McGill University Faculty of Law

McGill University Faculty of Law

Faculté de droit de l'université McGill  (French)
Established	1848
Type	Public
Dean	Daniel Jutras
Academic staff	98
Students	652
Location	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Campus	Urban
Languages	English, French
Website	http://www.mcgill.ca/law

The Faculty of Law is a constituent faculty of McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec. Its graduates obtain both a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.), concurrently, in three to four years, allowing them to practise in both the Canadian, U.S. and UK common law system as well as Quebec's civil law system.

History

University rankings
Global rankings
Canadian rankings
Maclean's Civil Law	1
Maclean's Common Law	3

The Faculty of Law was officially created in 1848.

With the incoming class of 1969 the Faculty added a stand-alone common law degree, suitable to the practice of law in other Canadian provinces, which could be taken individually or jointly with the traditional civilian curriculum. The joint degree was then referred to as the National Programme, and taught common law and civil law in separate courses, but combined their study in a year-long introductory "Foundations" course and in some upper-year seminars.

With the incoming class of 1999 the Faculty eliminated its civil, common, and National programs, and replaced them with a single program, which includes some mandatory first-year courses and some upper-year courses which integrate both common and civil law. This joint and bilingual degree, which all students must take, is now referred to as the Transsystemic program.

The Transsystemic program was created under the direction of former Dean Stephen Toope, whereby every student graduates with degrees in both civil law and common law. This means that, from the first year, courses now explore civil and common law concepts in close comparison. Students analyse and critically evaluate the two traditions, their histories, and their social, political, and cultural contexts. Undergraduate students may participate in international exchange programs, and in the International Courts and Tribunals Program, which in 2006 received a Scotiabank-AUCC Award for Excellence in Internationalization.

Notable previous faculty members

• Irwin Cotler, human rights lawyer, Member of Parliament and former Canadian Minister of Justice
• Paul-André Crépeau, responsible for drafting the new Civil Code of Quebec
• H. Patrick Glenn, comparative legal scholar and author of Legal Traditions of the World
• Julius Grey, Quebec human rights lawyer
• John Peters Humphrey, founding Director of the United Nations Human Rights division and principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Nicholas Kasirer, scholar of civil law, comparative law, and law and language, Dean of the faculty 2004-2009, Quebec Court of Appeal judge
• W.C.J. Meredith, Q.C., D.C.L., special federal prosecutor at the trial of Fred Rose, for whom the Meredith Memorial Lectures are named
• Roderick A. Macdonald, Dean of the Faculty (1984-1989) influential law reformer, scholar, teacher, mentor and Founding President of the Law Commission of Canada
• Yves-Marie Morrissette, civil and comparative law scholar, Quebec Court of Appeal judge
• F.R. Scott, constitutional rights lawyer, civil libertarian, and poet
• William Tetley, C.M., Q.C., LL. L., former Quebec Cabinet Minister, maritime law scholar
• Stephen Toope, international law scholar, former President of the University of British Columbia

Notable alumni

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• Douglas Abbott, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• John Abbott, Prime Minister of Canada
• Marie Deschamps, (LL.M.) puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Ken Dryden, former Montreal Canadiens goaltender, cabinet minister and Member of Parliament
• Morris Fish, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Brian Gallant, (LL.M.) premier of New Brunswick
• Désiré Girouard, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Gerald Le Dain, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Charles Gonthier, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Louis-Philippe de Grandpré, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Hubert Lacroix, CEO and President of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada
• Yves Fortier, Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations and President of the United Nations Security Council
• Pierre-Basile Mignault, puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Thibaudeau Rinfret, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Edward Stuart McDougall, judge on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East
• Thomas Mulcair, Leader of the NDP
• Max M. Teitelbaum, (B.C.L.) puisne justice of the Federal Court of Canada
• David Lawee - Partner and founder of Google Capital

See also

• List of law schools in Canada

External links

• McGill University Faculty of Law

References

• Hobbins, A.J. "Designating the Dean of Law: attempts to control the nature of legal education at McGill University by the Montreal corporate and professional elite, 1946-1950." Dalhousie Law Journal. XXVII (2004), pp. 163–202.
• Pilarczyk, Ian C. " 'A Noble Roster': One Hundred and Fifty Years of Law at McGill" McGill University, 1999, http://iancpilarczyk.com/2010/10/a-noble-roster/