TRAVIS WEAGANT
<Editor-in-Chief>
I’d like to make a pitch for London. Take a drive two hours west down the 401; take exit 186, and turn right. London has been growing since the 19th century, and is now a city of 360 000, according to the 2011 Census. In the 18th century, Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe selected a location for the future capital of Upper Canada in what is now southwestern Ontario. When a village was founded there, it was thus named for the English capital. However, the presence of dense hardwood forests prevented easy access and construction, and the capital was eventually established in York instead. To this day, London is known as the “Forest City”.
I worked there this summer, at a 25-lawyer firm located in the downtown core. For those of you who are still unsure about settling down for a legal career in Toronto, here are some reasons you might want to give London more than a passing thought.
1. It’s cheaper
Toronto is the most expensive city in Ontario. One room in a respectable-looking three- or four-bedroom house can cost anywhere from $600 to $800 per month. The cost of living alone is even higher, with bachelor apartments available for $1000 per month, and one-bedroom units for even more.
Ottawa, Ontario’s proverbial second city, isn’t much better. A city replete with hundreds of thousands of federal public servants, Ottawa’s upper middle class is such a dominant demographic that it has permanently damaged the economic incentive to cater to students and debt-laden young professionals. Clean and spacious one-bedroom apartments go for $1000 per month here. I also won’t dignify the price of groceries in downtown Ottawa by discussing it in these pages.
I arranged a sublet for one room in a newly renovated duplex adjacent to downtown London for $275 per month, utilities, Internet, and 20-minute pedestrian commute included. I could live alone in a spacious one-bedroom apartment for $800 per month. Parking spots are not a premium option, either; it would be difficult to find a property without one included. It is considered reasonable and affordable for an articling student to own a car in London.
2. It’s better for your mental health
I grew up about 20 kilometres south of London, in St. Thomas, a town of 36 000. London is where we did our Christmas shopping and where we went out to eat. 10 times the size of St. Thomas, it was the “big city.” Indeed, London is quite large enough to sustain a small boutique legal practice, and more than large enough to sustain several mid-size and large full-service firms (Lerners employs more than 100 lawyers), which have gathered along and near Richmond Street and Queens Ave in the downtown core.
In other words, you can get an enriching legal experience in London, even though it’s not a major financial centre, and you can do it without working yourself to the bone. Some people thrive on pressure and long hours. The sense of urgency and importance fuels their body to superhuman billables. Not me.
The firm I worked at is not stress-free. The practice of law always involves deadlines, many of which are unexpected. Nonetheless, stress is not the norm. The atmosphere there is certainly more relaxed than it is in Toronto. I arrived at work at 8:30, and usually left between 5:30 and 6:00, occasionally because I would have nothing to do in the morning if I did not. I can truthfully say that I never set foot in the office on a weekend. Instead, I carried on living my life.
3. It’s a more diverse summer/articling experience
Bay Street summer and articling students work on high-profile projects with national to global reach. They deal with the country’s largest clients’ most important work. There is no substitute for that prestige.
London summer and articling students make daily trips to the courthouse (which, admittedly, is a lot less fun than it sounds), occasionally appear in civil motions court, conduct client meetings, interview witnesses, and carry their own small claims files. They also work across many different areas of law. Sometimes this only confirms that you have no desire to work in a particular field. Sometimes, however, it changes your mind about an area of law you never thought you’d enjoy. In all, you simply spend less time at your desk in London than you do in Toronto.
A few warnings: you will make less money (though the cost of living differential compensates for a large part of the salary gap). You will probably need to buy a car. You will occasionally find yourself doing unusual work, and question its relevance to your career. You won’t have Toronto’s massive breadth of after-work options available to you (though London’s food scene is nothing to scoff at).
Furthermore, you’ll have some convincing to do, especially if you aren’t from southwestern Ontario. Your interviewers will grill you about why you want to come to London, and they will respond to any disingenuous answer with hostility. After all, these firms aren’t interesting in hiring someone who will jump ship in 2 years and return to Toronto.
However, if the fast-paced Toronto lifestyle doesn’t appeal to you, it’s not because you won’t be a good lawyer. It’s because sitting in traffic or on packed subway cars, paying $1000 per month to live in a mediocre apartment, and working until 10PM at your desk just aren’t things you’re willing to stomach to achieve a fulfilling career. So if a more low-key summer, articling, or career experience is for you, I would urge you to participate in the London interview process in February. Keep your eye on LegalEase for details.
Even if London isn’t the place for you, I think my summer experience represents a valuable lesson for all Ozzies to keep in mind: when you’re called to the bar, it means you can practice law in Ontario. There are lots of cities in Ontario. And they all have lawyers in them.