D. FEATURE – UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA DEAN FELDTHUSEN ON THE OTTAWA
JOINT LL.B./J.D. PROGRAM
I recently conducted an email
interview with University of Ottawa Dean Feldthusen. I asked him about the
Ottawa LL.B./J.D. program. What follows are his comments:
"Dear Mr. Richardson,
Not all joint programs are the same. Ottawa has one with Michigan State
College of Law and one with Washington College of Law at American University.
Our students spend two full academic years at Ottawa and two at the US school
and complete all required courses at both schools.
What makes our program unique is that students who start at Ottawa PAY OTTAWA
TUITION FOR ALL 4 YEARS. We had over 300 applications for the joint program
this year.
We also have many students who begin at the US school and then come to us for
the joint degree. Some of these are Canadians who have been living in the US
and want the option of returning to Canada.
Students seem to be interested because:
- they foresee this as helpful for practising law in Canada expecting US law
to figure prominently in Canadian practice. I know one joint program student
who has worked on Bay Street for two summers doing a substantial amount of US
work. (This seems rational - there is a lot of US work done in Canada and
firms are expanding or linking to US firms. We had an information session for
approximately 20 Bay Street firms last year and they all attended).
- they want to be better prepared to practice law in the US. This gives them
full US training as opposed to merely writing a state bar exam, and gives
access to the bar in most US jurisdictions.
As in any competitive field, something extra or different is helpful at the margin.
The joint degree would not, for example, compensate for a poor academic
record, but it would help distinguish the student from others with similar
records.
Most of the participants so far seem interested in business law, although not
all. At least a few are applying to work in England.
I hope this is helpful. If you want more, please call my assistant at the
number below and book a call.
Thanks for your interest."
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