Latin American lawyers share how an LLM in Canada boosted their legal careers

Our Alumni Insights Series brings together alumni who share common threads – either through their cultural or national backgrounds, areas of practice, or a shared commitment to a particular cause. One of our first events in the series was an alumni panel featuring three alumni from Latin America who shared their experiences pursuing an LLM in Canada.

Our alumni network includes many talented professionals from Latin America, which isn’t surprising given that more than 1 million Canadians (3%) are of Latin American or Hispanic descent, according to 2023 Statistics Canada data estimates. Toronto is also a top choice for international students from this region because it offers strong Latin American communities a welcoming space to feel connected to their culture and countries of origin while pursuing their studies in Toronto.

Our three panelists have taken three different career paths post-graduation, however they agree that the resources they had access to as OsgoodePD students played an important role in their career success.

Networking Opportunities
Becoming part of Canada’s largest law school opens doors to an extensive network of students and alumni from across Canada and around the world. All panelists noted that networking significantly advanced their careers. For instance, Lucas Fuse (LLM in Canadian Common Law, 2017) highlighted how his connections in the program led to a part-time role during his studies, which evolved into an articling position and a full-time associate role at a real estate firm after graduation. After building his expertise in real estate, Lucas transitioned to a bank and is now a Regulatory Associate at TD Securities, a division of TD Bank Group, managing regulatory compliance in over-the-counter derivatives across multiple regions.

“There are hidden values in the LLM. When you come to a new country and don’t know anyone, the program allows you to organically build a massive network. You meet people who work in different areas, in different types of roles. All of sudden they’re your friends, they’re on your LinkedIn, you can text them ask them for advice.”

One-on-One Advising
LLM students have access to unlimited one-on-one career advising, which includes support on resumes, cover letters, job search strategies, and mock interviews. Ana Peniche (LLM in International Business Law, 2017) found career advising particularly helpful in identifying opportunities for a career shift. Originally practising Intellectual Property Law in Mexico, Ana decided to pursue a different path when she came to Canada and spent several years working in as an International Business Administrator.  She found herself missing legal work, but didn’t want to go through the Canadian licensing process. She joined the LLM in International Business Law and found that, although many of her classmates did have licensing in mind, Osgoode’s advisors had a depth of knowledge about opportunities for internationally trained lawyers outside of traditional practising roles.

“Many of my classmates were completing their NCA requirements and I was unsure whether or not I should follow this route as well. I was wondering whether I was making a mistake or the right choice and whether it was too late to start the licensing process. The first few times I met with Meghan Thomas, she really helped me to narrow down what I wanted to do and did not want to do. She provided me with career coaching and helped me trace the path I needed to reach my goal.”

With that goal and path in mind, Ana focused her post-graduate job search on roles that allowed her to work within the legal field in innovative ways. After graduating, she spent over five years working in compliance and has recently started her own consulting firm specializing in compliance, conduct risk, and ethics.

Academic & Career Skills Workshops
We offer workshops throughout the year to support our students’ academic and career success. These sessions cover topics like research paper writing, legal research platforms, CV building, interview prep, networking strategies, and more. Before beginning her LLM, Daniela Sanchez (LLM in General Law, 2016) was a corporate lawyer, aiming to expand her professional horizon with Canadian legal knowledge. Daniela says that the skills she gained through the program, helped her to transition to a new industry, compliance, post-graduation. She particularly appreciates how the program helped her to develop an understanding for the ways in which professional communication is different in Latin and North America.

“The way lawyers communicate in the Latin America space is different from the way colleagues communicate in Canada. Understanding these differences and developing these new communication skills helped me to transition from a corporate role into a compliance role. I continue to use these skills today.”