Introduction

What does life actually look like after a BA in Law from Carleton University? It's a question that gets more pressing as graduation gets closer, and the answer isn't one straight path into a courtroom. Carleton's own Department of Law and Legal Studies has alumni working in immigration law, federal government, nonprofit leadership, university administration, and public protocol services — proof that this degree opens far more doors than most students expect.

On November 6, 2024, the department put that range on full display at a real event: "What You Can Do With Your BA in Law." Four alumni spoke directly with current students about their careers, their advice, and the challenges they'd faced along the way. That event, and the wider list of alumni Carleton has profiled since, is the foundation for this piece — paired with practical, honest advice for students trying to picture their own path.

A Real Panel: What You Can Do With Your BA in Law

On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, the Department of Law and Legal Studies hosted a panel bringing together four alumni from very different careers. The panel included Alexandra Callinan, who was an Associate Lawyer at Kingwell Immigration Law at the time; Josh Hruschka, Senior Labour Relations Officer at Carleton University; Georgette Morris, a Specialist in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility with the Government of Canada; and Carmen Barcena, Head of Ceremonial and Protocol Services at the Department of Public Works.

According to the department's own recap of the event, the panelists spoke about their experience in the program, their advice for students entering the workforce, and challenges they've overcome in their careers — and the event drew a strong turnout of student questions. That range on one stage says a lot on its own: immigration law, university labour relations, federal DEI policy work, and ceremonial protocol services are four genuinely different careers, all built on the same undergraduate degree. If you plan to be in the room for the next one, our guide to making the most of CLLSS career events covers how to prepare questions, introduce yourself, and follow up afterwards.

One Real Path, In Her Own Words

Carleton has published a real, first-person account of how one of these panelists actually built her career — worth including here because it grounds the general advice below in something concrete. Alexandra Callinan, profiled on Carleton's Political Science alumni page as a 2012 graduate with a BA in Political Science and Human Rights, describes a path that didn't run in a straight line. Shortly before finishing her degree, she landed a full-time federal government position through the Federal Student Work Experience Program, working with what's now Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — a job that set the direction for her entire career. She spent several years in the federal public service before leaving in 2015 to attend law school at the University of Ottawa, earning her JD in 2018 and being called to the Bar of the Law Society of Ontario in 2019.

From there, her career kept moving: articling in Toronto at a full-service immigration firm, a move back to Ottawa to work at a boutique immigration practice, briefly running her own firm, and later working at Kingwell Immigration Law, where she spoke at Carleton's November 2024 alumni panel. She has since moved on to her current role as a partner at Avocats MGL Lawyers, where she also teaches as a faculty lecturer at Ashton College. Across more than a decade in the field, she has focused specifically on Canadian immigration law — a specialty that, according to her professional bio, is personally motivated by her own family's history as refugees who arrived in Canada during the Second World War.

Two things about her path are worth noting for anyone reading this to plan their own. First, her undergraduate degree didn't lead directly into law — it led into a government job first, and that job is what pointed her toward immigration law specifically. Second, her career wasn't a single employer or a straight climb: public service, law school, articling in a different city, a boutique firm, her own practice, then two different firms since. That kind of movement across employers over a decade-plus career is normal, not a detour.

(Note: her Carleton profile is published through the Political Science department specifically, rather than the Law and Legal Studies department page — the two programs appear closely connected for at least some students, including this one, but it's worth being precise about where this particular account is documented.)

The Bigger Picture: A Longer List of Alumni Paths

That panel isn't an isolated example. Carleton's Department of Law and Legal Studies alumni page profiles a wider group of graduates working across law, government, and the nonprofit sector, including:

• Mary Anne Carter, Director, Competition Policy and Business Law
• Julie Delahanty, Executive Director, Oxfam Canada
• Juanita Dobson, Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Victims and Vulnerable Persons Division, Government of Ontario
• Michelle Douglas, Executive Director, LGBT Purge Fund
• Sue O'Sullivan, Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
• John Peters, Principal, Jaimac Risk Management
• Saäd Rafi, CEO, Ontario Retirement Pension Plan

None of these are law firm partners exclusively, and that's the point. Between government policy, nonprofit leadership, victims' advocacy, risk management, and pension plan leadership, the degree clearly supports far more than one type of career.

Why This Matters for Current Students

When you're still in school, career paths can feel abstract. Job titles sound impressive, but they don't always explain what the actual work looks like or how someone got there. A real list of alumni — real names, real employers, a real event where people spoke directly to students — closes that gap in a way a generic careers page can't. Making that gap smaller is a large part of what CLLSS exists to do.

