Laying the foundation for your legal career in construction starts by looking at the Canadian construction law schools and choosing the best fit for you. With courses tailored to help you prepare for the construction industry, you’ll be equipped to tackle legal disputes and construction contracts.
In this article, we’ll discuss the colleges and universities for your consideration, along with other important details.
Are you aspiring to become a construction lawyer someday? Or do you want to improve your knowledge on Canadian laws on construction? Look no further than the construction law schools on our list.
These schools offer the Juris Doctor (JD), the Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and the Licentiate in Law (LLL), which are your steppingstones to becoming a construction lawyer. If you’re already a lawyer, these law schools also offer various graduate programs to further enhance your legal knowledge about the construction industry.
For those offering a specific course on construction law, here’s a list of the different construction law schools in Canada:
Alternatively, there are other educational institutions that also teach construction law, both for lawyers and non-lawyers. These include:
Learn more about these construction law schools below; you can also use the table of contents to go directly to a particular law school or college.
One important aspect of construction law, which you’ll eventually learn from a construction law school, is the importance of contracts. Watch this video to learn more:
If you’re looking for construction law schools to study at, you can check our comprehensive list of Canadian law schools. Get an overview of their requirements, areas of specialization, and other important information.
Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law is one of the Canadian construction law schools that offer their own construction course in their JD degree program. The school offers Construction Law (Laws 2218), which is a two-credit-hour regular course offering. This course has no prerequisites and is available during the upper years (either in your second or third year).
As this course will give you a comprehensive introduction to construction law’s principles and practice, it will also discuss the laws regarding the following:
Schulich’s Construction Law course is an optional course you can take. However, there are other construction law-related courses that you can also take alongside with it, such as:
When taken together with the required courses, this will help you in your future career as a construction lawyer in Canada.
The Faculty of Law of the University of Alberta (U of A) is another construction law school that offers a construction course, namely, its Law 502 – Construction Law. Usually offered during the winter term, this three-unit course introduces you to the basics of construction law, plus the other legal issues of the industry, such as:
Instructors of U of A’s Construction Law include Timothy Mavko and Jeremy Taitinger.
Construction law is not just for lawyers, and there are other colleges and universities that teach construction law both for lawyers and non-lawyers.
U of A is one of these schools. It offers construction law for all through its Certificate in Construction Management & Administration. One of the University’s continuing education courses, this part-time program is offered to practising construction professionals, lawyers, and non-lawyers, and even to those who want to transition into the field of construction.
This Certificate program has two goals:
It’s usually completed within one to three years (up to a maximum of six years). The courses are usually taught online, making it easier for working professionals to attend classes.
If you want to become a construction lawyer practising in the west, then you may want to consider the University of Saskatchewan (USask) – College of Law. USask offers a three-unit Construction Law (Law 311.3) either in Term 1 or Term 2 in your upper years.
It has two prerequisites, namely:
This course will give you a general introduction to Canadian construction law. After learning the basics from the prerequisites, your specific matters on construction law will be answered, such as:
A notable lawyer handling USask’s Construction Law is Jared Epp, who has been its instructor since the course was offered in 2022.
The University of Toronto (U of T) is one of Canadian construction law schools that teaches a specific course on construction for its law students.
Among the several alternate year or perspective courses offered by U of T’s Faculty of Law is called “From Blueprints to Buildings: Legal Issues in the Construction Industry” (LAW306). Also available in your upper years, this course introduces you to the different aspects of construction law, in addition to other related issues.
Previous instructors of U of T’s construction law course include Harvey Kirsh, Duncan Glaholt, and Michael Valo.
You may also be interested in other alternate year or perspective courses, which are still connected to construction law, such as:
Construction law schools offer courses on infrastructure and construction law to interested non-lawyers. An example is Osgoode’s Certificate in Construction Law that is open to lawyers and non-lawyers. This is a five-module course, spread over five days. It can be taken either in-person or online.
Similarly, Osgoode offers a Certificate in Public-Private Partnership (P3) Law and Practice in Canada, a course that is also connected with construction law.
But how about when you have just decided to pursue construction law after you’ve become a lawyer? Are there ways to make up for the lost education you could have had when you were still in law school?
The answer is yes — you can go to any of the construction law schools on our list. You can be strategic and choose a construction law school that fits your goals. For this, what you’ll be looking for are law schools that offer graduate studies or certificate courses related to construction law.
A great example of this is Osgoode’s Professional LLM in Construction Law, a part-time graduate program. It does not require an enrollee to be a JD/LLB graduate, which means that it’s open for lawyers, law graduates, and senior professionals in the industry.
Know more about this graduate course in this information session video:
Check out our page on legal education for more resources on Canadian construction law schools and other law school-related insights.
While not a Canadian law school, Algonquin College is one of the country's educational institutions that you can consider if you want to learn about construction law. Among its graduate certificates is Construction Project Management, which includes a course on Law and Contracts for the Construction Industry (LAW1000).
This part-time graduate certificate program is delivered through an online platform. Its outcomes include learning how to:
Most of the courses in the program are certified by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). They are part of the continuing education for professionals in the construction industry, which may also include construction lawyers.
If you’re yet to enroll to a law school but are already determined to become a construction lawyer someday, then enrolling in a bachelor’s degree related to construction is your best route.
