Toronto 2L in-firm interviews: what to expect and how to prepare

If you landed in-firm interviews in the Toronto 2L recruit, the hardest filter is behind you. In-firms are where firms decide who they want for next summer, and they work differently from on-campus interviews. This guide covers how the week runs, what firms are really assessing, and how to prepare in the time you have left.

Key dates for the 2027 summer recruit

These dates come from the Law Society of Ontario's Toronto summer student recruitment procedures, which bind every student and lawyer taking part. Read them once before call day.

How the three days work

Day 1 (Monday) is usually the longest and most structured. Expect a formal interview with two or more lawyers, often followed by a tour, coffee or lunch with students and associates. Many firms try to meet each of their candidates on Day 1.

Days 2 and 3 are where the field narrows. Firms invite back the students they are most interested in. Osler, for example, describes its Day 2 and Day 3 interviews as roughly an hour each. Later interviews tend to be less about your resume and more about fit: who you would work with, what you want to do, and whether you would accept an offer.

How long each interview runs varies by firm. A lawyer on the Canadian Law Forum put most in-firms at 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, and noted that some firms keep you with the same interviewers while others rotate you through several lawyers for about 20 minutes each (Canadian Law Forum). Ask each firm how long to plan for, and if you have a hard stop, tell your interviewers at the start.

Receptions and dinners often run alongside interviews. Treat them as part of the interview.

Wednesday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. is a no-contact period: firms may not contact students and students may not contact firms. From 5:00 p.m., firms may make offers (Law Society of Ontario).

What firms are actually assessing

By in-firms, a firm already believes you are academically capable. The interviews mostly test three things:

1. Interest in this firm specifically. Can you explain why this firm, beyond its reputation? Mention a practice group, a mentoring structure, a secondment program, or a conversation you had at an on-campus interview.
2. Judgment and maturity. Can you talk about a mistake, a conflict, or pressure calmly and honestly?
3. Likelihood of accepting. Firms want to make offers that get accepted. Under the Law Society's procedures, firms must not pressure you or try to find out whether you would accept, even indirectly, but you are free to tell them yourself.

Questions to prepare for

• Walk me through your resume.
• Why did you go to law school?
• Why our firm, and why Toronto?
• What practice areas interest you, and why?
• Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation at work or school.
• Tell me about a mistake you made and what you did next.
• What do you do outside of school?
• What other firms are you interviewing with?
• What questions do you have for us?

Students and lawyers who have been through the recruit describe in-firms as more conversational than on-campus interviews, especially on Days 2 and 3. Plan as if about half of each later interview will be your questions, and keep notes on each interviewer and the other lawyers you would like to meet (Canadian Law Forum; Canadian Law Forum).

If an interviewer asks which other firms you are seeing, you can answer in general terms, such as the kinds of firms or practices you are considering. You do not have to name them.

For every line on your resume, have a two-sentence story ready. Interviewers often pick an unusual detail and ask about it.

Telling a firm where it ranks

Firms are not allowed to ask you to reveal whether you would accept an offer, but you may volunteer it (Law Society of Ontario). If a question feels like it is fishing for a commitment, you can politely decline to answer. When you do share your ranking, be honest and do not make promises you cannot keep.

• If the firm is your first choice: say so clearly, ideally on Day 2 or 3 and to the person leading student recruitment. It matters.
• If it is not: say it is one of the firms you are most seriously considering, and give a real reason. Never tell two firms they are your first choice; lawyers talk to each other.

Questions to ask them

Good questions show you have thought about the work itself:

• How is work assigned to summer students: through a formal system, or informally?
• What does a typical week look like for a summer student in your group?
• How many of last year's summer students came back to article, and how many were hired back?
• What kind of feedback do summer students get, and how often?
• What do you wish you had known before your first summer here?

Avoid questions the firm's website already answers, and leave pay, vacation, and bonuses for later conversations. Lawyers on student forums consistently warn against raising bonuses in an interview, and especially with a partner.

The week before: a preparation checklist

Start with our Bay Street firm profiles, which compare the Seven Sisters on program structure, interview format, and 2026 hireback, with a page for each firm.

• Re-read every cover letter and resume version you sent, and know which version each firm has.
• For each firm, write down three reasons you would want to work there.
• If the firm tells you who you will meet, read one recent matter summary or article by each interviewer.
• Plan your route and timing. In-firm week often means crossing downtown several times a day.
• Pack a small bag: spare resumes, a pen and notepad, a phone charger, an umbrella, and a snack.
• Do one mock interview with your career office or a friend who has been through the recruit.

On the day

• Arrive about 10 minutes early, not 30. Reception areas get crowded.
• Be pleasant to everyone, including reception, students and assistants.
• Take a short note after each interview: names, what you discussed, and anything you promised to follow up on.
• Pace yourself at receptions. One drink at most, and leave on time.

Offer day and what happens next

Offers can start arriving at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4. Keep your phone charged and be somewhere quiet. Offers made that evening must stay open until at least 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, but once you accept, you must stop interviewing and decline other offers. Decide before 5:00 p.m. which offer you would take. Our offer day guide explains how the evening works.

If no offer comes, you are far from alone, and there are good paths forward through other recruits, government and public interest roles, and the articling recruit.