401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4
Phone: 519.253.3000, ext. 2925 | Fax: 519.973.7064
Internet: www.uwindsor.ca/law |
E-mail: uwlaw@uwindsor.ca
View Important Information for Applicants to Ontario Law Schools.
Introduction
The University of Windsor law faculty was established in 1969. It has an enviable reputation for access to justice, Canada-US issues, and excellence in teaching and research.
The law faculty is located on the main campus of the University of Windsor, approximately two miles from downtown Windsor. Its campus comprises 75 acres situated on the Detroit River at the foot of the imposing Ambassador Bridge to the United States. The university is fully accredited to the doctoral level. The faculty is accredited by the Law Society of Upper Canada and all of the other common-law law societies of Canada.
Enrollment/Student Body
- 2,731 applicants
- 483 admitted first-year class 2012
- 211 enrolled first-year class 2012 (includes Canadian & American Dual JD Program)
- 613 total full time
- 6 total half time
- 50 percent women
- Many provinces and countries represented in student body
Faculty
- 82.5 total
- 30.5 full time
- 52 part time or adjunct
- 14 women full time
- 5 minorities full time
Library and Physical Facilities
- 253,847 library volumes and equivalents
- CCH Online, HeinOnline, LLMC Online, LexisNexis Quicklaw, Westlaw Canada, Oxford Reports on International Law, Justis, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, and others
- 2 full-time librarians
- 2 computer labs with a total of 45 computers
- Library seats 287
Curriculum
- 34 credits in Law I and 29–32 credits in each of Law II and Law III (total number of credits required to graduate)
- 89 total number of courses available
- Students must complete a major research paper, a perspectives course, a transnational course, Torts I, Civil Procedure, and the Legal Profession. It is possible that a course may satisfy the major research paper, perspectives, and/or transnational law requirements.
- Degrees and combined degrees available—JD, Canadian & American Dual JD Program, MBA/JD, MSW/JD
- Through our Canadian & American Dual JD Program with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, students complete 104 credits in three years and successful graduates receive both their Canadian Juris Doctor (JD) and their American Juris Doctor (JD) degrees. The program prepares graduates to practice law in both Canada and the United States.
- MBA/JD Joint-Degree Program is offered in conjunction with the Odette School of Business.
- The MSW/JD Joint-Degree Program is offered in conjunction with the School of Social Work.
- Half-Time Program—limited enrollment. Applicants must meet the faculty’s general admission requirements. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are unable to attend law school on a full-time basis because of any, or all, of the following: exceptional family obligations, significant financial hardship, or health disability. In limited circumstances, consideration may also be given to occupational involvement where an applicant is established in a public service career whose work would be assisted and improved by the study of law.
- Special programs may be established in an area of the student’s special interest under the supervision of faculty members in the form of a supervised research study program.
Special Programs
Our experiential learning curriculum features the Clinical Law Program, which sensitizes law students to the various roles that lawyers perform as client counselors, advocates, policy makers, legal scholars, and custodians of the legal system, and offers academic term credit. The program includes Community Legal Aid (CLA) and Legal Assistance of Windsor (LAW).
The Intellectual Property Law Institute (IPLI), a joint effort of the University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State University, and the University of Windsor, features courses taught by either full-time law professors in the three participating law schools or by practicing lawyers with extensive experience in intellectual property.
The Northwest Territories Clerkship Program enables students to serve as a clerk for the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories for credit towards their JD. As a clerk, the student will be based in Yellowknife, NWT, with travel to outlying regions with the Supreme Court of the NWT.
Windsor Law has a Student Clerkship Program that exposes students to the experience of clerking with Ontario courts and the benefits of interaction with judges. We have Provincial Court Criminal Clerkships and Provincial Court Family Law Clerkships in Windsor, plus a Provincial Court Clerkship in Newmarket, Ontario.
The Centre for Enterprise and Law (CEL) offers students an opportunity to do an Advanced IP/Business Law Practicum in which teams of business students and law students will provide local entrepreneurs with business and legal support.
