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 2009 Prospectus, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/lawProspectus2009.pdf.
Introduction
The Queen's University campus is in the historic Limestone City of Kingston, midway between Toronto and Montreal. The compact campus borders on Lake Ontario and is within walking distance of the charming downtown. Newly renovated Macdonald Hall is home to the Faculty of Law. For more information about Queen's University and the city of Kingston, see http://www.queensu.ca/visit/. The city of Kingston 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. 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.
Queen’s Faculty of Law has enjoyed a long tradition of commitment to academic excellence, community spirit, and service to society informed by a global perspective. It is renowned for dedicated and innovative teaching and scholarship, superb clinical programs, and the developing strength of its global law programs and curriculum. Queen’s Law offers the following innovative combined degree programs: Master of Arts (Economics)–JD, JD–Master of Business Administration with the first-rate Queen’s School of Business, Master of Industrial Relations–JD, Master of Public Administration–JD and a civil law-common law joint-degree program in partnership with Sherbrooke University in the Province of Quebec.
The Faculty of Law offers certificate programs in International Business Law, Public International Law, and Comparative Law at the International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex, England. Detailed information is available from the Queen's Law website at http://law.queensu.ca/international/globalLawProgramsAtTheIsc.html.
Mission Statement
Embracing our proud tradition of community, collegiality, and service to our society, we develop outstanding legal professionals with a global perspective and create new knowledge that advances understanding and development of the law.
Enrollment/Student Body
To see the profile of the first-year class, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/admissionInformation/firstYearClassProfile.html.
- 2407 first-year applicants • 519 offers made to 2008 cycle applicants • 161 enrolled in first-year class
- 488 total enrollment • 474 total full-time enrollment • 14 total part-time enrollment • 52% 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
Faculty
- 72 total • 32 full-time • 40 sessional lecturers
- 40% of full-time faculty members are female
- 2 Queen's Legal Aid • 2 Correctional Law Project
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. The most recent exit poll demonstrates that our faculty members were rated highly for providing an intellectually stimulating learning experience, for their accessibility outside of class time, and for their active encouragement of their students' learning. For more information about the achievements of our faculty members, please see the faculty profiles at http://law.queensu.ca/facultyAndStaff/facultyAndStaffDirectory.html.
Library and Physical Facilities
See http://library.queensu.ca/law/.
- Macdonald Hall—all levels accessible by elevator
- 150,000 library volumes and equivalents
- Quicklaw • LexisNexis • Westlaw • WestlaweCarswell • Litigator • many others
- 3 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.
Curriculum
See http://law.queensu.ca/students/jdProgram.html.
- degrees awarded: JD, MA(Economics)–JD, JD–MBA, MIR–JD, MPA–JD, joint civil law-common law degree in partnership with the Faculty of Law, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec
- limited enrollment part-time and full-time programs • over 80 upper-year courses available
- academic support program • competitive moots • law journal
- common law/civil law joint-degree program with University of Sherbrooke in Quebec
- compulsory first-year program, some mandatory upper-year course requirements, residency requirement, and 59 upper-year credits required to graduate
A full-time JD program is three years in duration; a 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. This program orients students to issues of professional ethics and responsibility, diversity, critical and analytical perspectives, and techniques of exam preparation. For further information, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/firstYear.html.
Upper-year requirements (i.e., Civil Procedure, substantial paper, practice skills, and advocacy requirement) 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 elective courses 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/2008-2009upperYearProgram.html.
Special Programs
Clinical Opportunities
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 in Kingston’s numerous federal penitentiaries. Students may become involved in Queen’s Legal Aid through volunteer participation or by registering in the Clinical Litigation Practice course. This opportunity enables students to manage litigation files in a poverty law clinic setting. Queen’s Legal Aid is a nonprofit organization that provides legal service to low-income area residents and to Queen’s students. Students may also obtain practical experience in advising and acting for nonprofit organizations through Pro Bono Students Canada. Competitive mooting and editorial work on the Queen’s Law Journal provide further oral advocacy and writing experience and may constitute academic credit. Students interested in family law may obtain specialized instruction and practical experience in the field through registration in Clinical Family Law. A new Business Law Clinic course is being offered starting in the winter 2009 term. For more information, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/clinicalOpportunities.html.
