Torys: student program and recruit guide

Torys is a business law firm with offices in Canada and New York. It is the clearest example on Bay Street of a non-rotational student program, and it publishes a detailed account of its interview week. Here is how it works.

At a glance

A non-rotational program

Torys says its "non-rotational system allows you to explore all your areas of interest" (Torys). Students take work from as many or as few practice areas as they choose, and can arrange split summers with approval. Each summer student is paired with a junior associate, and each articling student with a mid-level associate and a partner. Formal reviews run throughout, with sessions on corporate law, M&A, capital markets, litigation skills, mental health, and professionalism.

Non-rotational programs reward students who seek out work. If you like structure and assigned groups, ask how students who are unsure of their interests find their way.

Hireback

In Precedent's 2026 Bay Street hireback ranking, Torys had 20 articling students, hired back 20, and had 0 opt-outs, for a hireback rate of 100% (Precedent). Precedent removes students who chose not to stay before it calculates the rate, so a lower number is not always a sign that the firm turned people away.

Applying and interview week

• Application package: cover letter, resume, law school, undergraduate, and graduate transcripts, a list of upper-year courses, and optional non-academic references, through the online portal.
• Interview week: first interviews on Monday, second interviews on Tuesday, and formal offers at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday.
• No second round: Torys says it does not extend a second round of offers once responses come in.
• Thank-you notes: cards are not expected. A call or email to a lawyer you met is enough.

Recruit dates for summer 2027

The Law Society of Ontario's procedures set the same dates for Torys and every other firm in the Toronto 2L recruit.

Use our free call day planner to rank your firms and book slots without clashes.

Pay

Torys does not publish its student or associate pay. The Globe and Mail reported in 2025 that first-year associates at top-tier Bay Street firms earn about $135,000 before bonuses, and named Torys among the firms that raised associate base pay (The Globe and Mail). For students, the median weekly pay at Toronto firms was $1,900 in NALP's 2025 Canadian survey (NALP). See our student salary guide and Bay Street salary scale.

Questions worth asking at Torys

Good questions show you read about the firm and want to know how the work really runs. These come straight from how the firm describes its own program:

• In a non-rotational program, how do students build relationships with groups they have not worked with yet?
• How do the junior associate and partner mentors help students decide where to focus?
• What does the formal review process look like without rotations?

For more, read our guides to questions to ask law firms, in-firm interviews, and in-firm week etiquette.

Compare with the other Seven Sisters profiles: Blakes, Davies, Goodmans, McCarthy Tétrault, Osler, Stikeman Elliott, or see all seven side by side.

This profile uses the firm's own student pages and the public sources linked below. Lateral Law Report is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any firm. Programs change from year to year, so confirm details with the firm's student programs team before you rely on them.