Tiwa Orija

When Nigerian legal professional Tiwa Orija set her sights on practicing law in Canada, she knew it would take more than passing exams. Like many internationally trained lawyers, she began the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) process and wrote two exams but quickly realized she wanted the full experience of studying in a Canadian law school.

That decision led her to apply to Osgoode Professional Development. While she had her eye on the LLM in Canadian Common Law, she was instead admitted to the Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law: a one-year full-time program designed to give internationally trained lawyers an introduction to the Canadian legal system. 

Looking back, she describes that moment as pivotal. “A friend told me to just focus on the NCA challenge exams,” she says. “But I realized the Graduate Diploma would give me a robust experience. I had seen others who did only the exams, and they often struggled in the job market. Employers here expect you to have certain core skills like research, writing, and analytical skills that you may not develop through exams alone.” 

Tiwa soon found that the program delivered. She highlights the practical training that became the foundation of her later success, including drafting legal memos in a Canadian style, conducting legal research using Canadian resources and databases and writing structured research papers and case briefs.  

“I remember thinking back to the writing sample I submitted with my original LLM application,” she says. “In Nigeria, we were taught to make our argument at the end. In Canada, you state it at the beginning. Even though both are common law jurisdictions, the expectations are very different.”  

One of the things that stood out most about her Graduate Diploma experience was the sense of community. The program’s small size meant that classmates developed close bonds. They have a Whatsapp group where they stay connected as much as possible.  

She also points to the support of the instructors, many of whom understood first-hand what it was like to start a legal career in a new country. One instructor who left a lasting impression was Germán Morales Farah, “He gave us a sense of belonging,” she says. “He wasn’t born here and wasn’t trained here, but he still succeeded.” 

The skills and confidence Tiwa built in the Graduate Diploma made her transition to graduate study seamless. She went on to complete the LLM in International Business Law at Osgoode, where she was able to take on advanced research and writing projects with ease thanks to the foundation she had already established. 

Most recently, Tiwa successfully completed her articling at North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services and expects to be called to the Bar next month, marking another major milestone toward her goal of becoming licensed to practice in Canada.