Western Law School

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University of Western Ontario Law School
Motto: Veritas et Utilitas
(Truth and usefulness)
Established: 1959
Type: Public Law School
Chancellor: Arthur Labatt
President: Paul Davenport
Dean: Ian Holloway
Undergraduates: 510
Postgraduates: 12
Location: London, Ontario, Canada
Campus: Urban/Suburban—1.6 km² University of Western Ontario
Sport Teams: Western Ontario Mustangs
Colours: Purple and White          
Mascot: Mustang
Affiliations: ACU, AUCC, IAU, G13, COU, CIS, CUSID, OUA
Website: http://www.law.uwo.ca

Western Law is the public law school located at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The Faculty of Law at Western was founded in 1959. The founding Dean was former Supreme Court of Canada justice, the Honourable Ivan Cleveland Rand, one of the towering figures in Canadian legal history. Though in its fifth decade, the faculty remains faithful to the Rand ideals of scholarship, collegiality, integrity and mutual respect. The law school's central mission - which was Justice Rand's vision - is to equip its students with the knowledge and skills to succeed and prosper in an ever-changing world.

[edit] Facilities

Exterior of Western Law School
Exterior of Western Law School

The law school is situated in the southwest portion of Western's main campus and is housed in the Josephine Spencer Niblett building. The John and Dotsa Bitove Family Law Library, located on the second floor of the law school, is the central information resource for students and faculty members of the faculty. The collection currently includes approximately 193,000 volumes and 45,000 microforms. Primary materials include a comprehensive collection of Canadian legislation and law reports, the principal British and American legal sources, and a growing collection of European and other international materials. The library also has an excellent collection of legal treatises and periodical literature. Online databases include LexisNexisQuicklaw, WestlaweCarswell, Maritime Law Book, CCH Online, Index to Legal Periodicals and Books, Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals, LegalTrac, HeinOnline, and AGIS Plus.

The Law Library and parts of the Faculty of Law building have been wired to allow wireless access through a laptop or notebook computer to the UWO network.

Virtual tour of Western Law School

[edit] Academics

Over the years, Western law has been an innovator with respect to legal education. In 1998, the law school initiated the "January term", now replicated at other law schools. The law school altered its academic year from a semester system to a trimester system. In addition to a regular thirteen week fall term and a condensed ten week spring term, the Faculty now offers a four week January term, during which each student enrolls in a single intensive course. The January term was designed to promote active learning and to attract distinguished Visiting Professors to Western.

During the January term, first-year students take only one course, Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy. The course teaches important practical skills required for a successful legal career. Building on skills developed during the fall term, students have an extended period in which to focus exclusively on researching and writing a detailed memorandum of law. They also receive instruction in written and oral advocacy, culminating in an appellate advocacy exercise at the end of the term. The term is taught in a small group format, allowing students to receive intensive individual attention and feedback.

The school also has numerous exchange programs with law schools around the world. Upper year students have the opportunity to study abroad for one semester for credit to their Western LL.B.

Proportionally, Western Law has the largest student exchange program of any law school in North America with one in five students participating in an exchange. Reciprocally, Western Law welcomes approximately 30-40 visiting exchange students annually from around the world.

Meanwhile, students may study within specific areas of concentration. The concentrations are taxation, business law, intellectual property / information and technology law, criminal law and Diplome de Francais Juridique.

Western Law, in conjunction with other faculties on campus also offers joint degree programs, including combined business and law degrees, combined law and engineering degrees and combined law and Ph.D. degrees.

[edit] Centres and Clinics

The law school houses a number of student-staffed legal centres and clinics, which provide services to different segments of the community, while providing law students with practical legal experience.

Pro Bono Students Canada

Pro Bono Students Canada is a national program that was launched at the University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law in the 1998/1999 academic year. The function of the program is to match law student volunteers with community agencies with a need for legal services but with insufficient resources to compensate legal counsel. Agencies typically involved in Pro Bono Students Canada include public interest and non-profit organizations, tribunals, legal clinics and lawyers working pro bono on a particular case. Law student volunteers complete legal research or other law-related projects for member organizations over the course of the academic year under the supervision of a lawyer mentor.

Community Legal Services

Community Legal Services (CLS) provides free legal advice and representation to members of the community, and to Fanshawe College and Western students. CLS is funded by Legal Aid Ontario, Fanshawe Student's Council, the University Students Council, and the Faculty of Law.

Over 200 students work at CLS over the course of the academic year under the supervision of three experienced lawyers. Students carry their own files, and gain valuable experience in client correspondence, legal research and drafting of pleadings. Students also have the opportunity to appear at court on behalf of CLS' clients, arguing motions, appearing in criminal court and conducting Small Claims Court trials. Further, students that take upper-year advanced litigation practice courses, also work at CLS for academic credit.

Dispute Resolution Centre

The Dispute Resolution Centre (DRC) is a not-for-profit organization that provides mediation services to residents of London and Middlesex County who wish to resolve their disputes quickly, efficiently and inexpensively.

Operated by Western Law students under the supervision the Faculty at the University of Western Ontario, the DRC can help develop solutions to conflict in an organized and informal way. The DRC mediates disputes in varied types of conflicts, such as landlord/tenant, consumer/merchant, interpersonal/relationship, private contract and separation disputes.

Sport Solution

The Sport Solution is a joint project of Athletes CAN and the Dispute Resolution Centre at Western Law. The program is nationally available and provides assistance in resolving sport-related problems and offers support throughout the dispute resolution process.

Sport Solution also offers athletes guidance on how to avoid conflict and understand the fair administration of sport. The centre responds to the needs of athletes on a full range of issues and can provide information about national sport organization (NSO) procedures, athlete agreements, appeals and arbitrations and corresponding with NSOs.

Business Law Clinic

The Western Business Law Clinic strives to alleviate the burden of legal complexities put on aspiring entrepreneurs by providing small start-up and early stage businesses with affordable legal counsel. At the same time, the clinic creates an environment for students to learn invaluable practical skills. The clinic provides small or start-up businesses with legal representation on transaction matters including business structure, finance, intellectual property protection, product liability, employment law, government regulations, contracts, taxation, guarantees and personal liability and environmental issues,

[edit] Student life

The law school is home to many student-run clubs, including a weekly student newspaper and various interest-based clubs. The building also houses a student lounge and central café spot. Law students also have access to all the amenities of larger university campus. The Western Law School features the John and Dotsa Bitove Family Law Library.

Western Law students also participate in many intramural sports, competing with other faculty and residence based teams on campus. Students also participate in the yearly "Law Games" against teams from other law schools across Canada. Western organized the 2007 edition of these games.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links