Dictum - 2026-01-19-EN | Faculty of Law

Word from the Dean

We know that adults learn best by doing. That is why we continue to expand our experiential opportunities at the Faculty of Law. Across the Common Law Section, students develop practical and transferable skills through legal clinics, internships, mooting, and student-led initiatives such as the Ottawa Law Review. These experiences allow students to test their knowledge, refine their judgment, and build confidence in real-world legal settings.

I encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities throughout your time in law school, as you prepare for meaningful, impactful careers in law and beyond.

Last month, we were thrilled to launch a new clinic, the Norton Rose Fulbright Entrepreneurship & Innovation Legal Clinic, directed by Professor Garrick Apollon. This clinic not only expands the already robust experiential learning opportunities offered to our students, but it also provides support to young entrepreneurs and start-ups.

More to discover:

On February 7 and 8, students are invited to participate in the Ideas Lab: Access to Justice, a two-day interdisciplinary hackathon developed in partnership with eHub. Working in cross-disciplinary teams, participants will design innovative solutions to access-to-justice challenges and pitch their ideas to industry experts. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a $325 award.

To explore the full range of experiential learning opportunities through the Faculty, visit our Experiential Learning webpage and discover options that align with your interests and aspirations.

We also encourage you to take full advantage of the hands-on opportunities available beyond the Faculty, here in the Nation’s Capital. Several important application deadlines are approaching:

Federal Courts' Law Clerkship Program: Deadline: January 13, 2026, for the 2027-2028 program.

A YouTube video providing details of the Court Clerkship program is available online.

Supreme Court of Canada Law Student Guide-Interpreter Program: Deadline: January 18, 2026, for the 2026-2027 session.

Upcoming Events

January 19, 2026 | Developments in human rights — The human rights situation in Venezuela and the US use of force
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Virtual (Zoom) | Event in English | Registration required.

January 22, 2026 |Thrifting Thursdays at 3PM
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | BRS 435 | Drop-In | Target : All

January 26, 2026 | Webinar on international tools to advance academic freedom: Inter-American principles on academic freedom and university autonomy
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Virtual (Zoom) | Event in English | Registration required

January 27, 2026 | Roots of Revolution: Burma film screening & panel discussion
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | FSS 4004 | Event in English | Registration required, limited space.

January 28, 2025 | Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics: La santé mentale en prison
11:30 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. | FTX 232 | Event in French

January 28, 2025 | Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics: Vaccines, Trust and Misinformation: Café scientifique
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Café Nostalgica | Event in English | Registration required

Please visit the webpage for more Upcoming Events.

Important dates and deadlines

Jan. 6 – 23 | January Term Dates

Jan. 22 |Study Break

Jan. 23 | Exam Day & All papers, including Directed Research Projects, are due by 4:00 p.m.

Jan. 24 | Last day to receive a full refund on your U-Pass & Last day to pay tuition fees without late fees.

Jan. 26 – 30 | January term break

Please visit the webpage for more Important dates and deadlines.

Opportunities

Academic

Courses by Selection

If you have been selected for a course by selection, please make sure to finalize your enrolment in the course in uoZone as soon as possible. Please consult the Course Search Engine to browse the descriptions of the courses by selection.

Course Load and Course Sequence

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that their course selection meets the specific degree requirements of their program and follows the correct course sequence.

Please note that, except specifically detailed in your course sequence, a regular course load for an upper-year full-time Common Law student is:

15 units (5 courses) during the Fall term
3 units (1 course) during the January intensive term (mandatory)
12 units (4 courses) during the Winter term

Please adjust your course selection accordingly. It is also the responsibility of each student to ensure that the courses selected do not result in class schedule or exam schedule conflicts.

Waitlists
Please verify your enrolment status on a regular basis and remove yourself from a waitlist if or when you no longer wish to make changes to your enrolment.

As a reminder, the waitlist system will only be able to process your enrolment if:

you have not reached the maximum units allowed per term (unless you used the Waitlist and Swap functions);
you have no schedule conflict with another course (unless you used the Waitlist and Swap functions);
you are not already enrolled in another section of the same course (unless you used the Waitlist and Swap functions); and
you have completed all prerequisites.

We recommend viewing the enrolment help videos, in particular The Waitlist and Swap Function, to understand how to make the necessary changes to your enrolment and program the swap properly. Within uoZone, you can also consult the Student Enrolment Guide tutorial, which is available on the Enrol application page.

Students in the Final Year of their Program

Make sure you are on track for graduation! Verify your program sequence and requirements, and ensure that you have satisfied all your requirements by using your Academic Advisement report in your uoZone, Student Centre. Please email us at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns.

Options

If you intend to graduate with an option, please make sure that you are on the right track to validate it.