Word from the Dean

Dean Kristen Boon

We know that adults learn best through practice and experience.

This is why experiential learning is central to what we offer in the Common Law Section. In our classrooms, you build a strong foundation in legal knowledge; through real-world experiences, you turn that knowledge into skill, judgment, and confidence.

Each year, we offer more than 400 hands-on learning opportunities, including legal clinics, moot competitions, internships, fellowships, volunteer placements, and more. These experiences help you practise the skills that will shape your career: oral advocacy, negotiation, legal writing, casework, litigation, and client relations. You’ll learn to read a room, craft a strong strategy, and develop the judgment and confidence every lawyer needs.

You’ll also have opportunities to make a meaningful difference. Our students contribute to urgent conversations and challenges, including social inequality, climate change, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and artificial intelligence.

We remain a leader in experiential learning, and we continue to broaden our programs, so students have even more ways to connect their interests with their career goals.

Discover what’s possible on the Experiential Learning in Common Law webpage. 

Upcoming Events

October 5, 2026 | University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic - 1Ls Orientation Program Information Session
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | English session in FTX 361 | Drop-in

October 6, 2026 | Experiential and Clinical Learning Fair
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | 3rd Floor Atrium | Bilingual Event | Drop-In

October 7, 2026 | New York 2028 Summer Recruitment Panel
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | Virtual | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

October 7, 2026 | International Exchange
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 402 | French Event | Registration in The Source

October 8, 2026 | Connect with the CCLA and discover the Ottawa Courthouse 
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | 161 Elgin Street, Ottawa | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

October 8, 2026 |  Community Beading Circle
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual events | Drop-in

October 8, 2026 | Gowling WLG Ottawa Market Presentation 
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | English Event | Registration in The Source

October 8, 2026 | International Exchange
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 135 | English Event | Registration in The Source

October 8, 2026 | Gowling WLG Meet & Greet 
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | 160 Elgin Street, Suite 2600, Ottawa | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

October 14, 2026 | Alternative Careers in Law: Beyond Practice 
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 147 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

October 14, 2026 | Public Law Centre - The Gang Exception: Eroding Propensity Rules in Canadian Criminal Law
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 202 | Event in English | Registration required

October 15, 2026 | Community Beading Circle
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual events | Drop-in

October 15, 2026 | Legal Resume Workshop: The foundation for marketing your experience 
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

October 16, 2026 | 3L Career Boost
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual Event | Drop-In

October 19, 2026 | University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic: 1Ls Orientation Program Information Session
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | English session in FTX 361 | Drop-in

October 19, 2026 | Career Development Centre - ONCA & OSCJ Clerkship Information Session
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. | Virtual | English Event | Registration in The Source

October 19, 2026 | THE VETO - Film Screening and panel discussion
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Tabaret Hall (TBT 112) | Event in English | Registration required

Please visit the webpage for more Upcoming Events.

Important academic dates and deadlines

  • Sept. 9 to dec. 9 | Course period
  • Oct. 9 | Last day to submit a registration form for the Major Paper Requirement for a Fall term course 
  • Oct. 12 | Thanksgiving  
  • Oct. 25-31 | Reading Week for the Common Law Section 
  • 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 
  • Dec. 9 | Courses end  
  • Dec. 10-22 | Exam period 

     Please visit the webpage for more Important dates and deadlines.

Opportunities

Academic

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Quick Links

Contact us

Faculty of Law - Common Law Section

Fauteux Hall
57 Louis Pasteur St
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 6N5

Fax: 613-562-5124