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Return to: Faculty of Law
- The JD Program: The Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta offers a program of required and optional law courses designed to
- provide students with a general legal education in the fundamental principles of law, the components of the Canadian legal system, and the history and philosophy of law;
- qualify students to article and engage in the practice of law in Alberta or other common law jurisdictions in Canada; and
- train students in the legal aspects of business and government administration.
The program requires the equivalent of full-time attendance for three academic years and leads to the degree of Juris Doctor (JD).
- Prospective law students should consult the Admissions Office of the Faculty for admission advice. Inquiries on selecting options or any other academic problems should be directed to the Vice Dean. See Faculty of Law for further details concerning admission requirements.
- A University degree in law is a basic prerequisite for admission to article and practise throughout Canada. The Alberta JD degree will normally be accepted in other Canadian common law jurisdictions to satisfy this prerequisite. Graduates of the Faculty intending to practice law outside Alberta must meet any additional requirements of the jurisdiction in which they intend to practise.
A resident law graduate seeking admission to the Alberta Bar must article with a practicing member of the Bar for one year. The graduate must also successfully complete the Centre for Professional Legal Education course.
Convictions for offences may affect a graduate’s admission to the Law Society of Alberta. Students who have doubts about their ability to meet the test of good character and reputation may apply to the Credentials and Education Committee of the Law Society of Alberta for a ruling.
- Combined Programs: In conjunction with the Faculty of Business, the Faculty of Law offers the degree of Master of Business Administration-Juris Doctor Combined Degree (MBA-JD). For further information, see Law .
- Dual Degree Program: In conjunction with the University of Colorado Law School, the Faculty of Law offers a program leading to the degrees of Juris Doctor (Alberta) and Juris Doctor (Colorado). For further information, see The Dual Degree Program in Law.
- Graduate Programs: The Faculty of Law offers a Master of Laws (LLM) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) degree. For further information, see Law .
Moot Court
The Faculty of Law offers an extensive Moot Court program designed to give students experience in the preparation and presentation of cases at trial and on appeal, in the interviewing and counseling of clients and in the resolution of Aboriginal disputes. As part of the first-year Legal Writing and Research course, students are required to prepare for and argue an appellate case in the Winter Term. Evaluation is based on written advocacy (factum preparation) and oral advocacy. In upper years, of the program, students may participate in the competitive mooting program which currently consists of appellate moots, a trial moot, an Aboriginal law moot, and client counseling and labour arbitration competitions. Course credit can be earned for participation in these moots and competitions. Students may also participate (without credit) in the Negotiation Competition.
The list of competitive moots in which the Faculty participates is not fixed and can vary from year to year depending on funding, the availability of instructors/coaches, and the continuing relevance of faculty participation in particular competitions. Students are selected for competitive moots each Fall, through either the in-house Brimacombe Selection Round or through selection processes for individual moots, approved by the Vice Dean in consultation with the instructor and coordinator of mooting. Currently, the Faculty participates in eight appellate advocacy moots: the Jessup Moot (international law); the Laskin Moot (a bilingual moot in Constitutional, Administrative Law); the Gale Cup Moot (a Constitutional or Criminal Law); the Canadian Corporate Securities Moot; the Wilson Moot (human rights, equality law); the Clinton J Ford Moot (an in-house moot, open to students with a minimum of ★60); the Bowman Moot (tax law); and the Alberta Court of Appeal Moot (a competition between the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, open to students with more than ★32 but less than ★60).
In addition, the Faculty participates in the Western Canada Trial Moot (a trial advocacy moot involving law schools in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) and potentially the Sopinka National Trial Moot Competition; the Client Counselling Competition; the National Labour Arbitration Moot and the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot. These competitions focus on the development of advocacy skills in other than appellate settings.
Graduate Programs
The Faculty of Law offers graduate programs leading to a Master of Laws (LLM) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. The Faculty also offers a program of joint study with the Faculty of Business leading to the combined MBA–JD degree. See Graduate Programs .
The Dual Degree Program in Law
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law (“Alberta Law”) and the University of Colorado Law School (“Colorado Law”) offer a program of study which permits qualified students to earn both the Alberta JD and the Colorado JD degrees in four years.
