Official Guide to Canadian Law Schools

Queen’s University Faculty of Law
Admissions Office, Room 200, Macdonald Hall,128 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6
Phone: 613.533.2220, Fax: 613.533.6611
Internet: http://law.queensu.ca, E-mail: jd@queensu.ca
For information about how to obtain an application, click here.
To see the 2010 Law Viewbook, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/2010LawViewbook.pdf.

Introduction

The compact campus of Queen's University borders on Lake Ontario and is within walking distance of downtown Kingston. The city of Kingston is located midway between Toronto and Montreal and has a population of about 117,000. The beauty of its historic buildings, lakefront location, vibrant downtown, and proximity to the world heritage site of Fort Henry have made it a popular destination for students and tourists. Macdonald Hall is fully accessible and home to the Faculty of Law. For more information about Queen's University and the city of Kingston, see http://www.queensu.ca/visit/. queens-1

Library

See http://library.queensu.ca/law/.

Lederman Law Library in Macdonald Hall—all levels accessible by elevator
150,000 library volumes and equivalents
LexisNexis Quicklaw • Westlaw • Westlaw Canada • Litigator • many others
2.5 full-time librarians
library seats 200
wireless Internet access

The library is highly regarded for its extensive reference holdings and electronic databases. The highly knowledgeable library staff provide a full range of responsive client services and programs. The law librarians teach introductory and advanced-level courses in legal research for the JD and graduate LLM and PhD degree programs.

Faculty

71 total • 31 full-time • 40 sessional lecturers
39% of full-time faculty members are female
2 Queen's Legal Aid • 2 Correctional Law Project • 1 Business Law Clinic • 1 Elder Law Clinic

Our faculty members have garnered prestigious awards for the excellence of their teaching, are frequently called upon to give expert opinions to the media, and have been recognized for the excellence of their research through national and international research grants. For more information about the achievements of our faculty members, please see the faculty profiles at http://law.queensu.ca/facultyAndStaff.html and http://law.queensu.ca/lawResearch.html.

Why Choose Queen’s Law?

see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/whyChoose.html
Canada's Global Law School
leader in interdisciplinary studies • leader in clinical education and experiential learning
leader in student engagement • leader in placement rates
leader in financial support

Curriculum

See http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram.html.

In 2008, the University Senate approved a change in designation from Bachelor of Laws (LLB) to the Juris Doctor (JD) degree to signify the quality and rigour of its three-year, second entry professional law degree. A full-time JD program is three years in duration; an extended track (part-time) program must be completed within six years. Prescribed first-year courses provide a traditional introduction to the study of common law.

First-year students are placed in small sections of approximately 28 students. First-year students are also required to participate in the First Year Legal Foundations Program. A review of the first-year program is underway. A new academic orientation is proposed for September 2010 that will focus on professionalism, academic integrity, structure of the legal system, the legislative process, the common law, and approaches to the study of law. The first-year programming orients students to issues of professional ethics and responsibility, diversity, critical and analytical perspectives, and strategies for coping with law school stress and exam preparation. For further information, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/firstYear.html.

Upper-year requirements (Civil Procedure, substantial paper, practice skills, and advocacy requirements) have been established to enhance students' legal research, writing, and advocacy skills. In their second and third years, students tailor programs to their interests and needs, choosing electives from the broad upper-year curriculum, which continues to evolve in both core and emerging areas of law. Our strategic plan places emphasis on increased globalization of curriculum content, programs, and services. See the upper-year curriculum posted at http://law.queensu.ca/students/jdProgram/2010-2011UpperYearProgram.html.