It also reframes the question students tend to ask. Instead of "What can I do with this degree?" it becomes "What kind of work fits my strengths, interests, and lifestyle?" That's a more useful question to sit with, and it's the same shift the department seems to be pushing for by running events like this one in the first place.

What a Day in These Kinds of Roles Tends to Look Like

Carleton hasn't published a detailed hour-by-hour account of any single alum's day, so this section is a general picture rather than one sourced to a specific person — but it reflects patterns common across the kinds of roles its graduates end up in.

In a legal practice role, like immigration law, mornings often start with reviewing case files and responding to client emails that came in overnight. Midday tends to bring client calls, document drafting, or preparing materials for an upcoming filing or hearing. Afternoons often shift toward research — checking recent rulings or policy changes that affect an active case — before wrapping up with case notes and planning the next day's priorities.

In a government policy role, the day tends to look different but draws on the same core skills. Mornings often involve reading briefing notes or reports, followed by internal meetings to discuss a project or initiative. Afternoons often involve drafting policy documents, responding to questions from other departments or stakeholders, and revising materials based on feedback. Deadlines here are often set by committees or ministers, which means priorities can shift quickly.

In a university or institutional administration role, such as labour relations, a typical day often includes meetings with staff or union representatives, reviewing policies or agreements, and handling questions or concerns as they come up. There's usually a mix of scheduled meetings and unplanned issues that need quick attention, which means adaptability matters as much as preparation.

In a public-facing government services role, like ceremonial and protocol work, the day can be shaped heavily by upcoming events — coordinating logistics, communicating with multiple stakeholders, and making sure details are handled well in advance. When no major event is close, the work often shifts toward planning and preparation for what's coming next.

Across all of these, a few things repeat: reading and writing make up a large share of the day, meetings are frequent, and the specific tasks shift constantly, but staying organized under changing priorities is a constant. The exact tasks change with the role, but the underlying skill set — clear writing, careful research, and staying organized under pressure — shows up again and again, no matter which direction a graduate ends up taking.

Skills Alumni Consistently Point To

Across alumni events like this one, a few transferable skills come up again and again as the ones that carry graduates furthest, regardless of their specific job title:

• Clear writing and communication.
• Research and information analysis.
• Time management and organization.
• Critical thinking and attention to detail.
• Confidence handling unfamiliar information.

These matter because most entry-level roles don't expect a new graduate to know everything on day one. Employers look for people who can learn quickly, communicate clearly, and take on responsibility carefully — exactly the kind of foundation a legal studies degree is built to provide. They are also the skills competitive mooting builds fastest — arguing a case you were handed a week ago is close to the real thing.

What Students Should Take From This

If you're still studying, the department's own alumni events are a genuine resource, not just a feel-good add-on. Attending panels like "What You Can Do With Your BA in Law," reading through the alumni profiles page, and reaching out to the department directly are all real, low-effort ways to start narrowing down what direction fits you. CLLSS runs student-facing sessions on campus alongside the department’s, and the CLLSS events calendar is the place to check what is coming up next.

A few habits worth building early, regardless of which path interests you most:

• Take internships, volunteer roles, or part-time work seriously — they build real experience faster than coursework alone.
• Ask questions at events like the November 2024 panel, or in informational interviews with alumni directly.
• Don't assume there's only one "right" legal career path — the alumni list above makes that clear on its own. And if law school is the direction you are leaning, start early: our LSAT preparation roadmap and the CLLSS LSAT Prep page set out realistic timelines for the test and everything that follows it.
• Build relationships with professors, classmates, and the professionals who come speak to your department.

The department has also said it wants to keep growing its alumni list — the profiles page includes an open invitation for recent graduates to share their own story and advice for future students, with submissions going to law@carleton.ca. For anything on the CLLSS side — events, mooting, or joining the executive — get in touch with us directly.

Conclusion

A BA in Law from Carleton doesn't lead to one predictable outcome. The alumni the department has profiled span immigration law, federal government policy, university administration, nonprofit leadership, and public protocol services — a genuinely wide spread for one undergraduate program. For current students, the clearest takeaway from events like the November 2024 panel is the same one alumni keep coming back to speak about: there's no single "right" path to aim for, only a lot of real examples worth learning from, and skills worth building no matter which direction you end up choosing. The fastest way to meet those examples while you are still on campus is to join CLLSS and show up to what we run.