A guide to good law schools in Canada

Parents, future students, clients of lawyers, or persons just out of curiosity, are always on the lookout for good law schools in Canada. While this may be subjective according to the preferences of each person, choosing the right law school will support students to be successful on their law school journey.

What defines a good law school in Canada?

There are various considerations when looking for the best or the good law schools in Canada. One student’s considerations may also vary from another student or applicant. Thus, it’s important to look at the whole picture in relation to an applicant’s specific case or circumstances.

To guide students in choosing from among the good law schools in Canada, here are some of the major factors to look at:

Location or Accessibility

First, students looking for a good law school in Canada must consider its location. This is important since a faculty of law’s location will affect the tuition costs of a particular student.

For example, law schools tend to charge higher tuition fees for students who are not from the same province as that of the law school.

Related to location is the law school’s accessibility to its students. Normally, the nearer the law school is to a student’s hometown, the cheaper their expenses would be.

Some considerations are law schools offering online classes. This is rare; most law schools conduct in-person classes.

Degree Programs

Another factor in choosing a good law school is the law degree or programs that it offers. No law schools offer the same set of degrees or programs, although most would have similar courses.

An applicant’s educational background would also matter as to which law program is appropriate for them. This is also related to the requirements and admission process that every law school has.

Bachelor of Law (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD)?

The Juris Doctor (JD), or what was once designated as Bachelor of Law (LLB), is the most basic degree program for aspiring lawyers. Although there are some law schools across Canada that still use the LLB, the JD is now the more common law degree.

The JD is usually a 3-year program, which requires a prior undergraduate degree for admission (also called a Bachelor’s degree or post-secondary degree). There is no specific undergraduate degree that is required from students to be admitted to a JD program. The undergraduate degree must be a 3-year degree, at the minimum.

While the JD program must be completed in a full-time 3-year arrangement, some law schools would offer it on a part-time, half-time, or extended-time basis. If permitted under specific conditions, a student may be allowed to take fewer units, but it would take longer (e.g., 4 years or 6 years).

As a part-time, half-time, or extended-time program, other faculties of law would offer evening classes in lieu of morning classes. Weekend classes are also included for students who choose to do this program.

These types of classes are perfect for working students, students whose morning or daytimes are devoted to parenting, or students with special circumstances.

In sum, it’s not only the content of the degree or program that serve as criteria for good law schools in Canada. How the program is administered is an important consideration.

Joint Degrees

As for students who are looking for time-efficient degree programs, joint degrees may be the best for them. Some faculties of law offer combined degrees or joint degrees as part of their regular JD Program or as a separate Program. This is helpful for students who wish to complete two degrees within a shorter timeframe.

Admission Process

Admission to law schools is typically rigorous. However, some of the good law schools in Canada ease out on their processes to accommodate more students, while still upholding their high standards.

Requirements

To be admitted to admitted to a JD program under the general category, one must:

• have finished a 3-year undergraduate degree in any course.
• have written the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) at a specific period, if required.
• have reached a prescribed Grade Point Average (GPA), if required.

As an exception, some faculties of law would consider first year applicants even without some of these requirements, hence, the “admission categories” other than the general category.

Depending on the specific law school, its selection criteria may be relaxed through these admission categories.

Some examples of these admission categories are the following (although the specific names of these categories vary for every law school):

Mature category:

Applicants who have less than the required number of undergraduate years and are above a certain age (e.g., 18 or 19 years old). This category is for those who have already worked after completing high school or have not finished their undergraduate degree. One important factor in this category is an applicant’s professional or life experience.

Indigenous category:

Applicants who are from the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. Here, the applicants’ identification of their Indigenous background, along with their non-academic experience, are strong considerations for admission. Usually, their identification as an Indigenous student is explained by applicants in their personal statements.

Racial or Minorities category:

Applicants who are from racially disadvantaged communities and other minorities. This category may include Black applicants; LGBTQI+ applicants; and applicants who are living with disabilities.

Accepting students based on these categories is also in line with most policies of faculties of law to accommodate the most diverse sets of students. No matter how good a curriculum of a degree program is, good law schools in Canada are also measured based on their admission processes.

Rankings

Another point of view to consider when looking for good law schools in Canada is their rankings from reliable sources. This may include the world rankings of law schools, or rankings of law schools within Canada.

While one can simply look for rankings of the best law schools in Canada, its reputation among the graduates and the legal field will also speak for itself. This includes testimonies from lawyers of their alma mater or feedback from clients regarding their lawyers.

Articling and Bar Examinations

Writing the bar exams may be one of the last steps in becoming a lawyer in Canada, as administered by the different Law Societies of each province (and Barreau du Québec).

