HELP❗️❗️❗️: Recent Canadian JD 👨‍🎓. My Father passed away last year two weeks before exams (aka semester before OCIs). Ended up averaging a D but was lucky enough to network my way into a summer position that year in DT Toronto. In my final semester, my best friend passed overseas a month before exams and took a big hit to my mental health. I ended up doing pretty well but failed one course (100% exam) and had to complete supplement exam to pass and graduate last month. How can I get into big law?

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You either get into biglaw initially via school rank and grades or via lateral. If you can’t get into biglaw now find a decent firm that will take you, or clerk etc., and network your brains out. Keep slugging it’ll happen if you stay the course. Be careful what you wish for.

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Wherever you land first work your ass off and get a good reputation. The legal industry is very small. Keep grinding.

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I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. I would focus on finding a job in Canada right now. With the right experience and a hotter market, you can always lateral. When you lateral as a third or fourth year into BigLaw, your grades may not matter and your deal list and skills would matter way more.

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I would choose a practice area that is in demand and try to lateral to BigLaw within 3-4 years. By then your grades won’t matter compared to your deal list.

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I have a friend who was in a similar situation and got into big law through networking, despite the poor grades during the semester their father passed. Try to network at events/LinkedIn. If you’re able to connect and open up about the situation, you may find someone who will go to bat for you with the hiring committee. Some big law firms are heartless and don’t care, but for some, if they know about the situation and see the good grades for other semesters, and have someone at the firm backing you, you could have a decent shot

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Try adding a personal statement to your applications explaining your poor grades.

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