Toronto-Wide Hireback Numbers

Since 2009, PrecedentJD has tracked the number of articling students Toronto law firms have hired back as first-year associates — and called it the Hireback Watch.

In the interactive chart below, you can toggle between the past twelve years and sort the hireback data in each column. If you click on the name of a firm, you’ll see its numbers from over the years. To receive updates when we add new firms, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

See the chart below to find out how we calculate the data and how we have handled law-firm mergers over the years.

The 2021 Hireback Watch is now live. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be updating the chart below as firms report their numbers. Check back often and follow us on Facebook and Twitter, where we announce every update to the chart.

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Firm Articling
Students		 Students
Hired Back		 Number of
opt outs*		 Start Date Notes
Blake, Cassels & Graydon 26 23 1 September
Borden Ladner Gervais 23 21 2 September 13, 2021
Cassels Brock & Blackwell 15 15 0 September
Fasken 16 16 0 September
Bogoroch & Associates 2 1 0 August
Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti 5 5 0 TBD
Lerners 4 4 0 TBD
Sherrard Kuzz 5 5 0 Flexible
Teplitsky, Colson 2 1 1 Between August long weekend and Labour Day
Miller Thomson 13 13 0 September 2021
Paliare Roland 4 3 1 TBD
Wildeboer Dellelce 4 4 0 October or January
DLA Piper 8 6 0 To be determined. The official start date for Toronto students hired back as associates is early September, but under the present circumstances there is flexibility for a new associate to begin earlier.
Dickinson Wright 3 2 0 September
Blaney McMurtry 6 6 0 Flexible. Any time after the call to the Bar and early September.
Gilbert’s LLP 2 2 0 September 2021
Torys 19 18 1 September 2021
Norton Rose Fulbright 15 13 2 TBD
Bereskin & Parr 6 4 0 September
Torkin Manes 6 6 0 TBD. Expected to be in September.
Goodmans 13 11 2 TBD
Dentons 10 10 0 TBD. Expected to be in September.
Minden Gross 3 1 2 Flexible
Goldblatt Partners 6 4 1 Variable
Hicks Morley 10 9 1 TBD. Anticipated to start in September.
Stikeman Elliott 25 22 0 TBD
McMillan 11 8 2 September 7 with some practice groups starting back sooner. Timing TBD.
Beard Winter 4 4 0 Various
Aird & Berlis 8 7 0 September
Baker & McKenzie 7 4 0 TBD
Department of Justice 20 19 1 Various. After call to Bar.
Hicks Adams 4 3 1 One student to begin on July 5, while the other two are to begin on August 16.
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt 26 22 4 September
Gowling WLG 15 14 0 September
Gardiner Roberts 4 3 0 Various
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg 13 12 1 September 2021
McCarthy Tétrault 28 26 2 Rolling start dates with all first years back by September 2021
Bennett Jones 22 19 0 On or before September 20, 2021
Fogler, Rubinoff 6 6 0 September 7
Polley Faith 2 1 1 July
McLeish Orlando 3 1 0 Mid-June. After call to the bar.
Loopstra Nixon 4 4 0 June/July
Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin 9 6 1 September 2021
Dutton Brock LLP 3 1 0 August 16, 2021
Robins Appleby 2 1 0 September 7, 2021

*Students who opted out are included in the figures for total articling students

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Notes on the data

  • Our data for each year before 2013 refers to the numbers for FMC, which merged with Dentons in March 2013.
  • Our data for each year before 2012 refers to Ogilvy Renault, which merged with Norton Rose in July 2011.
  • Our data for each year before 2016 refers to Gowling Lafleur Henderson, which merged with UK-based Wragge Lawrence Graham to form Gowling WLG in February 2016.
  • Our data for each year before 2015 refers to Davis LLP, which merged with DLA Piper in April 2015.