Important Job Posting Policies

All employers that post job opportunities with the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section agree to provide a work place that is free of discrimination in compliance with all provincial and federal Human Rights Legislation, and provincial law society professional standards, codes of conduct and recruitment procedures. All employers also agree to comply with our Recruiting Policies where applicable.

The CPDC will not post articling opportunities that are unpaid, whether they are with for-profit or not-for-profit organizations.

Employers who wish to post a paid summer or articling opportunity must be in a position to offer at least the provincial minimum wage.

We reserve the right in our sole discretion to restrict, remove or refuse to post any job posting without notice that we feel is inappropriate for our students and/or alumni.

We will not post any job opportunity or otherwise circulate employment information where a non-lawyer is seeking a student to perform legal research or engage in any activities that could potentially be construed as providing legal advice.

Posting a Job for Common Law Students & Alumni

If you have a work opportunity for students or alumni that you would like to advertise in the uOttawa common law jobs database, please click here to fill out the Job Posting form.  Alternatively, you may choose to e-mail an existing job posting to [email protected] respectively, but please ensure it contains the following information:

1. The application deadline (required).
2. Who the position is intended for: 1st year students and/or 2nd year students, Articling students or Alumni.
3. Which of the following application materials are required.  The standard documents are: CV, cover letter and photocopy of official transcripts; some employers also require reference names; reference letters and/or writing samples.  Please specify.
4. How you are willing to receive applications (mail, e-mail, fax) and applicable contact information for each acceptable option.
5. The contact person to whom students should apply.
6. The number of positions available (if more than one).
7. A description of the position and any required qualifications.
8. Any other information available that you would like to include, i.e. Start date, salary information, etc…

Summer Jobs 

You may choose to participate in formal summer recruitment processes which take place at various times during the academic year (beginning as early as August and as late as February) depending on the city in which you are located and the regulations set out by the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) or the governing body in your jurisdiction. 

The Career and Professional Development team at the University of Ottawa, and Career Development Offices at law schools across Canada coordinate the recruitment needs of Canadian law firms and share information among law schools.  The University of Ottawa, takes the lead on the Ottawa summer recruitment process and the specialized summer intellectual property recruitment process in Ottawa and shares this information with law schools in common law jurisdictions across Canada. If you haven’t participated in the Ottawa summer recruitment or intellectual property recruitment process in the past, but are interested in participating, please contact us.

Employers are not required to participate in a summer recruitment process in order to post summer positions.  If you are unable to predict your recruitment needs in order to meet the timelines associated with the organized summer recruitment processes or are located in a region that does not have set procedures, we will post summer positions for you at any time that is convenient for you.  Just refer to the instructions above in the “How to Post a Job” section.

Articling Positions

A process similar to summer recruitment is used for articling recruitment.  Typically, many firms in Ontario will set deadlines (for articling positions which will start the following year) according to the Law Society of Upper Canada’s (LSUC) guidelines.  These processes begin in early May and continue through July depending on the geographic location of the employer.  Since many of our students are from out of town or province or have an interest in relocating, we post articling positions for cities all across Canada.  The governing bodies of each jurisdiction will provide procedures and timelines for larger city centres.  If you are unable to specify your recruitment needs in order to meet the timelines associated with the formal articling recruitment processes or are located in a region that does not have set procedures, you can send us your articling postings at any time and we will post them for you. 

There are many benefits associated with taking on an articling student. If you don’t think you are able to accommodate a student full time please remember that many students are interested in joint articles in which they are able to split their time between two different types of legal employers.  Part-time articles are also an option. For more details on the articling recruitment process in Ontario, please consult the articling recruitment procedures set out by the LSO.

About the Initiative

The Faculty of Law, Common Law Section opted to create a mechanism to connect employers and students through freelance opportunities in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

This initiative pairs employers in need of short-term support with students eager to build on their practical experiences. The Career and Professional Development Centre will post freelance or short-term contract opportunities for law students. These contracts could, for example, be for a single piece of research, remunerated on an hourly basis, with a set number of hours allocated to the work.

Hiring tech savvy, focused and motivated law students on a contract basis is an economic way of ensuring that you can continue to meet the demands of your clients in these unprecedented times. We understand that employers are facing significant financial pressures during the current COVID-19 pandemic and that as you weather this storm, keeping on top of client files is more important than ever. We also know that, some students have had offers of articling or summer employment rescinded due to the serious financial impact of the pandemic.

Our intention is to support those in the profession that may need short term assistance but cannot commit to hiring a student full-time for the summer. These opportunities will also provide students in the legal community with an excellent opportunity to gain freelance experience, build their entrepreneurial skills, and put their practical legal skills to good use while earning some modest remuneration.

