitment activities are not restricted at other times during the November 4 Interview Week.
Please read the LSO’s 2025 Toronto Summer Student Recruitment Procedures for more information: https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/articling-candidates/finding-a-placement/2025-toronto-summer-student-recruitment-proced-(1)

8) Offers of Employment – starting November 6, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

The communication of offers of employment shall not be made before 5:00 p.m. on November 6, 2024.
All offers made at or after 5:00 p.m. on November 6, 2024, shall be allowed to remain open until at least 5:00 p.m. on November 7, 2024.
Any offers made after this date shall be allowed to remain open for a reasonable period of time.
Please read the LSO’s 2025 Toronto Summer Student Recruitment Procedures for more information: https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/articling-candidates/finding-a-placement/2025-toronto-summer-student-recruitment-proced-(1)

If you have any questions about the LSO Policies, please contact the Law Society at articling@lso.ca.