Gurarjun Toor’s path to success paved with new connections

Gurarjun Toor is no stranger to embracing new beginnings. He chose to pursue a legal education in Northern Ireland before moving across Canada to complete the Internationally Trained Lawyer Pathway at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law.

He’s now starting the next leg of his legal journey as an articling student at a major Calgary firm.

“The ITLP program was a great transition to enter the market here,” says Toor. “It was very helpful. Omicron was going on, people weren’t hiring much, and having taken this program helped me stand out.”

With a degree from Queen’s University Belfast and an interest in corporate law, Toor moved from Toronto to enrol in the ITLP program. The program helps students with international designations become accredited to practise law in Canada.

The pathway provided not only the courses he needed, but the chance to make important connections too.

“I loved my time in Edmonton, loved the university. The campus was beautiful, all the faculty and students were so kind and friendly. I was able to get some really good reference letters from my professors in the ITLP, and that’s what helped me start my legal career.

“The professors helped me build my network, connecting me with the right people,” says Toor, who is especially grateful to his civil procedure instructor Alex Yiu and Christopher Samuel, the director of Legal Research and Writing. “They were fantastic to work with.”

Today, he appreciates the lasting bonds he made with the students from his ITLP cohort. “I’m still very much in touch. I’m in CPLED with one of them right now. Everyone in my cohort was so kind and supportive. There’s still a group chat, with everyone checking in every couple weeks.”

For Toor, uprooting himself is all part of the journey. 

“I have a supportive family that encouraged me to travel. When you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you’re bound to learn something. Even if you fail, it’s a good learning experience. It made me more confident.”

Toor completed all of his corporate law courses at Queen’s University Belfast, and after he took one more in the ITLP at U of A, he was confident about his future direction.

“I was always interested in business growing up, and I was attracted to the fast paced and tight deadlines in securities and capital markets. I always saw myself thriving in that type of pressure.”

“A lot of people reach out to lawyers because they don’t know how to navigate that space, and I thought it’d be great to be that person who knows what’s going on.”

Now an articling student at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, he is pursuing his dream of working in securities and capital markets. With the help of his principal, Doug McCartney, a partner in the business law group at Cassels, Toor is already getting out of his comfort zone as much as possible.

“Articling here has been fantastic. Doug’s a really great mentor. He’s put me on amazing files, with very good clients. And he’s trusted me with a lot of responsibility, constantly pushing the boundaries of what I’m capable of.”

“Because of U of A, I was ultimately able to find this fantastic mentor. Somebody’s willing to give you a chance when you have this program on your resumé.”