NEW -- ADVOCACY REQUIREMENT

At the Feb. 2, 2007 meeting of Faculty Board, the following changes were approved to our Appellate Advocacy requirements:

(1) That an upper year degree requirement called "Advocacy" be created;

(2) That the "Advocacy Requirement" be met by the completion of any one of the following:

• Law 350-354: Appellate Advocacy;

• Law 473 (or Law 495): Competitive Moot;

• Law 360-364: Trial Advocacy; or

• In other upper year courses, participation in mooting and oral advocacy designated by the instructor as meeting the advocacy requirement.

(3) that Trial Advocacy and Competitive Moots be removed from the "Practice Skills" requirement list; and

(4) that Law 350-354 Appellate Advocacy be made an optional course

Background:

The Curriculum Committee supports the intention of the 2003 changes (adopted at the March 14, 2003 Meeting of Faculty Board) to provide enhanced instruction in oral advocacy as a compulsory element in the upper year program.

The principal change approved at the Feb. 2, 2005 Meeting of Faculty Board is the provision of an opportunity to meet the ‘Advocacy Requirement' through a variety of means. Law 350-354 Appellate Advocacy is one of these means.

Students who take Law 360-364 Trial Advocacy and students who participate in Law 473, 495 Competitive Moots, and obtain the course credit for it, have obtained experience and received advocacy instruction to a level sufficient to meet the Advocacy requirement.

In addition, instructors may offer a similar mooting experience as part of a substantive course. In these circumstances, the instructor may certify that a student participating in such a moot meets the advocacy requirement, in a manner analogous to the substantial term paper requirement.

The upper year program will now have, as of Fall 2007, TWO sets of requirements to professional practice: "Advocacy" and "Practice Skills".

Students may fulfil each requirement by completing one from among each list of alternative courses.

The practice skills requirement may be met by the following courses: Advanced Legal Research, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Clinical Correctional Law, Clinical Family Law, Clinical Litigation Practice, Collective Agreement and Arbitration, Negotiation, Advanced Negotiation and Mediation, Queen's Law Journal, and other courses designated by the instructor.

The advocacy skills requirement may be met by the following courses: Appellate Advocacy, Competitive Moot, Trial Advocacy, and Personal Injury Advocacy.

Courses in which the instructor can certify their course meets the Advocacy requirement for 2007-08: Advanced Constitutional Law, Clinical Correctional Law, Clinical Litigation Practice and Collective Agreement and Arbitration.

NOTE:  All current second year students who have completed one of Law 350-354 -- Appellate Advocacy in the 2006-07 current academic year will have satisfied the new Advocacy degree requirement.  If you also completed a Competitive Moot in 2006-07 or a Trial Advocacy course in 2006-07,  these courses will satisfy the practice skills degree requirement. Please see the current academic calendar at http://www.queensu.ca/calendars/law/pg39.html.

Commencing in the 2007-08 academic year, the Competitive Moot or Trial Advocacy courses will no longer satisfy the 'practice skills' degree requirement as they have been 'reclassified' as meeting the Advocacy requirement.