Special Programs

Clinical Opportunities and Experiential Learning

The Clinical Correctional Law Project is unique in Canada. Students can volunteer in the project or register in the Clinical Correctional Law course. Under faculty supervision, students provide legal advice, assistance, and representation to federal inmates on appeals against conviction and sentencing as well as internal prison discipline matters and parol hearings.
Queen’s Legal Aid is a nonprofit organization that provides legal service to low-income area residents and to Queen’s students. Clinic students learn to manage litigation files, assisting with criminal charges, contract, tort, tenancy or social assistance problems. Clinic work can be done on a volunteer basis or for academic credit in the Clinical Litigation Practice course.
Queen’s Business Law Clinic provides legal assistance to small start-up businesses and nonprofit organizations in eastern Ontario. Upper-year students earn academic credit while working on client files that involve incorporation and organization of businesses and nonprofit organizations, shareholder and partnership agreements, business names and trademark work, compliance with government regulations for start-up companies, and drafting and reviewing contracts.
Clinical Family Law—Gain academic credit, experience and insight into the practice of family law through seminars and placements coordinated by Professor Nicholas Bala, an expert recognized in the field. Students may participate in the Family Law Project as part of the Queen’s Law chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada.
Elder Law Clinic—a new program offered on dean's approval in 2010–2011—first clinical program at a law school in Canada for the specialized practice of Elder Law—students will conduct legal research and draft documentation pertaining to issues of age discrimination, incapacity, wills and estate planning, breach of fiduciary duty and financial exploitation.
Moots and Advocacy—Queen’s Law values the art of oral and written advocacy as a fundamental element of legal education. Queen’s participates in an extensive series of competitive moots and alternative dispute resolution competitions each year. See http://law.queensu.ca/students/jdProgram/mootCourt.html.
Queen’s Law Journal was founded in 1968 and is a fully refereed scholarly journal with an international readership. Students gain experience as a volunteer or for academic credit in legal research, critical analysis, and scholarly writing as well as in the production and management of a major publication.

International Opportunities

International exchange programs are in place with the University of Groningen, the Netherlands; Jean Moulin-Lyon 3 University, France; National University of Singapore; University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, Beijing,China; University of Cape Town, South Africa; University of Tel Aviv, Israel; and the universities of Melbourne, Sydney, and New South Wales, Australia. Law students may participate in university-wide exchanges to more destinations. See http://law.queensu.ca/international/internationalExchanges.html#Further%20Information.
Global Law Spring Programs are offered at the Bader International Study Center at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, England. Students can take certificate programs for credit toward the JD degree program in International Business Law and Public International Law. See http://law.queensu.ca/international/globalLawProgramsAtTheIsc.html.
International internship opportunities are funded by Tory’s LLP for first-year students and by the Dean's Excellence Fund for second-year students. Please see http://law.queensu.ca/international/internshipPrograms.html.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities

Queen’s Law has targeted interdisciplinary studies as a strategic priority to prepare law students for the complexity of modern major transactions, policies, and legal processes. See http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/combined.html

MA (Economics)–JD (three-year program)
JD–MBA (four-year program, but early completion in 3.5 years possible)
Master of Industrial Relations–JD (3.5-year program, but early completion in 3 years possible)
Master of Public Administration–JD (3.5-year program, but early completion in 3 years possible)
Civil Law-Common Law combined degree in partnership with University of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Academic Support

The Education Equity Program has a long-standing commitment and record of success in providing advocacy, information, and support to law students. Initially conceived to assist law students facing barriers to legal education on systemic grounds, the program continues to serve students admitted through the Access Categories of Admission; but also strives to cultivate an environment that maximizes opportunities for all students in an effort to make legal education more accessible. To that end, the Education Equity Academic Assistance Program was established in 2002 and offers free and confidential tutorial services to support the academic efforts of all law students, particularly those in first year and students whose circumstances make the law school process uniquely difficult. The Education Equity Program demonstrates that equal access to the benefits of legal education should also include guidance and support for students for the duration of the program. Individual supportive counselling, information, and assistance concerning school-related and personal issues, special needs access, and language support is available to all students. See http://law.queensu.ca/students/educationEquity.html.

Student Activities

Queen’s Law enjoys an outstanding reputation as a vibrant, collegial community. Our students contribute to faculty governance through Faculty Board and Law Students' Society Committees, organize events, join clubs, participate in law school events and activities, intramural sports, and charitable fundraising through the Law Students’ Society. For more information see http://law.queensu.ca/students/lss.html and http://law.queensu.ca/events.html.

