LAW: PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B)
M.B.A./LL.B Program
J.D./LL.B. Program
Intellectual Property Law Program
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Faculty of Law of the University of Windsor was established in 1967, and the first entering class was admitted in September, 1968. Mark R. MacGuigan was its first dean, succeeded by Walter Tarnopolsky, John McLaren, Ron Ianni, Julio Menezes, Neil Gold, Jeff Berryman, Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré and Brian Mazer, each of whom left their personal mark on the Faculty , contributing to the development of a responsive curriculum and meaningful scholarship. On the 1st of July, 2000, Bruce P. Elman was appointed Dean of Law. The Faculty's commitment to community service has created a unique, socially responsive, and responsible institution dedicated to learning. The Faculty has adopted two institutional themes: Access to Justice and Canada-US Legal Issues.
The Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law building at Sunset Avenue and University Avenue, was opened by then Governor General Roland Michener in 1970, and contains lecture theatres, class and seminar rooms, faculty offices, and facilities which house the 337,000 volumes of The Paul Martin Law Library, The Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice,a variety of student organizations, the Legal Profession Research Program, the Canadian-American Research Centre for Law and Policy, the University of Windsor Mediation Services and the student-run Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues.
The student body has grown from thirty to approximately 500 since 1968, with a Faculty of 31 to 35 scholar-teachers.
At Windsor, law is viewed as a process aimed at the achievement of social ends and justice. Education in the law assists students to understand how legally educated and trained persons may gainfully contribute to the creation and maintenance of the best possible social order.
The Law Faculty has developed a varied, yet purposive program of study in which law is seen as part of complex and dynamic social processes: law touches all aspects of human endeavour and is, in turn, fashioned by it. Law's connection with the humanities and social sciences is inescapable both in study and in action. Critical theory, social science research methods, and sound intellectual analysis combine to inform the student of law about underlying, fundamental values and beliefs. The resources and insights of the humanities and social sciences permit our students an opportunity to understand that law study is inextricably related to social, political, practical, and theoretical issues. In large measure, law is about getting things done; it is practical in its orientation. At Windsor, theory and practice are not polar extremes along a continuum which separate the practitioner from the academic; practice is seen as the implementation of theory and theory as the positing of, among other things, action.
Recognizing that the discipline of law is complex, our aim is to assist students to acquire intellectual skills and habits of mind suited to law practice and a myriad other careers. They are asked to reflect critically upon the legal system, the legal profession, and the law itself. In doing so, they challenge the assumptions which underlie the status quo and propose options which might better serve the public interest. Since law is tied to all aspects of human relations, law study can and must focus beyond legal doctrine.
Because the environment of the law is rich, supported by community projects, scholarly endeavour, and personal interests, those who participate in its program may pursue a directed, yet personally oriented path for personal and professional development.
The Faculty recognizes the need to be responsive to the challenges of the future and remains flexible about scholarly and curricular endeavour. Its commitment to serve the public need is firm. We at Windsor are proud of our accomplishments in our first thirty years. But we will never rest on our achievements, rather we will build upon them.
The Paul Martin Law Library
The Paul Martin Law Library, with its collection of over 337,000 volumes (including a large microform collection and an audio and video-tape collection), satisfies all student research needs encountered in the study of Canadian law. A rich source of materials is also available for historical and comparative law purposes, dealing with the law of other common law countries, as well as some aspects of select civilian and socialist legal systems.
In addition to exhaustive coverage of Canadian primary legal materials, the library includes good collections of material from Great Britain, certain Commonwealth countries, and the United States. The library's collection of secondary materials, which is drawn largely from the legal literature of the same countries, is also very good.
Use of the Q/L Canadian legal database system is taught by Law Library staff. In addition, training in other computer systems is available: Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw, eCarswell, and other smaller systems, as well as a collection of legal CD-ROM resources.
A well-qualified library staff maintains a program to develop and assist in utilizing this strong, well-balanced collection.
In addition to the facilities of the Paul Martin Law Library, students and faculty have easy access to the Leddy Library of the University of Windsor, with its collection of approximately one and a half million volumes and, in connection with certain courses of study, to other more specialized libraries both in Windsor and Detroit.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
For information concerning the current admissions policy and procedures of the Faculty of Law, contact:
Applicant Services (Law Division)
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
N9B 3P4
Phone: 519-253-3000 Ext 6459, 6460, 6461 or 6462
Fax: 519-971-3653
Email: lawadmit@uwindsor.ca
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B)
The program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) requires full-time attendance for three years, or half-time attendance for six years.
