Upper Year Admission Categories

1) Transfer

a) From a common law LL.B. or J.D. program at a Canadian Law School

An applicant who has completed the first year of a common law LL.B. or J.D. degree program at a Canadian law school may apply to transfer into the second year of the J.D. degree program at the Faculty of Law of Queen’s University. If accepted, such students will be expected to satisfy the J.D. degree requirements after two years of full-time coursework. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and adherence to all academic regulations, students will be eligible to receive a Queen’s University J.D. degree. Such students will have transfer credits recognized for first-year courses that are substantially similar to the first-year curriculum of the J.D. degree program at Queen’s University, but will be required to complete any first-year courses that were not part of the first-year curriculum of the degree program of the current law school from which they seek to transfer.

b) From a common law LL.B. or J.D. degree program at a law school outside Canada (Advanced Standing Applicants)

Advanced standing applicants are transfer applicants who seek to be admitted into the Queen’s J.D. degree program from a law school outside Canada offering a common law LL.B. or J.D. degree. Applicants claiming advanced standing must outline in the personal statement the courses for which they are seeking recognition for transfer credit and the reasons for that claim. Generally, applicants are not accorded more than one year’s advanced standing and will be required to take Constitutional Law from the first-year curriculum. Transfer credit will be recognized for first-year courses that are substantially similar to the first-year curriculum of the J.D. degree program at Queen’s University but transferees will be required to complete any first-year courses that were not part of the first-year curriculum of the degree program at the home law school from which they seek to transfer.

The Admissions Office will determine whether or not previously earned credits will be recognized for transfer to the Queen’s University J.D. degree. Upon admission, students will be expected to satisfy the J.D. degree requirements after successful completion of at least two years of full-time coursework. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and adherence to all academic regulations, students will be eligible to receive the J.D. degree from Queen’s University.

2) Letter of Permission

An upper-year law student may apply to study as a visiting student at the Faculty of Law for a single term or for a maximum period of one academic year on a letter of permission basis. Students admitted on a letter of permission are not eligible for transfer into the Queen’s J.D. degree program. Academic work completed at Queen’s Faculty of Law will be credited toward satisfaction of the degree requirements of the home law school. The home law school will reserve the right to approve course load and course selections. Subject to the foregoing, a letter of permission student will be subject to the academic policies and regulations of Queen’s University and of the Faculty of Law for the duration of the registration as a visiting student.

3) National Committee on Accreditation (NCA)

Persons who have completed a law degree from a foreign jurisdiction, who wish to be admitted to the practice of law in a Canadian common law jurisdiction must apply to the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) established by the Canadian Council of Law Deans and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada for an assessment of the equivalency of their legal credentials and experience. For further details and contact information, please see the following websites:

• http://www.flsc.ca/en/lawSocieties/lawSocieties.asp
• http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/working/OI_HOW_WORK_LAWYER_CM.html

Graduates with a civil law degree from the province of Quebec are eligible to apply to our civil law-common law combined degree program. Applications are due directly to the Queen’s Faculty of Law Admissions Office by May 1st for admission the following September. Information can be found at http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/combined/civilLaw.html.

Applications for admission in the NCA category must be supported by a current letter of recommendation from the NCA concerning the conditions upon which a Certificate of Qualification would be issued by the Committee and any subsequent correspondence with the NCA regarding progress in the recommended courses. The Certificate of Qualification is needed for entry into a provincial Bar Admission program. NCA applicants should note that interviews for articling placement in Ontario generally take place during the summer, one full year prior to the start of the placement. Applicants are advised to contact the Law Society of Upper Canada to confirm the procedures and deadlines for the licensing process. See http://rc.lsuc.on.ca/jsp/licensingprocesslawyer/.

The Admissions Committee relies upon the recommendation of the NCA and gives preference to applicants who are required to take examinations in no more than eight subjects to be eligible for a Certificate of Qualification. Such a letter of recommendation and any subsequent correspondence relating to completion or attempts of required courses must be received by Queen’s Faculty of Law no later than June 30, 2012.

A Queen’s University J.D. degree is not conferred upon applicants admitted under the NCA category.

As an alternative to admission to a law school, NCA applicants may seek assistance preparing for NCA examinations from new bridging programs offered by the Internationally Trained Lawyer's Program at University of Toronto and from the Professional Development Divison of Osgoode Hall Law School. Please see http://www.osgoodepd.ca/cle/2010-2011%20Fiscal/2010_NCA/index.html and http://www.law.utoronto.ca/ITL/.