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NCA Graduate Interview Series: Uthishra Ravitharan
Greetings, NCA candidates! Continuing with our NCA graduate interview series, we have the pleasure of introducing Uthishra (Uthi) Ravitharan, a remarkable example of success. Not only has she completed the NCA process, but she has also secured an articling position!
Firstly, could you tell us about your law school and the program you completed (e.g., 3-year LL.B, 2-year LL.B, etc.)?
I attended City University of London in the United Kingdom, where I completed the two-year LL.B program through the graduate entry option.
How many NCA Exams were you required to take?
Upon returning from London in July 2018, I enrolled in the NCA process. NCA reviewed my file and informed me that I had to complete a total of seven exams. Among these, five were mandatory: Professional Responsibility, Criminal Law, Administrative Law, Foundations of Canadian Law, and Constitutional Law. Additionally, I had to select two elective courses from a list of four, which included Taxation Law, Business Organization, Civil Procedure, and Remedies.
Could you share your approach to completing the NCA process and how long it took you?
I chose to self-study for all seven exams. However, my progress took a bit longer than usual as I was working full-time within the court sector, and later, I obtained an administrative job at a law firm. In total, it took me approximately a year and a half after returning from London to complete the NCA process. I split my exams throughout the year to balance my studies with work.
In October 2018, I attempted two exams: Foundations of Canadian Law and Constitutional Law. Following the advice of many, I took these two courses together, as their content overlapped significantly. In January 2019, I completed three more exams: Professional Responsibility, Remedies, and Civil Procedure, with two of them being elective courses. My final two exams, Administrative Law and Criminal Law, were completed in August 2019. I received my accreditation certificate of successful completion in November 2019.
Obtaining my marks from the NCA took about 11-12 weeks. The marks were posted on the NCA portal as Pass/Fail without providing detailed grades. To ensure I passed before attempting the next set of exams, I often had to wait before registering for the next sitting.
What are you currently engaged in?
Currently, I am articling at a mid-size law firm in downtown Toronto, where I primarily handle Family Law related matters.
Could you share a crucial lesson you learned through the NCA process?
The NCA process taught me the importance of strategic course selections during my LL.B. Since I had already covered family law and evidence law at university, these subjects were not offered to me as elective exam options. This decision was intentional, as I knew I would struggle to self-study those topics. Instead, I chose four elective subjects that I was confident I could teach myself.
Time management was another crucial lesson from the NCA process. Understanding and interpreting key legal concepts effectively and managing time well are vital for success in the NCA exams. The exams become more manageable when all topics on the syllabus are thoroughly covered. For instance, among the seven exams I completed, some were one-question/topic exams, while others comprised ten questions/topics.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
In hindsight, I would have altered the order in which I took my exams. It would have been beneficial to complete Administrative Law when I did Foundations and Constitutional Law, as many concepts overlapped across all three exams.
Additionally, I would have focused on managing my time more efficiently. I spent more time on learning the material and less time on practice, which made it challenging to allocate sufficient time to each question during the exams.
Finally, if I were to do the NCA process again, I would seek out a group of peers to work with and review the materials together, rather than relying solely on self-study and self-examinations. Collaborating with others could have helped me grasp concepts I might have missed and identify alternative cases for reference.
And that concludes our interview for this week! A special thank you to Uthi for taking the time to share her valuable insights. Stay tuned for more perspectives from recent NCA graduates in our upcoming interviews!
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