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Queen's University, Faculty of Law (Kingston, Ont.) TOP FEATURES 1 Engaging professors 3 2 Opportunities to get involved 3 Small class sizes A pproximately 160 students are admitted each year into the JD program offered by Queen's University Faculty of Law. In September of 2008, the school had a total enrolment of 463. In the 2008 admissions cycle, the average GPA for en- trance was 3.7. The average LSAT score was 161. Students rank the engaging professors as the school's top feature. It has 28.5 full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members, fi ve non-tenure track full-time professors, and 20 sessional or ad- junct faculty members. The school plans on hiring two additional tenure-track professors in 2009. A second-year student said the faculty "works collaboratively to address the needs of the students and make us all feel welcome and a student body that interacts with congeniality and mutual respect. This is especially important in this time when the legal profession is trying to encourage congeniality and respect in the practice of law as well." Opportunities to get involved tied for fi rst place in the survey. "Queen's runs numerous clinical courses: family law, children's law, poverty law, and (uniquely) a correctional law program," says one student. "The sheer amount of community legal aid services demonstrates Queen's commitment to social justice." The school also shows a commitment to provid- ing fi nancial aid to students in need. In 2007-08, over $1.7 million in bursaries was distributed to among more than 65 per cent of its law students. "2008 marks a record year for external research funding for faculty members," says dean William F. Flanagan. "Although our faculty represents only four per cent of the university's faculty members, more than 20 per cent of the university's prestigious grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council were awarded to law faculty members." The school has also started a PhD program in law and recently appointed a new associate dean of graduate studies and research. "These initiatives will support our graduate programs and [faculty] research." TOP FEATURES 1 Engaging professors 3 2 Opportunities to get involved 3 Library holdings University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law T he University of Ottawa's common law pro- gram is one of the country's largest law schools, with 956 students, 65 full-time professors, and over 120 part-time professors. Despite the large enrol- ment fi gures, class sizes average at just fewer than 18 students per class. Students rank their engaging professors as the top feature of the school. With such large enrolment fi gures, there are few areas not covered by the course offerings. The school has four areas of concentration: environmental law, international law (including economic, human rights, and humanitarian), technology law (includ- ing intellectual property, Internet governance, and privacy), and social justice (including feminism, anti-racism, and anti-poverty). The average GPA on entrance is 3.7. The school says it does not report on LSAT averages because it tends not to place a great deal of emphasis on the score. "We look for far more than grades and test scores in our admissions process," says common law section Dean Bruce Feldthusen. "Ottawa deliberate- ly seeks students and faculty members with a com- mitment to social justice, and works to develop these interests in all aspects of our program from busi- ness law to pro bono commu- nity outreach." "The legal aid clinic in Ot- tawa is very well received by the community and allows students their fi rst practical application of the theoretical skills learned in the classroom," says an alumnus. Students ranked opportunities to get involved high among the law school's best features. They have ac- cess to three specialized student clinics: community legal services, technology law, and Ecojustice. Feldthusen says the school's location in the nation's capital contributes to the student's legal education. "Ottawa common law has a unique national iden- tity. Our bilingual atmosphere is cosmopolitan and outward looking. Our students come from across Canada and they arrive with a wide diversity of ca- reer aspirations. Our location in the national capital with Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the inter- national community allows us to draw upon unique part-time faculty, guest speakers, and internship Continued on page 61 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com JANU AR Y 2009 43 TUITION: PLUS FEES (FIRST YEAR) $11,290 TUITION: $11,288 (COMMON LAW) $6,591 (CIVIL LAW)