Area of Law: Lawyer Licensing and Law Schools
Answer # 921
Dalhousie University
Region: Ontario Answer # 921Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University was established in 1883 as the first university-affiliated school of common law in Canada.
The School’s faculty is well known for its education and research in the fields of Health Law & Policy, Law & Technology, and Marine & Environmental Law and is home to three of the foremost research institutes specializing in these areas of the law. The School is also seen as an innovator in access-to-education programs for individuals and groups who have traditionally been under-represented in law studies and the legal profession.
Degree Programs
The full-time Juris Doctor (JD) program at Dalhousie entails three years of study. The law school, in conjunction with several other faculties, also offers four combined degree programs: the JD/MBA (Master of Business Administration), the JD/MPA (Master of Public Administration), the JD/MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science), and the recently developed JD/MHA (Master of Health Administration). As well, the law school has an active graduate degree program, offering both the Master of Laws (LLM) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Admission
Admission requirements for regular candidates for the JD degree include a degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science or Commerce, or an equivalent degree from Dalhousie University or from another degree-granting college or university recognized by the Senate. Other requirements are needed for applicants without the required degree. Applicants are also required to write the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
Enrolment / Student Body / Faculty
There are usually over 1,400 applicants for first-year, while only about 170 students are enrolled. The total number of students for all three years is approximately 500. The Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie has more than 100 full-time and part-time faculty members.
Expenses and Financial Aid
Full-time tuition costs about $17,000 per year, depending on your province of residence. Estimated additional expenses per year, including room and board, and books and supplies are about $10,000. The School of Law has a generous bursary and scholarship program. Student loans and University temporary loans are also available.
Programs, Activities and Services
Dalhousie offers a number of unique programs. Dalhousie Legal Aid Service is an interactive program where students receive academic credit and acquire practical legal experience in a supervised setting. The Criminal Law Clinic at the Law School works alongside classes and seminars. Students are assigned to a judge, Crown Counsel or defence lawyer and observe and participate in criminal law practice.
Also offered is a Judge’s Clerkship Programme in cooperation with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. In it, students spend a week with a Supreme Court Justice in chambers, adding real-life experience to a solid academic foundation.
All law students are members of the Law Students’ Society (LSS). Some of the student organizations active at the school are: the Environmental Law Students’ Society (ELSS), the Social Activist Law Students’ Association (SALSA), the Dalhousie Aboriginal Law Students’ Association (DALSA), the John E Read International Law Students’ Society (ILSS), the Law Hour Committee, and Dal Law Habitat for Humanity.
Dalhousie University features a major athletics and sports complex known as Dalplex. Indoor facilities there include a 50-metre swimming pool and a large gymnasium/field house.
For more information, visit the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.
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