Early Degree Conferral Process for Students in the Faculty of Law

JD Students may request early conferral of the JD degree ahead of the Spring Convocation date if degree requirements were completed in the previous fall term and if there is a valid and pressing reason to seek the early conferral as an exception to the usual conferral process. 

 

If you are planning to write the February and March Barrister's and Solicitor's examinations: 

Before December 5: 

  • Send a request seeking early conferral of your JD degree to Margie Gordon, Director, Student and Academic Services.

December 1: 

  • Complete the application to graduate in SOLUS.
    • Your degree checkout status will show as 'applied' until your degree is conferred in January.

January 8-11: 

  • Once fall term grades are approved in early January, Margie will send a letter in lieu to the LSO confirming degree requirements have been satisfied. 
  • Students cannot register for the Barrister or Solicitor Licensing Examinations until the LSO has received the letter in lieu. As a result, there will be only a limited period in which to apply for the Barrister Examination before the January 12 deadline.
    • Important note from the LSO: It will be important to manage expectations since the timeline for receiving these documents is so close to the deadline. They cannot guarantee they will be able to process them in time for candidates to pay and register for the winter Barrister sitting.

January 12: 

  • The deadline to register for the Barrister's Exam. 
  • Fall term grades will post to transcripts. 
  • Margie will send a letter to the Registrar's Office requesting the early conferral of your degree.
  • Students will receive an email from the Registrar's Office when their degree has been conferred.
  • Once confirmation of degree conferral has been received, enter your official transcript order via SOLUS and let Margie know once done. 
    • Select the processing option 'immediate processing'.
    • Select 'digital’ delivery option.
    • Enter the LSO email address: transcripts@lso.ca.
    • The transcript will be sent in approximately 5-10 business days. Margie has confirmed with the LSO that it won't be a problem if transcripts aren't received until January 26. 
      • Note: If you have debts owing to the University you will need to ensure they are paid or request an exemption by emailing registrar@queensu.ca referring to the Senate Policy on Student Debtors, so that a transcript showing the degree conferral may be released to the LSO, notwithstanding the debt.
  • Ensure that your mailing address is updated in SOLUS. Your diploma parchment will be mailed to that address. You can still attend Convocation in the spring if you wish to. 

January 27: 

  • The deadline to register for the Solicitor's Exam. 

LSO Key Dates: 

  • The Barrister's examination is scheduled for February 25, 2027. The deadline to register is January 12, 2027.
  • The Solicitor’s examination is March 11, 2027. The deadline to register is January 27, 2027.

Note: This timeline will be adjusted for students studying on exchange. Degree confirmation will take place after fall term grades have been received from the host university.