The new Queen’s Centre opened in December 2009, providing extensive fitness, aquatic, sports, and recreational facilities. For more information, see http://www.queensu.ca/queenscentre/index.html.

Housing

Law students are eligible for graduate and professional student residences. See http://housing.queensu.ca/residences/graduateapplication.asp. For off-campus housing, see the Queen's Community Housing website at http://housing.queensu.ca/community_housing/default.asp and the Accommodation Listing Service at http://housing.queensu.ca/community_housing/accommodationlistingservice.asp.

Expenses and Financial Aid

Please see http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/awards/toolbox/LawAwards.html and http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/funding.html for more details.

2009–2010 domestic tuition full time, $12,159; 2009–2010 domestic ancillary fees $1,056.25
for 2010–2011, see http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/currentstudents/fees.html
estimated additional expenses: ranges from $6,850 to $10,420 (rent, utilities, books, food, travel, personal expenses)
academic merit scholarships and need-based bursaries; bursaries and scholarships • minority bursaries and scholarships

Career Services

Please see http://law.queensu.ca/students/careerServices.html.

The Career Services Office provides students with individual career counselling, a wide variety of seminars and workshops on a broad range of topics, comprehensive information resources, and opportunities to meet employers. Queen's Law hosts an annual Careers Day at which students can speak to representatives from over 80 law firms and government offices from across Ontario, an annual Practice Interview Day, and on-campus interviews with Toronto summer employers. The office is staffed by two legal professionals who are assisted by student members of the Career Services Committee to maintain the employer database, assist with the annual Careers Day, Practice Interview Day, on-campus interviews, and other seminars and programs.

Admission

application through OLSAS at www.ouac.on.ca/olsas/ by November 1 for first-year admission, May 1 for upper-year admission; OLSAS processing fee and $75 institutional fee (Fees are under review for the 2011 application cycle.)
minimum requirement of three years completed undergraduate degree work from a recognized university; most admitted students have a three- or four-year degree; completion of an honours four-year degree is preferred; completion of graduate degree studies is weighed positively
LSAT required, multiple scores averaged for initial sorting of applications, highest score used for admission decision
June 2005 oldest score accepted for 2010 admission cycle, February LSAT score latest accepted in each admission cycle

Educational achievement demonstrated through excellence in undergraduate and graduate studies and aptitude for legal reasoning and analysis demonstrated through a strong LSAT score are important considerations. Applicants will have completed a three-year or four-year undergraduate degree at a recognised institution. Completion of a four-year honours undergraduate degree is preferred. Other considerations include the quality of the personal statement, letters of reference, employment history, extracurricular achievements, and community service. The Admissions Committee reviews this material for evidence of intellectual curiosity, avid interest in law, social commitment, reasonable judgment and insight, leadership potential, teamwork skills, creative ability, innovative endeavours, self-discipline, time-management skills, and maturity. Queen's Law seeks to attract students from different regions of Canada, from a diverse range of academic backgrounds and careers, and from various ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition to the General Category of admission, Queen's Law seeks to enhance diversity in legal education by encouraging applications in the Aboriginal Category and in the Access Category. The Access Category is designed to attract applicants with strong academic ability and superior potential for legal studies who have suffered disadvantage on systemic, historic, or educational grounds; those who are disabled; and those who are mature students. See http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/admissionInformation.html.

Student Body/Enrollment/Applicant Profile

To see the profile of the first-year class, see http://law.Queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/admissionInformation/firstYearClassProfile.html.

2,290 first-year applicants • 534 offers made to 2009 cycle applicants • 160 enrolled in first-year class
479 total enrollment • 468 total full-time enrollment • 11 total part-time enrollment • 50% women
81% in province and 19% out of province in first-year class
diverse undergraduate programs represented
59% have honours four-year undergraduate degrees, 30% have three-year general undergraduate degrees, and 11% have graduate degrees in the first-year class
LSAT highest score average (excluding Access category) 160 (84th percentile)
last two years’ average 83%

Law School Admission Council