The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is the graduate school of law of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Established as an undergraduate faculty in 1912 it is the third oldest law school in Canada, and often considered the oldest law school in Western Canada.
The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.) program, as well as the graduate degrees of Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Ph.D.
An Anglophone, common law institution, the Faculty is known for its Centre for Constitutional Studies, Health Law Institute, rigorous curriculum and collegial atmosphere.
The Faculty of Law is widely respected for the breadth and depth of instruction it provides in the fundamentals of Canadian law. 92-95% of students at the Faculty of Law find an articling position or pursue graduate studies and the school is ranked second nationally for 'elite firm hiring'.
The Chief Justice of Canada, The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin; and the Chief Justice of Alberta, The Honourable Madame Catherine Fraser, are both graduates of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law.
Academics
Admissions Statistics
The entrance average is traditionally around 3.9/165 (GPA/LSAT). The male-female ratio is approximately 49:51. The average age of admitted students is 25 years of age. In 2017, 17% of applicants successfully gained admissions to the University of Alberta Faculty of Law (185/1060). For purposes of grouping, the law school looks primarily at your last two years of study or the equivalent thereof.
Joint Programs
JD/MBA: A 4-year joint-JD/MBA program is offered in cooperation with the University of Alberta School of Business.
DUAL JD: The University of Alberta Faculty of Law and the University of Colorado at Boulder Law School (Colorado, USA) offer a dual degree program that enables students to obtain an Alberta law degree and a Colorado law degree within four years. University of Alberta students take the first two years of their legal studies at the University of Alberta and the latter two at Boulder.
JD
Most students at the faculty are Juris Doctor candidates. This is a three-year program. Previously, the University of Alberta Faculty of Law has granted the Bachelor of Laws to graduating students, following the British naming tradition despite structurally being similar to the American graduate education structure. This ended in 2011.
Tuition
Tuition fees for entering Juris Doctor (JD) are set at C$15,995 for domestic students and C$29,727.80 for international students in 2017-2018.
Employment
The Faculty of Law is ranked #2 in Canada for "Elite Firm Hiring" by Maclean's (2014).
Facilities
Library
The John A. Weir Memorial Law Library, with approximately 390,000 volumes, is the second largest law library in Canada (after the Osgoode Hall Law School library).
Institutes and Centres of Excellence
Alberta Law Reform Institute
The Alberta Law Reform Institute is the official law reform agency for the province of Alberta. Centre for Constitutional Studies The Centre for Constitutional Studies is an academic centre of excellence dedicated to study of constitutional issues. Health Law Institute Canada's preeminent Health Law research institute, home to leading health law scholars Gerald Robertson, Timothy Caulfield, Erin Nelson and Peter Carver, among others. International Ombudsman Institute Student Legal Services of Edmonton
Alberta Law Review
Founded in 1955, the Alberta Law Review is the most widely read university-based law review in Canada, with over 2,500 subscribers.
Extracurricular
There are 28 clubs, groups and other student led organizations at the Faculty of Law, including Alberta Law Review, Canons of Construction (student newspaper), Environmental Law Association, Law & Business Association, the Law Students Association, OutLaw, and Women's Law Forum and others.
Student Legal Services
Each year approximately 250 law students from the Faculty of Law volunteer with Student Legal Services, a student-managed, non-profit society dedicated to helping low income individuals with legal issues in the Edmonton area. Student Legal Services was founded in 1969 and is one of the largest legal clinics in Canada.