Dictum - 2026-11-09 EN | Faculty of Law

Word from the Dean

Entrepreneurship begins with seeing a possibility and having the initiative to pursue it. For law students, that can mean helping a founder bring an idea to life, developing a new approach to legal services, or building an organization that responds to a community need.

At the Common Law Section, we want you to develop this mindset throughout your legal education. Led by Professor Garrick Apollon, our Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program brings together courses, practical experience, and fellowship support to help you explore how law can enable innovation and social impact.

I encourage you to discover what the program offers. Whether you hope to advise entrepreneurs, establish your own practice, or pursue a project with a public purpose, these experiences can help you build skills and confidence for the work ahead.

Program highlights:

Two clinics and a lab: The Norton Rose Fulbright Entrepreneurship & Innovation Legal Clinic, the uOttawa Startup Legal Clinic, and the LegalTech Entrepreneurship Lab offer ways to engage with entrepreneurs and rethink how legal services are delivered. Through these programs, students can connect what they learn in class with practical challenges facing founders and communities. Learn more about our clinics and lab.

Fellowship opportunities: Supports include the Entrepreneurship Fellowship, Norton Rose Fulbright Fellowship, Futurpreneur Fellowship, and Institut du savoir Montfort (ISM) Summer Fellowship (2L Stream). Browse the fellowship opportunities to learn about pathways that pair funding with hands-on work.

Courses: Offerings highlighted by the program include Entrepreneurship, Law for Start-ups, Becoming a Social Entrepreneur, Environmental, and Small and Solo Practice. Consult the Course Search Engine for details and availability.

This month, I invite you to put your ideas forward through the Norton Rose Fulbright Entrepreneurship & Innovation Legal Clinic Pitch Competition. Organized in partnership with uOttawa’s Kanata North Campus, the competition offers more than $26,000 in prizes. This is a chance to put your entrepreneurial thinking into action and share your vision with others. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 6.

I look forward to seeing how you use your legal knowledge, imagination, and initiative to create opportunities for yourselves and others.

Upcoming Events

November 9, 2026 | The Centre for Law, Technology and Society - SimPolitics : America’s Quest to Solve Politics with Computers
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 302 | Event in English | Registration required

November 10, 2026 | Black Law Students’ Association (BLSA) Firm Hop
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Open to all students | Registration required

November 10, 2026 | Career Development Centre - 1L Professionalism in Practice: Networking to Build Your Career
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Event in English | Registration in The Source

November 10, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Court of Appeal for Ontario - Law Clerk Program Informational Session
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 136 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

November 10, 2026 | Nelligan Moot Final
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | FTX 147 | Event in English | Drop-In

November 11, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Planning Your Law School Summers: Paths and Possibilities
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 147 | French Event | Registration in The Source

November 11, 2026 | RDC Community Reading Circle - Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous Peoples and How to Fix it
11:30 a.m. - 14:20 p.m. | FTX 316 | Event in English | Drop-in

November 12, 2026 | Community Beading Circle
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual events | Drop-in

November 12, 2026 | Career Development Centre - 1L Professionalism in Practice: Networking to Build Your Career
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 135 | French Event | Registration in The Source

November 12, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Planning Your Law School Summers: Paths and Possibilities
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | English Event | Registration in The Source

November 12, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Soirée de réseautage francophone
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | FSS 4007 | French Event | Registration in The Source

November 13, 2026 | Career Development Centre - 3L Career Boost
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual Event | Drop-In

November 17, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Career Connections
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ottawa Conference and Events Centre | Bilingual events | Registration in The Source

November 19, 2026 | Community Beading Circle
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual events | Drop-in

November 19, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Preparing for 1L Structured Recruitment
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

Please visit the webpage for more Upcoming Events.

Important academic dates and deadlines

Nov. 17 | Career Connections Fall 2026
Nov. 20 | Last day to withdraw from a course or an activity (no financial credit)
Nov. 23-Dec. 4 | Teaching and course evaluations
Nov. 25 | Deadline to complete the mandatory Exchange Information Workshop and to submit the Confirmation of Eligibility form and your preliminary course selection to your faculty.
Dec. 9 | Courses end
Dec. 10-22 | Exam period