Potential occupations

Universities studies lead to multiple occupations. Furthermore, certain professions require talent, special aptitudes, additional skills and experience beyond degrees themselves. By targeting a profession, it can make decisions easier during your schooling, throughout your job search and, finally, when choosing among job offers. The choices can change over time based on academic, personal, and professional paths and on the knowledge of occupations and of the labour market.

In order to list your choices, visit the Job Bank Canada website and, using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes, view job postings, wages, employment prospects and other important information that can help you make a decision. If need be, additional and complementary information can be found via two online career exploration tools (Careercruising and Choices Planner)* also designed to facilitate your career advancement. The occupations found below are examples derived from the National Occupational Classification.

Occupations related to this program

Lawyers and Quebec notaries

  • Attorney
  • Civil lawyer
  • Commercial lawyer
  • Criminal lawyer
  • Immigration lawyer
  • Lawyer
  • Prosecutor

Court officers and justices of the peace

  • Clerk of the court
  • Co-ordinator of court services
  • Court officer
  • Judicial officer
  • Justice of the peace

Paralegal and related occupations

  • Law clerk
  • Legal researcher
  • Legal technician
  • Paralegal
  • Trademark agent

Judges

  • Chief justice
  • County Court judge
  • Court of Queen's Bench justice
  • District court judge
  • Family Court judge
  • Federal court justice – trial division
  • Provincial court of appeal justice
  • Small claims court judge
  • Supreme Court justice

Other business services managers

  • Accounting firm manager
  • Legal firm manager

Executive assistants

  • Committee clerk
  • Legislative assistant
  • Parliamentary committee clerk

Other managers in public administration

  • Elections planning director
  • Federal-provincial relations director
  • Intergovernmental affairs director

Senior government managers and officials

  • Chief electoral officer
  • High commissioner
  • Vice-president – government services

Other administrative services managers

  • Chief, legal department
  • Chief, financial and administrative services

Post-secondary teaching and research assistants

  • Discussion group leader – post-secondary teaching assistance
  • Post-secondary research assistant
  • Post-secondary teaching assistant

Volunteer opportunities

In addition to providing an opportunity to apply theories and knowledge learned during your university studies outside the classroom, in real world situations, volunteering is a way to help the community and its many organizations. The Community Service Learning also allows students to contribute to their community by participating in projects that are related to their program of study.

Potential employers

The following examples of employers can offer internships or employment opportunities related to students’ program of studies. The examples are presented according to geographic location: Ottawa and Gatineau, Ontario, Quebec and other provinces. 

  • Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
  • Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
  • Legal Aid Ontario
  • National Defence
  • Parliament of Canada
  • Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
  • Department of Justice Canada
  • Health Canada
  • MBM Intellectual Property Law
  • McCarthy Tétrault
  • Nelligan O'Brien Payne
  • The Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Department of Justice Canada
  • Health Canada
  • Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
  • MBM Intellectual Property Law
  • McCarthy Tétrault
  • Miller Thomson L.L.P.
  • Thompson Dorfman Sweatman L.L.P.
  • Cooley Godward Kronish L.L.P.
  • Covington and Burling L.L.P.
  • International Criminal Court
  • International Court of Justice
  • International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
  • The Law Offices of Menasce Chiche
  • United States Securities and Exchange Commission
  • United States Department of Justice
  • Addleshaw Goddard
  • Bond Pearce
  • Clarke Willmott
  • Clifford Chance

Professional organizations

Examples of professional organizations, presented by location, provide essential information on professional development opportunities and networking activities, the examples can also provide access to publications and job opportunities.

  • Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
  • Association of Corporate Counsel 
  • Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers
  • Canadian Corporate Counsel Association
  • Collaborative Divorce Alberta Association - CDAA
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Canadian Council on International Law
  • Canadian Defence Lawyers 
  • Canadian Law and Society Association
  • Canadian Maritime Law Association
  • Criminal Lawyers’ Association
  • Federal Court
  • Federation of Law Societies of Canada
  • Insurance-Canada
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • The Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Vancouver Maritime Arbitrators Association
  • Canadian Environmental Law Association 
  • Canadian IT Law Association 
  • Canadian Transport Lawyers Association 
  • Canadian Media Lawyers Association 
  • American Civil Liberties Union
  • Association for Legal Career Professionals
  • Center for Justice and International Law
  • International Association of Insurance Law
  • International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights
  • Inter-American Bar Association
  • Maritime Law Association of the United States
  • United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
  • United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  • Unicef
  • International Law Association
  • American Society of International Law
  • International Law Students Association 

Modified date: 2023-06-22