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; University of Cape Town, South Africa; University of Tel Aviv, Israel; and the universities of Melbourne, Sydney, and New South Wales, Australia. Other exchange agreements are being planned with prestigious law schools in Thailand, China, India, Germany, Italy, and with a select ABA-approved American law school. See http://law.queensu.ca/international/internationalExchanges.html.
Queen's Law also offers a unique International Law Spring Program at the campus of the 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, Public International Law, and Comparative Law. See http://law.queensu.ca/international/SpringProgramAtTheISC.html.
Other 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.
Combined-degree Programs
- MA (Economics)–JD (new in 2009—three-year program)
- JD–MBA ( four-year program, but early completion in 3.5 years possible)
- Master of Industrial Relations–JD (four-year program, but early completion in 3.5 years possible)
- Master of Public Administration–JD (four-year program, but early completion in 3.5 years possible)
- Civil Law-Common Law degree in partnership with University of Sherbrooke, Quebec
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
- 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 2003 oldest score accepted for 2009 admission cycle, February LSAT score latest accepted in each admission cycle
- Average LSAT score 161
- Cumulative undergraduate average 81.1%; last two years average 83%
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 university. Completion of an 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 comprised of three subcategories 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/jdProgram/admissionInformation.html.
Academic Support
Admission policies have been crafted to provide access to legal education for people whose varied personal circumstances and life experiences create a need for individual guidance, or academic or personal support. To support the transition to law school, academic assistance and counseling are available to all law students through the Academic Assistance Program. The Education Equity Program sponsors lectures and seminars on access to legal institutions, perspectives on law, and legal education. See http://law.queensu.ca/students/educationEquity.html.
Student Activities
The elected executive of the Law Students' Society is responsible for providing student representation in academically oriented functions and for granting financial assistance to a variety of clubs and organizations working within the faculty. The society also organizes and supports social functions and athletic activities. For more information about the Law Students' Society, see http://law.queensu.ca/students/lss.html. For more information about the diverse student activities, clubs, and organizations, see http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/LLBProgram/studentLife.html and www.queensu.ca/currentstudents/.
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.
- 2008–2009 domestic tuition full time, $11,290; 2008–2009 domestic student fees $1,012.61
- estimated additional expenses: ranges from $6,800 to $10,380 (rent, utilities, books, food, travel, personal expenses)
- academic merit scholarships and need-based bursaries; bursaries and scholarships • minority bursaries and scholarships
- need-based bursaries totaling $1.7 million (2007-08 average bursary for first-year law students was approximately $3,365, representing 32% of the amount of tuition. Average bursary for upper-year students was $6,900, representing 69% of the amount of tuition; more than 65% of students qualified for need-based bursary support)
- Over 4.7 million dollars is awarded in scholarships, bursaries, loans, and grants to law students each year.
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. The Shadow Program, a student initiative, provides first-year students with an opportunity to spend a day with a legal practitioner. See http://law.queensu.ca/students/careerServices/shadowProgram.html.
Queen's students have been consistently successful in securing desirable summer and articling positions. See http://law.queensu.ca/students/careerServices/careerresourcesLinks/careerPlanningHandbook0809.pdf.
Applicant Profile
Queen's University Faculty of Law
| Total Applications for First-year Places | 2,407 |
| Registered Applicants | 474 Full-time 14 Part-time |
| Age Range (average age 23) | 21–30 |
| Average LSAT Score (excludes Access Admissions) (Highest LSAT score used for decision) | 161 (84th percentile) |
| Cumulative Average Undergraduate Average Last Two Years' Average |
81 83 |
| Cumulative UGA | LSAT Percentile Rank Group | ||
| 75-84 | 85-90 | 91-99 | |
| A+ (90-100) | A | A | A |
| A (85-89) | A | A | A |
| A- (80-84) | P | A | A |
| B+ high (78-79) | P | A | A |
| B+ low (76-77) | P | P | P |
| A = Acceptance Likely P = Acceptance Possible U = Acceptance Unlikely Table applies to regular applicants. |
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