University of Ottawa Law

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Fauteux Hall, the location of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.
Fauteux Hall, the location of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.

The University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, sometimes colloquially known as U of O Law, is the law school of the University of Ottawa, located in Ottawa, Ontario. The largest law faculty in Canada, it is divided into two sections: the French-language civil law section, which is concerned with educating students in the law as it pertains to the province of Quebec, and the bilingual common law section, which educates students in the practice of law in the rest of Canada. The faculty is particularly well-regarded for its strong international law component, as well as its focus on legal issues dealing with social justice and environmental law.

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[edit] History

The law school was created in 1953 on the initiative of Gerald Fauteux, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (and who the law school's building, Fauteux Hall, built in 1973, is named after). It began as an exclusively civil law faculty, designed to train lawyers who would enter the Quebec legal system, particularly in order to practice in the Outaouais region just across the Ottawa River from Ottawa. In 1957, the faculty began training students in the common law as well; the two sections were then divided, with each keeping its own program, faculties and deans. Graduate programs were introduced that same year by the civil law section; it was not until 1981 that the common law section began offering them as well.[1]

Although the school has had since 1970 a system in which students from either the common or civil law sections could receive further training and accreditation in the other, it was not until 1994 that this system was formalized into what's called the National Program. In doing so, the faculty became only the second law faculty in Canada, after McGill University's law school to offer what's known as "bi-judicial" training in both the common law and civil law, the two formally recognized legal systems in Canada.

During the 2006 fall semester, the University's president Gilles Patry announced that Fauteux Hall would undergo renovations slated to begin in 2009. This renovation project is much anticipated by current students of the faculty, many of whom have expressed dissatisfaction with the building's outdated appearance and functionality.

[edit] Academics

In the common law section, most students who enter are expected to have obtained a three-to-four year undergraduate program; in the civil law section, it is only necessary for a student applying from Quebec to have obtained a Diploma of Collegial Studies {DEC) before entering. Acceptance to the common law program in particular is competitive; students usually have an A- average and a reasonably high LSAT score when being considered for admission; however, the program also claims a more holistic admissions process, taking into account a variety of factors including work experience, prior education, and other circumstances that may make one's application exceptional.[2] The civil law section's requirements are generally considered to be less stringent; a B+ average, for example, if one is applying from a Quebec university. If a student is applying directly from CEGEP, however, the requirements are considerably higher.[3]

Generally the french common law section admits up to 60 new students per year, while the english section admits up to 250 new students.

The language of instruction depends on the faculty; while the civil law section is instructed entirely in French, the common law section is available in both English and French, and students can take classes in both languages. In compliance with university policy, all written work can be submitted in either language within the civil law faculty only.

Students graduating in the common law section receive the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree, while students in civil law receive the Bachelor of Civil Law (LL.L) degree. The National Program allows students in both faculties to complete the other's degree as well in a total of four years (after completion of a civil law degree, for example, students can take an extra year to complete the common law requirements and thus have both degrees, and vice versa). The school also offers several other joint programs, including:

  • LL.B/JD: Combined Canadian-American legal program with the common law section of the faculty and either the Michigan State University College of Law or the Washington College of Law at American University; students obtain both degrees in four years.
  • Jay Hennick LL.B/MBA Program: Combined law-business program enabling students to receive both common law and business degrees concurrently in four years.
  • LL.L/MBA Program: A similar program to the LL.B/MBA, but for students enrolled in the civil law section.
  • LL.B/MA: Combined law-political science degree which enables students to receive, with their law degree, a Master's degree from Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
  • LL.L/DVM: Allows students enrolled in the civil law section to receive their degree along with a specialized degree in international development and globalization.

In addition to the aforementioned programs, graduate work, leading to Master of Laws (LL.M) degree, is offered by both sections.

[edit] Fees

Tuition at the University of Ottawa's law school varies according to the program being studied. Students currently enrolled in the civil law program pay the lowest, with the tuition rates for 2006-2007 set at $5,594.25; this stands in contrast to the common law program, where annual tuition rates for incoming 2006-2007 students are $9,619.13. Students in the National Program pay $9,079.13 for their extra year of study.[4] Students enrolled in the joint LL.B/JD program with an American law school pay what the University of Ottawa has termed "regular Canadian law student rates during the entire program," presumably implying the regular common law tuition fees at the school.[5]

[edit] Famous alumni

[edit] External links

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