Posting a Freelance Opportunity

If you would like to post a short-term opportunity, please fill out the form. We will make the information available to our students. For your convenience, we have prepared a sample contract : Freelance Law Student Agreement (PDF, 27.6 KB) that you can use & modify for your use.

For any questions, contact Karine Laframboise ([email protected]) at the Career and Professional Development Centre.

Important Posting Policies

All employers that post opportunities with the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section agree to provide a work environment that is free of discrimination in compliance with all provincial and federal Human Rights Legislation, and provincial law society professional standards, codes of conduct and recruitment procedures.

The CPDC will not post opportunities that are unpaid, whether they are with for-profit or not-for-profit organizations.

Employers who wish to post a paid opportunity must be in a position to offer at least the provincial minimum wage.

We reserve the right in our sole discretion to restrict, remove or refuse to post any posting without notice that we feel is inappropriate for our students.

We will not post any opportunity or otherwise circulate employment information where a non-lawyer is seeking a student to perform legal research or engage in any activities that could potentially be construed as providing legal advice.

Non Discrimination

The University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section maintains a learning and work environment that promotes the understanding and respect for dignity of the person as part of the University community and one that is free from harassment and discrimination. All employers who engage in recruitment activities with the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section agree to abide by university policies 67a and 67b to ensure a safe environment free from discrimination. In addition, employers must respect all provincial and federal Human Rights Legislation, and provincial law society professional standards, codes of conduct and recruitment procedures.

Employer Events

Employer events or receptions must be open to all students (or students in a particular class year). In addition, in response to increasing concerns about addiction and mental health in the legal profession, all events hosted on-campus and in collaboration with the Career and Professional Development Centre must be alcohol free. Employers that fail to comply with these policies may not be able to use the services of the Career and Professional Development Centre or engage in recruitment activities on campus.

If you would like to advertise a position for a Student-Proposed Internship (SPI), please fill out the form. We will make the information available to our students.

The selected student must submit their application to the Faculty in accordance with the specified deadlines. Note that the deadlines for some terms are fixed well in advance of the commencement of term. Therefore, employers that wish to advertise an internship for units should make sure to allow sufficient time to advertise the internship position, receive student applications and complete selections as well as to provide time for the successful student to apply internally to the Faculty. For more information on Student-Proposed Internships please visit the Information for Employers section of our website.  

For any questions, please contact Pascale Ouellette or Josée Desmarais at the Career and Professional Development Centre.

Important Internship Posting Policies 

All employers that post internship for unit opportunities with the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section agree to provide a work environment that is free of discrimination in compliance with all provincial and federal Human Rights Legislation, and provincial law society professional standards, codes of conduct, recruitment procedures and University of Ottawa Policies 67a and 67b.The supervisor must consistently be accessible to students and regularly available to review students’ legal work as well as to provide guidance and answer the student’s questions. We reserve the right in our sole discretion to restrict, remove or refuse to post any internship posting without notice that we feel is inappropriate for our students. We will not post any internship opportunity where a nonlawyer is seeking a student to perform legal research or engage in any activities that could potentially be construed as providing legal advice. 

• Information on Student-Proposed Internships
• Fellowships
• Pro Bono Students Canada
• Legal Mentorship Programs

The Resume Book is a collection of resumes belonging to University of Ottawa Common Law students who are eligible to begin articles in the upcoming articling cycle. Each resume is accompanied by a one page Profile, which contains a brief personal statement and lists the student’s preferred areas of legal practice and preferred geographic practice locations.

Some employers who chose not participate in the regulated articling recruitment processes are still looking to hire an articling student(s). The Resume Book gives employers direct access to a pool of available students, in a convenient and easy to navigate document.

To request access to the Resume Book, please send an email to at [email protected] The most current Resume Book will be generated and sent to you at that time.

What is the University of Ottawa’s Grading Policy?

In order to view our grading policy and our grading system, please see rule I-10 in the academic regulations.

How do I get to Campus?

The law school is located at 57 Louis-Pasteur Pvt, Ottawa ON. in room 233 of Fauteux Hall.  International and National flights fly into the Ottawa McDonald Cartier International Airport.  Travelers with shorter distances may opt for travel by train with VIA rail.  From the airport or train station the easiest way to get to campus is by taxi or by OC Transpo bus.  Here is a link to our campus map (printable PDF version of the map also available).

How do I contact a student group?

If you are planning an event which involves one of our student groups, you can get in touch with the Common Law Students Society (CLSS).