The first year consists of a core of mandatory courses in all of the fundamental areas, problems, and principles of the law, with somewhat more stress upon public law and perspective courses than upon the traditional, first-year law curriculum.
The second and third years allow some variation in course work and research, while including certain common program requirements.
Details of the program, its regulations, and course descriptions are outlined in the separate Faculty of Law Calendar, which may be obtained from the Law Admissions Office.
M.B.A./LL.B Program
This program is designed to enable a student to obtain both an M.B.A. and an LL.B. within four years. Successful applicants will pursue first-year studies separately in the Odette School of Business and the Faculty of Law. Years III and IV of the Integrated Program will involve work in both faculties.
Prospective Integrated program students must gain admission independently to both Faculties; the GMAT and LSAT are both required. To facilitate program planning, interested students are urged to seek admission to both faculties simultaneously. Those admitted are granted a Deferred Admission to the faculty whose first-year studies are to be pursued in the second year of the program.
Applicants seeking to enter the Integrated Program should so signify in the space designated on the application for admission, and return the Application Form for Law before November 1st and the Application Form for the M.B.A. before May 1st. Such students should also make simultaneous application to the Odette School of Business.
J.D./LL.B. Program
The J.D./LL.B. Program is a demanding program of study designed to: educate students to understand the legal doctrines and cultures of both Canada and the United States; help students successfully pass the bar examinations in either country; enable its graduates to practice law in a manner consonant with the highest standards of competence, professional ethics, and concerns for justice as exemplified by the traditions of the legal profession in both countries.
The program requires a student to successfully complete 60 credit hours of course work at the University of Detroit Mercy and 44 credit hours of course work at the University of Windsor. Most mandatory courses require the student to study both U.S. and Canadian law relevant to the subject area.
This program is designed to enable a student to obtain an American Bar Association-approved Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) Degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and the nationally recognized Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) Degree from the University of Windsor within three calendar years.
Intellectual Property Law Program
The Intellectual Property Law Institute (I.P.L.I.) was created in 1987 through the efforts of the State Bar of Michigan and the law faculties of The University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State University, and the University of Windsor.
Intellectual property is one of the most innovative, exciting, challenging, and rewarding areas of the law. The I.P.L.I. is dedicated to providing basic and advanced legal education and furthering knowledge, scholarship, and research in the law governing the richly diverse fields of intellectual property: patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and know-how, computers and related technology, communications and media entertainment, technology transfer, trade regulation, and the arts.
The primary purpose of the I.P.L.I. is to offer an exceptional and rich curriculum for students and lawyers in the field of intellectual property. I.P.L.I. courses have the advantage of sharing the resources of three law schools, as well as the experience and expertise of practicing members of the Michigan Bar Association. In particular, each course deals with appropriate American and Canadian jurisprudence.
LAW AWARDS AND FINANCIAL AID
Numerous awards are available to students entering the Faculty of Law and in-course. The Faculty of Law awards program is administered by the Office of Student Awards under the guidance of the Senate Committee on Student Awards.
SPECIAL LECTURES
The Access to Justice Lecture Series
Each year a leading scholar is invited to deliver an original lecture on the theme of "Access to Justice". The lecturer then reworks his or her paper for the purpose of publication in The Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice.
The George M. Duck Lecture Series
A trust fund was established by a donation in memory of George M. Duck in order to institute an annual series of public lectures on the theme "Law in a Changing Society". Annually an eminent scholar will be invited to present the Lecture.
Bernard Cohn Memorial Lecture in Criminal Law
A trust has been established by the friends and family of Bernard Cohn, Q.C. to institute an annual series of public lectures on the theme of Criminal Law and Procedure. Each year an eminent judge, practitioner or scholar will be invited to present the lectures.
Paul Martin Professorship in International Law
The Paul Martin Endowed Professorship was named for the Hon. Paul Martin, who represented the Windsor area for over thirty-three years, earning distinction in international affairs. The professorship was funded by corporate, private, and government contributions to a campaign launched at the University of Windsor in 1982. The inaugural professor was Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Sir Shridath Ramphal, followed by Professor Edward McWhinney, then of Simon Fraser University. The 1990 holder was The Hon. Gough Whitlam, former Prime Minister of Australia. In July, 1993, the Hon. Howard Pawley, P.C., Q.C., LL.D., former Premier of Manitoba, began a five-year term as holder of the Chair. Dr. Alice Erh-Soon Tay, Challis Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Sydney, Australia, and President, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, was the Paul Martin Professor in 1999.
|