Dictum - 2026-10-26 EN | Faculty of Law

Word from the Dean

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 27, 2026 | The International Law Group -Between Power and Possibility: The case for hope in International Law
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 136 | Event in English | Registration required

November 2, 2026 | The Centre for Law, Technology and Society - Guardrails: Design Principles for Regulating AI
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 147 | Event in English | Registration required

November 3, 2026 | Global Health Law Amidst Shifting American Leadership
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FSS 4006 | Speaker + Lunch – All Welcome | Event in English

November 4, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Employer Showcase : Connolly Obagi
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | 3rd Floor of Fauteux | Bilingual Event | Drop-In

November 4, 2026 | Shirley E. Greenberg Chair for Women and the Law Speaker Series - Housing, Inc.: A global takeover and our fight for home with Leilani Farha
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Event in English | Registration required

November 4, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Cover Letter Basics: Presenting your story
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 147 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

November 5, 2026 | Community Beading Circle
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual events | Drop-in

November 5, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Working Towards a Career in Public Interest and Social Justice
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

November 5, 2026 | The Centre for Law, Technology and Society - Influence and Political Integrity: Mapping Regulatory Frameworks for Influencers in Elections
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | Virtual | Event in English | Registration required

November 5, 2026 | Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) - Working for human rights with Allan Rock
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | FTX 570 | Bilingual event | Registration required

November 5, 2026 | Public Law Centre - L'abolition unilatérale du serment au Roi par le Québec est-elle constitutionnelle?
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 102 | Event in French| Registration required

November 6, 2026 | Shirley E. Greenberg Chair for Women and the Law Speaker Series – Modern Whore: A Film Screening and Book Talk with Andrea Werhun, Ummni Khan, Michelle Lesley Annett and Caitlin Manuel
4:00 p.m. | FTX 147 | Event in English | Registration required

November 6, 2026 | Ebola, Bombs, and Migrants: Humanitarian Crises in a Security-Obsessed World
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | FTX 227 | Event in English

November 6, 2026 | MENALSA’s Annual Networking Mixer
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM | FTX Atrium | Registration Required

Please visit the webpage for more Upcoming Events.

Important academic dates and deadlines

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.