Career Connections Fall 2026

Career Connections Fall 2026
Career Connections is uOttawa Law’s biggest career event of the year, hosted by the Career Development Centre at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre (200 Coventry Road). It features over 100 representatives across the private and public interest sectors, joining us from Ottawa, Toronto, and beyond.
people networking

Career Connections offers a variety of networking opportunities and professional exchanges for common law students, to inform and equip them for early legal career success.

uOttawa law students will have the opportunity to meet with both private sector organizations and public interest organizations, attend a practical workshop ‘You Belong Here: Networking with Confidence in Law School’, and get a professional headshot taken. 

Listen attentively, gather information, ask questions, and build your professional network. Most importantly, have fun! 

Schedule

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

Every person registered is assigned to one of three timeslots below (please take note of your timeslot in your confirmation email):

Timeslot 1: 9am-1pm

Timeslot 2: 11:30am-3:30pm (reserved for students in the French program)

Timeslot 3: 1:15-5:15pm 

Breakdown of your assigned timeslot:

  1. Check-in, coat check and collect your nametag (30 minutes)
  2. Practical Workshop - You Belong Here: Networking with Confidence in Law School (75 minutes)
  3. Break (15 minutes)
  4. Networking Circuit with organizations (90 minutes)
  5. Coat check (30 minutes)

Event at a Glance

handshake

What?

Networking event connecting law students with lawyers, featuring a practical workshop and professional headshots.

feet

Who?

Representatives from practice settings of different shapes, sizes and locations, across the private and public interest sectors.

person typing

When?

Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

helping boost

Where?

Ottawa Conference and Event Centre (200 Coventry Road), in Ottawa.

mentorship

How?

Step out of your comfort zone and bring your whole, authentic, energetic self to the event. Keep an open mind and let the magic happen!

staff in office

Why?

Because the connections you build with the legal community, now, while in law school, will help ensure your long-term success in this profession!

You Belong Here: Networking with Confidence in Law School

Walking into a room full of employers can spark a swirl of internal thoughts: What do I say? How do I make myself stand out? Everyone else seems to know what they’re doing. What if I freeze?

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone - and this session is for you.

Designed especially for law students launching their careers, this interactive one-hour workshop will help you approach networking with greater confidence, clarity, and authenticity. Rather than focusing on scripts or self-promotion, the session explores how to build genuine professional connections by understanding your strengths, regulating nerves, and showing up as yourself.

Through reflection, discussion, and guided activities, students will learn how to reframe anxiety, identify the value they bring to conversations, set realistic goals for networking events, and practice engaging with curiosity and presence.

You will leave with practical tools you can use immediately, along with the reminder that feeling nervous and being capable can coexist. You belong in these rooms and this session will help you walk into them knowing it

Lana Saleh

Facilitator - Lana Saleh

Lana Saleh is a bilingual (English/French) lawyer, facilitator, and speaker specializing in emotional intelligence, communication, and professional development within the legal profession. With over twenty years of experience as a presenter and facilitator, she brings a practical, empathetic, and highly relatable approach to skill-building in high pressure academic and professional environments.

A University of Ottawa Alumna, LLB 2007, and called to the bar in 2008, Lana draws on her lived experience as a lawyer to address the real-world demands of legal education and practice. She has worked with law students, lawyers, and legal organizations, including the University of Ottawa, Programme de pratique du droit, Legal Aid Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Law Society of Ontario, among others.

Lana designs and delivers training that integrates emotional intelligence with communication and professional identity development. Drawing on her background in law, psychology, art, and communication studies, she delivers Law Society–accredited professional development that is reflective, practical, and immediately applicable for students and legal professionals alike.

Student Registration

Before Registering

Understand your commitment. Once you register, you are expected to follow through and attend the event, barring exceptional circumstances.

The event may be photographed or recorded for use in promotional material by the Faculty of Law. 

Filling out the registration form will take you approximately 5 minutes.

After Registering

Keep an eye on your email and prepare yourself for the event by using the resources and information included on the Career Connections Brightspace page. For any additional questions, email [email protected]