Hey — welcome. Glad you're here.
This is Off the Real Path by PathCompass. Every issue we go inside one real career. No brochures, no LinkedIn highlight reels — just honest stories from people who figured it out.
This first issue is about a career almost every ambitious student considers at some point. Here's what we actually found out.
What it takes to make it in Canadian Big Law
Most students who want to be lawyers picture courtrooms. The reality: most Big Law work never gets near one.
PathCompass spoke with lawyers inside Canada's most prestigious firms — the so-called "Seven Sisters" — to find out what the path really looks like.
What surprised us most:
Your undergrad degree doesn't matter. Law school accepts any field — what counts is grades and your LSAT. The path is: undergrad → law school → bar exam or training program → articling → associate.
The two tracks split early. Litigation lawyers argue cases. Transactional lawyers draft deals and structure multi-million dollar corporate transactions. Most Big Law work is transactional — you'll rarely see a courtroom.
AI is reshaping the job, not killing it. Firms use AI for document review and repetitive tasks. The lawyers who thrive will be the ones who focus on judgment and client relationships — things AI can't touch.
Your city shapes your specialty. Toronto lawyers end up doing international corporate work. A second language is one of the most underrated advantages in the field.
The honest trade-off: Big Law means complex work and strong pay, but long hours when deals heat up. Smaller firms offer more autonomy. Neither is wrong — it depends on what you want your days to look like.
Read the full article → [pathcompass.org]