The Environmental Law Clinic will provide students with the unique opportunity to refine their understanding of environmental law and network with decision makers in both the United States and Canada.
Moot competitions include the Arnup Cup Moot, Bertha Wilson Moot, CNMAC-ADR International Moot, Competitive Client Counselling Moot, Corporate/Securities Moot, Donald G. Bowman National Tax Moot, Gale Moot, Harold G. Fox Moot, International Criminal Law Moot, International Mediation Moot, Jessup International Moot, Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Moot, Koskie Minsky Diversity Moot, Laskin Moot, and the Niagara International Moot.
Admission
- Application deadline—November 1 and April 15
- Application fee—$90
- Oldest LSAT score accepted—6 years, last LSAT considered is December following November 1 deadline
- Offers of admission are made on a rolling basis. Application files pending December LSAT may be disadvantaged.
The objective of the admission policy is to select from among the many applicants those who will excel at the study of law and, at the same time, contribute creatively and meaningfully to the law school and the community.
The admission criteria and procedure for the entering class are (a) university program, (b) work experience, (c) community involvement, (d) personal accomplishments, (e) career objectives, (f) personal considerations, and (g) Law School Admission Test scores.
No one factor is solely determinative of admission to the law school. The Admission Committee assesses applications in light of all the above criteria.
Windsor Law recognizes that native Canadians are not adequately represented within the legal profession. The admission policy of the Faculty of Law encourages native Canadians to pursue legal studies.
Unconditional and conditional acceptances may be granted to native Canadian applicants who are considered to have good potential for the study of law. Applicants who have received a conditional acceptance from the Faculty of Law, and who have successfully completed the program of Legal Studies for Native People offered each summer by the Native Law Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, will be admitted to the first year of the JD program and may receive credit for Property Law.
Activities
Students may volunteer in the following: Legal Assistance of Windsor, Community Legal Aid, Pro Bono Students Canada, Law Enforcement Accountability Project (LEAP), the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues (a student run journal), Justice at Work, the Peer Mentorship Program (PMP), the Student Law Society (SLS), and various student groups and clubs.
Expenses and Financial Aid
- Tuition and fees—full time (Canadian & American Dual JD Program students also pay tuition to the University of Detroit Mercy), $15,854; half time, approximately $5,450
- Room and board—approximately $900/month
- Approximately $2,000/year for new books
- Variety of awards, bursaries, and entrance scholarships available
- Financial aid available—Emergency Loan
- Professional Line of Credit program with Scotiabank (main branch, Windsor)
Academic Success Program
The Academic Success Program assists first-year students in making the transition to law studies. Students can attend weekly sessions on general topics that will assist them with learning strategies ranging from case analysis and briefing, to exam preparation and exam writing techniques. As well, students can attend regular tutorials in five first-year classes led by upper-year students. Tutors also meet with students outside of class to address individual questions or concerns.
Career Services Office
Through our Career Services Office, students obtain assistance with the identification of career paths and objectives, résumé and cover-letter writing skills, successful interviewing techniques, and transitioning from student to practitioner. Our Career Services program provides individual counseling, as well as seminars, workshops, panel discussions, and job-shadowing opportunities; provides information on traditional and nontraditional legal careers; and encourages students to explore the wide range of possibilities for utilizing their law degree. It is responsible for the administration of various recruitment programs, including on-campus interviews, and the coordination of our annual Career Day featuring legal employers from a variety of markets.
Student Services Office
The Student Services Office provides students with a wide range of services to enhance their law school experience, including academic and personal support through counseling, programming, and other resources. We also provide students with assistance in financing their legal education through indebtedness counseling; the allocation of scholarships, bursaries, and awards; and the administration of both the Emergency Loan Program and the Windsor Law Alumni Fund for Enhancement of Student Life. For students who are interested in attending other institutions on a Letter of Permission or as part of a study-abroad program, whether international or domestic, the Student Services Office will guide you through the research, application, and course-selection process.
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