Each student must apply separately to Alberta Law (for admission into the JD program) and to Colorado Law (for admission into the JD program). See Faculty of Law of the Calendar for details respecting Alberta Law admissions and see the Colorado Law admissions website (www.colorado.edu/law/admissions) for details concerning Colorado Law admissions
In addition, students must complete an Application to Participate in the Dual Degree Program form and associated documents.
In addition to new entrants, students in the first year of the regular Alberta Law and Colorado Law programs are eligible to apply for admission to the Dual Degree Program.
Entrance Requirements
Acceptance by Alberta Law (for admission into the Alberta JD program) and by Colorado Law (for admission into the Colorado JD program) separately, are prerequisites for admission into the Dual Degree Program in Law. Admission into each program will be determined by the same selection process and criteria as for other students.
Program Requirements
The first two years are taken entirely within one program (Alberta Law or Colorado Law), and the third and fourth years are taken entirely within the other program (Colorado Law or Alberta Law). The Dual Degree Program involves four years of full-time study, requiring the equivalent of eight terms with (approximately) a normal load of five courses per term.
A total of 89 credit hours is required for the JD degree from Colorado Law School, with at least 45 credit hours taken in residence at Colorado Law School; a total of 92 credit hours is required for the JD degree from the University of Alberta with at least 60 credit hours taken in residence at the University of Alberta.
Colorado Law shall grant credit toward the JD degree for up to 32 credit hours of acceptable performance in preapproved law courses taken by a Dual Degree Student at Alberta Law. Alberta Law shall grant credit toward the JD degree for up to 32 credit hours of acceptable performance in preapproved law courses taken by a Dual Degree Student at Colorado Law.
Dual Degree students who commence the Dual Degree Program at Alberta Law must complete the following courses at Alberta Law: the entire First Year Curriculum (Contracts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Torts, Property Law, Foundations to Law, Legal Research and Writing), Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Civil Procedure, Corporations, Conflict of Laws, Administrative Law, one of either Jurisprudence or Legal History, and complete the written work requirement.
Dual Degree students who commence the Dual Degree Program at Colorado Law must complete the following courses at Colorado Law: the entire First Year Curriculum (Contracts, Civil Procedure I and II, Property I and II, Torts, Legal Writing, Appellate Advocacy, Constitutional Law and Criminal Law), Civil Procedure, Evidence, Legal Ethics, at least one seminar, and satisfy a Practice Course Requirement and Professionalism requirement.
Dual Degree students may petition the Dean at either Law school to waive a specific requirement if the equivalent course has been completed at the other Law school. Dual Degree students may complete requirements of both programs by completing designated courses at one Law school or the other. All Dual Degree students, whether commencing at Alberta Law or Colorado Law must complete Constitutional Law at both Law schools.
A student must have earned a grade of C or better in each course at Alberta Law for the performance to be acceptable for Colorado Law credit. Colorado Law credit shall be given on a pass basis, and shall not be counted in the computation of class rank or in the computation of the cumulative 72 grade point average graduation requirement for the JD degree.
A student must have earned a grade of C or better in each course at Colorado Law for the performance to be acceptable for Alberta Law credit. Alberta Law credit shall be given on a pass basis, and shall not be counted in the computation of the grade point average requirement for the University of Alberta degree.
No student in the Dual Degree Program may take fewer than 10 credit hours or more than 15 credit hours during any term without consent. Registration in fewer than 10 credit hours in a term may result in the student being terminated from the Dual Degree Program.
Academic Standing
A Dual Degree Program student is subject to the academic standing regulations and routes of appeal for grades and academic standing of the Law school in which the student is resident and taking courses.
Discipline
Dual Degree Program students are, regardless of their University of residence, subject to the Colorado Honor Code and the Alberta Code of Student Behaviour.
Termination of Dual Degree Program Status
If a student withdraws from one of the degree programs or is required to withdraw because of unsatisfactory academic standing but wishes to remain in the other degree program, the student may be permitted to continue the program of study in the Law school in which the student retains good academic standing.
Length of Program
Students will normally finish all the requirements for the Dual Degree Program by the end of the fourth year. All Dual Degree students must complete their entire course of study within five (5) years of commencement of the Dual Degree Program; however, under extraordinary circumstances and with written permission from both Alberta Law and Colorado Law, this time period may be extended.
Further Information
Inquiries respecting the Dual Degree Program may be directed to the Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Law of the University of Alberta, or to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Colorado Law School.
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