Adapting to a New Home: An ITL Story
By Anjana Bhaskaran
Picture this: It’s August 31, 2018, 6:30 in the morning. I’m groggy, grabbing my phone (because honestly, who doesn’t?), and there it is—an email from the University of Toronto. Subject line: “GPLLM Admissions Decision – Congratulations!” In that split second, it hit me: I had actually set in motion a life-changing plan. I was about to leave India behind and move to Canada permanently.
My husband and I had just gotten the green light on our Canadian Permanent Residency (PR) application a few days earlier. Suddenly, we were packing up our lives—32 years’ worth in India—and prepping our passports for visa stamping. I had spent hours researching NCA exams, the Law Society’s lawyer licensing process, and job prospects for internationally trained lawyers in Ontario. With the clock ticking, I submitted my application to U of T’s Global Professional LLM Program literally on the last possible day. A week later, I was accepted. Then came the real challenge: two weeks to pack up, say goodbye, and get ready for classes starting September 14.
My two-and-a-half-year-old son, who had never been on a flight longer than two hours, was my travel buddy. We booked our tickets and headed for Toronto. My husband stayed back, tying up loose ends. The journey ahead felt daunting—completing NCA exams through my master’s, getting re-certified as an Ontario lawyer, writing the bar exams, and somehow landing an in-house legal job. It all seemed like a long (and honestly, pretty lonely) road.
Right after the PR approval, I kicked off my job hunt while still in India. I started researching résumés, how to highlight transferable skills, and reached out to as many lawyers on LinkedIn as I could to familiarize myself with my new home country and to build my initial network within Canada’s legal community. I quickly realized that “Hi, I want to connect to expand my network in Canada” just doesn’t cut it. Instead, I got specific—short intros and pointed questions, especially to lawyers in my practice area, so I could get a real sense of hiring and upskilling in the Toronto legal market. My go-to question: “What skill sets do you look for when hiring a legal assistant or an internationally trained lawyer enrolled in the licensing process?”
Fast-forward a week—I ended up with two offers! Even now, I’m not quite sure how I pulled that off in just a week! My plan was to network like mad and maybe find a job within three to six months. I was even open to working for free, just to prove myself. The best part? Both hiring managers were open-minded and genuinely wanted to give me a shot.
I took the remote role—it suited my experience and allowed me to balance work, study, and childcare. Plus, my heart was set on corporate legal work, not the long hours and lack of work-life balance that comes with firms. I had been there, didn’t want to go back.
There were quite a few things that helped me get through this phase of my journey in Canada, but if you asked for my top tips, here’s what I would share:
• Prioritize: Make a list of what you want to achieve in your first year. For me, it was finishing my master’s and passing the Ontario Bar on my first try. Focusing on your main goals gives you purpose (and sanity).
• Be clear on what you want: Sometimes, a random opportunity pops up. If it doesn’t fit your long-term plan, don’t feel pressured to take it.
• Be open to starting over: Lots of people told me being a contracts manager was a step down for someone with nearly a decade of legal experience. My response? You can’t practise law in Ontario until you’re re-certified. Know your place in the market and own it.
• Trust the process and talk to people: Colleagues introduced me to lawyers from all over Bay Street. Their advice? Apply for an articling exemption—you’ve got experience, use it! Sometimes, you don’t even know what options are out there until you ask.
• Set reasonable expectations and be patient: I braced myself for six months of job hunting but was fortunate to land a job much earlier. Opportunities are out there, but you might have to wait for someone to recognize your skills. The person who hired me didn’t even meet me in person first! In Canada, résumés and references can really do the talking.
• Stick around if you find a good fit: The company I started with as a contracts manager promoted me to General Counsel the day before I was called to the Bar. Why? They valued talent and supported me—time off to study, lighter loads for classes, flexible hours. I genuinely loved working there.
Looking back on the past two years, I can honestly say that keeping expectations in check, accepting that Toronto weather is not going to be my friend, and managing education, career, parenting, and life solo—it was all part of the package. But that’s what helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel.
About the author: Anjana Bhaskaran is an internationally trained lawyer and the General Counsel at a Toronto based Learning & Development Company called Box of Crayons, Inc.
