TORONTO 2025-26 ITLNCA OCIs - 2L Summer Recruitment

Applying to ITLNCA’s Toronto 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 21, 2025, 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 12, 2025. 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/r3ebxfGeLzu83Mdi7 no later than August 13, 2025, 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 Toronto 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.

participating employers:

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP
Goodmans LLP
Gowling WLG
Lenczner Slaght LLP
McMillan LLP
Miller Thomson LLP
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Stikeman Elliott LLP
Wildeboer 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.

IMPORTANT DATES:

1) Application Deadline in viLawPortal – by July 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

The application deadline for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates for Toronto is July 21, 2025, 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: Due date for early registration is July 18th, 2025. The deadline to send your list of candidates and scheduling preference to oci@itln.ca for Toronto is August 15, 2025. Please advise us directly if you are unable to make this timeline.

2) ITLNCA OCI Call Day – August 25, 2025, 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 25, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. EDT.

3) Other important information/logistics before September 12, 2025.

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 3, 2025, 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 3, 2025 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 12, 2025, between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Toronto ITLNCA OCIs will take place virtually on September 12, 2025.
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 17, 2025, 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 Toronto 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 17, 2025.
Please read the LSO’s 2026 Toronto Summer Student Recruitment Procedures for more information: https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/experiential-training/finding-a-placement/toronto-summer-student-recruitment-procedures

7) Interview Week – between October 27, 2025, at 8:00 a.m and October 29, 2025, 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 October 27, 2025, and 3:00 p.m. on October 29, 2025.
Note the relevant no-contact period: Between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2025, firms are prohibited from contacting students and students are prohibited from contacting firms. Recruitment activities are not restricted at other times during the Interview Week.
Please read the LSO’s 2026 Toronto Summer Student Recruitment Procedures for more information: https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/experiential-training/finding-a-placement/toronto-summer-student-recruitment-procedures

8) Offers of Employment – starting October 29, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

The communication of offers of employment shall not be made before 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2025.
All offers made at or after 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2025, shall be allowed to remain open until at least 5:00 p.m. on October 30, 2025.
Any offers made after this date shall be allowed to remain open for a reasonable period of time.
Please read the LSO’s 2026 Toronto Summer Student Recruitment Procedures for more information: https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/experiential-training/finding-a-placement/toronto-summer-student-recruitment-procedures

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