An example of this is the Bachelor of Technology Construction Management (BTech CM), one of the bachelor’s degree programs offered by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Part of this program is a course on Construction Law (CMGT 7420), with the following prerequisites:
In this four-year bachelor’s degree program, you’ll be taught the necessary skills (management, technical, and interpersonal) on how to manage construction projects. After earning this degree, you’ll have the opportunity to work in private companies or in the public sector, or study in a Canadian construction law school.
Another certificate program offered outside of construction law schools is Centennial College’s Construction Project Management. This one-year graduate certificate program offers Construction Contracts & Construction Law (CSM-722) as one of its courses during Semester 2. It can be done either in-person, online, or a hybrid of those two.
Other courses in this certificate program include:
To apply, you’ll need to have a diploma or degree, either in architecture, engineering or any construction-related discipline. There’s also an English language proficiency requirement.
Both domestic and international students can apply. Applications are done through the Better Jobs Ontario Program (for domestic applicants via online) or directly with Centennial College (for international applicants).
Still accredited with the CCA, the Construction Law course from the George Brown College (GBC) is a 30-hour certificate program that is part of its continuing education offerings. This course is taught online (but teacher-led) and will focus on the rights and obligations of each party to a construction project contract.
If you’re an internationally educated professional, you can also look at GBC’s Construction Management Program (Postgraduate) (T403). This is a one-year graduate certificate program, running three semesters, starts either in January or September of every year. One of its highlight courses is Construction Contract Law (BLDG 1173).
Learn more about Construction Management (for internationally educated professionals) from GBC straight from one of its alumni:
Head over to our page on Rankings for a list of Special Reports that rank lawyers across the country according to practice areas and regions.
The laws and statutes regarding the construction industry will be taught in the proper course once you’ve enrolled in a construction law school. Construction law involves statutes at the federal level, down to the provincial and territorial levels. It also includes common law principles, or the Civil Code of Québec, as the case may be.
The law degree you’ll have to take when studying in a construction law school, whether it be JD or LLB, depends on where you’ll be practicing law after becoming licensed. From there, you'll know the graduation and the licensing process according to these degrees.
All common law provinces in the country offer the JD program, while law schools in Québec (the only civil law province) offer the LLB program. These programs are a three-year course; another year is added after graduation for the licensing processes, so you'll be allowed to practice law in your selected province or territory.
There are some schools that offer dual degrees, where you can learn both common law and civil law at the same time over three or four years. Here are some examples of these joint degrees:
There are only some law schools that offer specialized construction law courses. However, the basic and foundational courses related to construction law are offered by all construction law schools.
Some examples of these basic courses are:
Just because your law school does not offer a specific course on construction law, it doesn’t mean that you can’t become a construction lawyer. This is evident to some law schools requiring these mandatory courses before you can take on construction law. This is the case with the University of Saskatchewan’s Construction Law course.
It’s important that you grab the opportunity to take these construction courses. They may not be offered every term and every year. For example, University of Toronto’s construction course mentioned above is not offered every academic year.
As an alternative, you can take other courses that are related to construction law, such as their alternate year courses on:
Now that you’ve decided which construction law school you’re going to, the next thing to do is to find out its admission process and requirements. Applying for a construction law school in Canada generally requires the following:
We’ll briefly discuss each requirement below, but you can also check our article on important law school requirements for more detailed information.
All law schools in Canada — whether it be for a JD, LLB, or LLL — require that you have finished your undergraduate degree. As for the number of years, a four-year undergraduate course is mostly preferred, although a graduate of a three-year course is not barred from enrolling. Since there are no specific undergraduate degrees required, you can take a degree related to infrastructure and construction.
Below are the law schools that have a joint or combined JD degree with an undergraduate degree that is somehow related to construction:
Not all law schools in Canada strictly require the LSAT for law school admissions. For those that require it, you must check which latest LSAT score/s they are going to accept. However, it’s still encouraged that you submit your LSAT score, especially if it’s a good one, even if it isn't required in the law school you’re applying to. Read our guide on preparing for your LSAT for the best possible outcome.
Your law school will list down all the documentary requirements. Some of them are:
Studying in construction law schools is costly; from tuition costs and living expenses, not to mention the numerous books you’ll have to buy. But there are many ways to cope with these expenses, such as choosing from the cheapest law school in Canada, or through scholarships and sponsorships.
Tuition for law schools in Canada may cost from $18,000 to $34,000 per year. There are some law schools that may charge lower or higher than this range. This range also fluctuates every term or year, and may also exclude other fees such as compulsory fees, student fees, etc.
Because certificate courses are shorter and completed with minimal requirements, these are offered by law schools are your cheaper alternatives. For instance, Osgoode’s Certificate in Construction Law only requires a one-time fee of $4,495 (plus taxes).
Completing any of the programs offered by these construction law schools can help you frame your successful career in the infrastructure and construction industry. Education doesn't end once you’ve become a lawyer. Construction law schools also offer continuing education courses and certificate programs. After mastering the ins and outs of the construction industry through these construction law schools, there's no doubt that your legal career in construction will soar.
Which of these construction law schools would you consider joining? Tell us in the comments section below!
