Dictum - 2026-11-16 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.

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

Upcoming Events

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 18, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Employer Showcase : Soloway Wright
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Lobby of Fauteux | Bilingual Event | Drop-in

November 18, 2026 | A Tale of Two Markets: Regulating Crypto, Digital Assets, and Prediction Platforms in the US and Canada
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Virtual | Event in English | Registration Required

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

November 19, 2026 | Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics - Redrawing the Public/Private in Alberta Health Care
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Webinar – All Welcome | Event in English

November 20, 2026 | Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) & other partners - Justice for the Rohingya? The ICJ’s decision in the Myanmar genocide case
11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. | FSS 4004 + ZOOM | Hybrid event in English | Registration required

November 23, 2026 | Health Law Student Association - HLSA Networking Event
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | FTX Atrium | Bilingual Event | Registration required

November 24, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Ontario Superior Court of Justice – Law Clerk Program Information Session with Justice Labrosse
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

November 24, 2026 | Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) & The Refugee Hub - Not your typical law career: Refugee rights from FTX to the world stage
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 570 | Event in English | Registration required

November 25, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Bar Admissions Information Session
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 147 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

November 25, 2026 | Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics - Graduate Studies in Health Law – Information Session
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 316 | Event in English

November 26, 2026 | Community Beading Circle
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 230 | Bilingual events | Drop-in

November 26, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Employer Showcase : Mann Lawyers
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | 3rd floor of Fauteux | Bilingual Event | Drop-in

November 26, 2026 | Career Development Centre - Ottawa Recruitment: The Employer Perspective
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. | FTX 351 | Bilingual Event | Registration in The Source

November 26, 2026 | Public Law Centre - Foreign Affairs in the Canadian Constitution
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FTX 302 | Event in English | Registration required

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