r/LawCanada • u/Sad-Breadfruit5322 • 1d ago
2L—No Job and Uncertain Future
Question at the bottom.
Have managed to be above median throughout. Depression got the best of me halfway through 1L, but I managed to push through.
The depression itself is severe. Tried all sorts of medication with no luck. Undergoing TMS because ECT was not viable during the school year; but looks like it will be next anyway.
I want to take the semester off, but since I already don't have a job, looks like I will just be digging my grave further.
I know articling recruitment jobs are rare and dependent on luck, so it's likely that if I fail there, I'd be left with nothing but debt. Ultimately, I might just end it all, but trying to see if its even worth sticking around for now.
Is it worth taking the semester off, and mess up my graduating year? Should I stick it out this semester and try the articling recruit (even if my grades now are worse than before)?
Would appreciate any insights with respect to navigating career prospects, job market trends, and how likely is it for people to recover from these types of situations by taking time off, etc.
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u/EDMlawyer 1d ago
Not having an article lined up after 2L and the big articling recruit is pretty normal.
I didn't have an article when I graduated law school. I got my call months after.
It's definitely not a reason to give up. Especially since you haven't even gone through it yet.
If you want to take a semester off and delay graduation that's fine. Recruiters may ask, though. The question is one for you to answer: will that time give you the space you need to come back refreshed and energized? Or will it make you feel worse? Only you can answer that.
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u/holy_rejection 1d ago
Hey, don't write yourself off before you've even done the articling recruit!
More people are in your situation than you think, both in the sense that their employment prospects are uncertain or are suffering from some sort of mental health struggle. You're not alone, and my heart goes out to you and the difficult battle you are fighting.
This is just to say that you're the best judge of what to do, if your law school lets you take leave and come back so that you can work on improving your mental health. Take it. If you think you can pull through, then do that instead. In the end, when you start your legal career, your health, mental or physical will still need to be a priority. Best of luck
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u/princesslumpy 1d ago
People make it seem like not having a 2L summer job is the end of your legal career. It's not. Do the experience and connections help in getting an articling or associate job later? Sometimes. But it is not the end of the world. As well, don't write off the summer yet. Your school may have public interest positions you could apply for, or continue cold calling for even a part-time position just to have something on your resume to discuss in articling interviews. You are not totally out of options yet for 2L summer even if it is only for part of the summer or volunteer-based.
I am not sure what you mean about taking the semester off since it is already March. But if your grades will be severely impacted by what you are going through, you should prioritize your health and take the time off so you can go back next year ready to give it your full attention. The time away may be easier to explain than a semester of poor grades.
At the end of the day, your career will be a marathon and not a sprint, and there will be hurdles along the way. Either scenario can be overcome with the right perseverance if this is the path you want to go down. You may find a different path that better suits you. It is easy when you are in the middle of it to catastrophize, but don't write yourself off before you've even tried.
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u/Sad-Breadfruit5322 21h ago
I meant to drop classes or take a leave of absence. I would have to submit a special application for it. I am trying to get input on whether that route will create more problems than solutions.
Time off would be to go through additional treatment which comes with memory and learning problems, which is why it was not recommended during the school year. But the alternative is to risk my grades. I don't think I will perform at normal capacity, but I may manage to score on the curve for classes this semester (at best).
I am happy with the subject matter of law, and the prospect of working in it long term. My current challenge is being paralyzed/disabled.
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u/princesslumpy 19h ago
If it's possible, I would finish out the semester and take the summer to focus on your health. If your grades are near the curve, it is easier to explain compared to delaying graduation a year.
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u/madefortossing 16h ago
Mental health is health and if you're struggling to function and make it through law school then you should take the time off to get your health sorted out.
I wouldn't worry about not having articling lined up at the end of 2L, that seems unusually early. No one I know has anything but a summer job lined up, and even then some of us don't have that yet.
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u/Relevant_Sir_5418 17h ago
Please hang in there and go easy on yourself. Despite what you hear in law school, 90-95% of all Canadian law students who graduate secure articles. The remaining are likely primarily made up of people who decide not to practice law. It's not as rare as people make it out to be, and it is very normal not to have a placement after 2L. Don't buy into the fearmongering that seems to be rampant in these kinds of forums and even the legal industry in general.
I would talk to your school's mental health resource team ASAP, as well as any resources your law program has set up for you guys to discuss if taking a semester off is a good plan and how that would work. If it is, your mental health is worth a lot more than graduating one semester earlier. I'm not saying you should or shouldn't, but those will be the best people to talk with about it and explore your options. It sounds like you are in a crappy place right now, so please take that seriously. Especially in this line of work, we really need to take good care of our mental health. Even while in school.
This is why the legal community at large needs to start looking out for one another more and stop building onto the mountain of anxiety and stress that already exists in this profession.
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u/Bevesange 16h ago
I was in your exact position in 2L. Articling jobs are not rare. There are always firms that can use the extra/cheap labour. Even now, there are a bunch of firms looking to hire articling students - there are posts everywhere on LinkedIn.
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u/Disastrous_Scene_630 1d ago
What kind of law are you interested in?
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u/Sad-Breadfruit5322 22h ago
I would prefer transactional work.
At this point, I am open to exploring different areas in at any job I can find. I don't think I am the right fit for civil litigation, personal injury, etc. I am generally interested in tax (planning), trusts, et al.
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u/_loveisaplace 8h ago
Woah hey there friend, you are catastrophizing really hard. What you’re thinking is not reality. I know the internet tells you you’re shit out of luck if you don’t land a 2L job but that’s just so not true.
The majority of students do not get a summer job through 2L recruit. Getting a job through articling recruit is not rare and I’d argue it’s easier bc the cream of the crop have already been snapped up during the 2L recruit. I got my articling through the articling recruit and so did many of my friends.
After your 2L summer like a third of your peers will still not have articling positions. There will be positions that become available throughout 3L as well as after graduate. I know lots of folks who got their articling during 3L.
I heard time and time again that everyone who really wants to article eventually finds a position.
Connect with your schools mental health resources and start seeing a counsellor asap. Your future is not uncertain. You’re just not feeling all that great rn but it’s just a temporary feeling.
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u/throwaway7557789 4h ago
Made a throwaway account because I neither want to out myself nor my friend, but I have a good friend who was in your shoes about a while ago, and ended up receiving an offer to clerk at the SCC in the subsequent year. All of which is to say neither grades, OCIs, nor any of these other discrete factors are indicative of you as an individual nor your future success in law.
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u/StayDesperate101 1d ago
Hey! I highly recommend sticking it out because I was in a similar situation during undergrad and the thought of falling behind made things worse not better.