Word from the Dean

The practice of law is becoming more innovative and entrepreneurial. New advances in technology, particularly in the area of AI, are starting to open up new ways of delivering legal services and to demand new skill sets from legal professionals. Many Canadian law societies now explicitly recognize the necessity and value of innovation and have opened up regulatory sandboxes to allow for the controlled experimentation of new models of legal service delivery.   

Last month, the Common Law Section teamed up with the Entrepreneurship Hub to host the Solutions Lab where students developed technology-based solutions to bridge the Access to Justice gap in Canada.  

Cultivating entrepreneurial skills while at the UOttawa Law School will give you an edge to excel in your careers.  

In the Common Law Section, we're committed to providing ample opportunities for you to explore, develop and apply entrepreneurial skills. Legal clinics, moots and pro bono work develop a mindset focussed on thinking creatively, challenging traditional legal frameworks and developing solutions to important societal issues.    

We work closely with the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), shaping and promoting a campus-wide entrepreneurial mindset and strategy. 

If you're looking to develop your own entrepreneurial mindset and skills, I recommend you learn more and get involved with uOttawa eHub. 

We’re excited to offer our students courses in our entrepreneurial stream including Studies in Business Law: Community Wealth Building Law, Small and Solo Practice, Becoming a Social Entrepreneur and Law for Start-Ups. 

Learn more about what we’re doing to foster entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section. 

Kristen Boon, Dean of Common Law Section

Upcoming Events

Nov. 20 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online - Pour des services enfance-famille culturellement ancrés : Intérêts des enfants autochtones, gouvernance et autodétermination - in French only - Registration required to receive the link
Nov. 21 - 22 | Zoom (online) and Ottawa (in-person) - CIAJ’s Symposium on Indigenous Courts is Free Online for Students - Registration required
Nov. 22 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Legal Practice Program information session - Zoom - Target Group: 3rd 
Nov. 22 | 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM | FTX 302 - Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America -Registration required. Limited seats 
Nov. 22 | 11:30 AM - 12:55 PM | FTX 147 - Ottawa Recruitment: The Employer Perspective -Target: 2L - Registration required via The Source
Nov. 23 | 11:30 AM - 12:55 PM | Virtual - Clerkship Q&A: Superior Court of Justice and Federal Courts Target: 2L/3L - Registration required via The Source
Nov. 23 | 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | FTX 416 | Ottawa Law ReviewCitation Workshop - in French - Registration required
Nov. 23 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM | FTX 570 - Working for Human Rights with Farida Deif (Human Rights Watch) - In English only - Registration required: Light snacks provided
Nov. 23 | 5:00 PM- 5:30 PM | Zoom - Viens jaser avec nous au Café Zoom AJEFO! in French only 
Nov. 28 | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Online - Criminal Law Students Association Presents: An Evening with Innocence Canada - Zoom link will be sent morning of talk
Nov. 30 | 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM | FTX 351 - Health Law Seminar SeriesMore details to come
Nov. 30 | 11:30 AM - 12:55 PM | Virtual - ASIL - Pursuing a Career in International Law
Nov. 30 |11:30 AM - 1:00 PM | FTX 351 and Zoom - Reproductive Futures As Women Age: Going to the Fertility Clinic, Emerging Reproductive Technologies, Creating New Kinship - Lunch provided - in English only 
Dec. 8 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM | DMS 12102 - Advancing Health Justice in a Turbulent World - in English only


To see a full list of upcoming events click here.

Important dates

Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023: Term dates for the Fall term
Sept. 6 to Dec. 6, 2023: Courses for the Fall term 
Nov. 20 to Dec 1, 2023: Teaching and course evaluations for Fall courses
Nov. 27, 2023: Deadline to submit your internship application for the Winter term 2024
Dec. 7, 2023: Study Break 
Dec. 8 to Dec. 21, 2023: Exam period for the Fall term 
Dec. 21, 2023: All papers, including Directed Research Projects, are due by 4:00 pm

Opportunities

Academic

News

Faculty of Law - Common Law Section
 A man stands at a podium on a stage. many people sit facing him.
Faculty of Law - Common Law Section

From Declaration to Inspiration: UN High Commissioner's Insightful Address on the 75th Anniversary of the UDHR in Canada

The following story was written by Alexandra Cunningham (4th year FSS Conflict Studies and Human Rights), Paige Holland (1L) and Kate De Klerk (1L) as…
Research
Students working in the Entrepreneurship Hub space
Research

The Solutions Lab: uOttawa students reimagine how legal services are accessed in Canada

Roughly 80% of Canadians have unmet legal needs. Research shows that while most Canadians can identify a legal problem when they’re facing one, many a…
Faculty of Law - Common Law Section
Poster from the federal governement advertising a judicial appointment in the province of Alberta
Faculty of Law - Common Law Section

Alum Jonathan Martin, LLB ’04, appointed as Judge in Alberta

The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced the appointment of Jonathan Martin, LLB ‘04, as a Judge of t…