This is in addition to the requirements imposed by these Law Societies, such as articling in law firms or in other legal workplaces.

Feedback for articling students and passing rates of students who have taken the bar may also be the deciding factors for students when looking for good law schools in Canada.

Note that this is always on a case-to-case basis; becoming a lawyer is still an individual endeavor. One cannot judge a person’s experience of articling and passing the bar as similar to that of another.

What are some of the good law schools in Canada?

Based on the considerations mentioned above, below are some good law schools in Canada.

For a complete list of the Canadian law schools, the degrees they’re offering, and tuition rates, check out our list of the Canadian Law Schools 2023/24.

University of Toronto – Faculty of Law

By far one of the most rigorous when it comes to admissions, the University of Toronto (UofT) makes up for the quality of education that students are assured to receive. The UofT was among the 10 best law schools in the world in 2020.

With numerous applicants but only a limited number of slots for first year students, UofT has an average acceptance rate of around 7%-8%.

Here’s an inside look into the UofT’s Grand Moot held in 2021:

Degree Programs

Consistent in being top ranked as one of the good law schools in Canada, UofT’s Faculty of Law offers a wide range of graduate degrees and collaborative programs, aside from its Juris Doctor (JD) program.

UofT also offers combined programs where students can earn two degrees (the JD and the graduate degree) within a span of 4 years. In addition, UofT offers certificate programs, which will be noted in the students’ transcripts.

To help students who cannot pursue a full-time schedule, UofT offers a Half-Time Program that allows students to complete the JD program in 6 years (instead of 3 years).

Admission

In line with its Admission Policy of accepting students of diverse interests and backgrounds, UofT’s Faculty of Law has categories in admitting applicants for its JD program:

• General
• Mature
• Indigenous
• Black Student Application Process (BSAP)

While UofT has not set a minimum LSAT score and undergraduate GPA for admission, these are the main factors in considering whether to accept an applicant or not. Instead of setting minimum scores, UofT has provided the median scores of its previously accepted students:

• LSAT score: 166 to 188
• GPA performance: 3.83 to 3.90

All in all, the strongest applicants are selected from the application pool, considering the totality of an applicant’s profile.

McGill University – Faculty of Law

A good law school located in Montréal, Québec is McGill University‘s Faculty of Law. It is also the oldest law school in the country and is among the consistently high-ranking law schools of Canada.

Watch this video to know more about the McGill’s renewed curriculum:

Degree Programs

McGill offers the unique Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL/JD Program). This bilingual program allows students to learn Canada’s two legal systems: civil law and common law.

Separating itself from other law schools, the BCL/JD Program also allows graduates to write any of the Canadian province’s bar exams and some US jurisdictions.

McGill also offers graduate programs, such as its doctoral programs and master's programs. Joint degree programs are also offered by McGill, such as:

• Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with integrated BCL/JD
• Masters of Social Work (MSW) with integrated BCL/JD

Admission

With an admission rate of 14%, McGill has one of the highest standards among the good law schools in Canada. McGill’s admission process is holistic but is also one of the most competitive in the country.

General admissions for the BCL/JD program are based on these criteria:

• Language: advanced proficiency in French or English and passively bilingual in the other.
• Education: Minimum 60 credits of university studies or a diploma of collegial studies (DCS) from a Quebec College of General and Professional Education (CEGEP).
• Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA): no minimum thresholds, with a median score of 85%.
• LSAT score: no minimum score, with a median score of 165.
• CEGEP average R-score: no minimum score, with a median score of 35.00.

McGill also offers applicant categories leading to its BCL/JD program for aspiring students who have special circumstances.

University of British Columbia – Peter A. Allard School of Law

The Peter A. Allard School of Law of University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of the good law schools in Canada. Not only is it one of the top-ranking schools, but it also offers reasonable tuition costs.

Degree Programs

UBC offers its JD program with a strong foundation on Indigenous law. The University also offers several graduate programs and flexible online courses for those who are working on their requirements for the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA).

Admission

Only accepting around 200 first year students, UBC has an acceptance rate of 12% to 13%.

UBC also has the highest Indigenous law enrollees, with its Specialization in Indigenous Legal Studies among other concentrations and specializations. It also introduced a scholarship for Indigenous students in 2022.

Other than Indigenous students, UBC also accepts students through its different admission categories:

• General Applicants
• Discretionary Applicants
• Indigenous Applicants

UBC also proves that entering one of the good law schools in Canada requires the highest standards. As to its General Applicants, the Peter A. Allard School of Law requires the following:

• LSAT score: median score of 166
• GPA performance: median GPA of 83%

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