The following college-level policies are subject to University Council Regulations. In the absence of information, or in the case of discrepancies between university and college regulations, university regulations will prevail. Please note that students will graduate according to the regulations effective for the year in which they are approved to graduate. In all other cases, the most current rules will apply, unless otherwise stated.

The part-time program has been developed to assist both regular and special applicants who meet the ordinary admission requirements. It is intended to accommodate those whose family commitments, financial necessity, or occupational involvement prevent full-time study. It would also apply to those who have not been in an academic institution for a significant number of years, making a part-time program at the outset necessary to re-acquire and develop educational skills.

Applicants to the part-time program must submit a written statement explaining why they wish to pursue a part-time program in the study of law. Applicants must also be prepared to be interviewed prior to acceptance.

The program is not intended for those who want to test their interest in law or who would prefer a light course load. It requires a commitment to at least half of the workload of full-time law students.

Students taking a part-time program are required to attend courses at the ordinarily scheduled times. Students must be able to undertake the study of law during the daytime when the bulk of the courses offered in the college are scheduled.

Students may also apply for a reduced load after commencing studies in the College of Law.

Students must ordinarily complete their J.D. within six years of commencing their studies.

The Indigenous Law Centre was founded in 1975 by Dr. Roger Carter.  Since its founding, the Centre has significantly advanced the shape of the legal profession in Canada by promoting access to legal education for Indigenous peoples, providing Indigenous legal knowledge and training to the legal profession and contributing to the development of Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples’ law scholarship.  It has placed the University of Saskatchewan College of Law on the map both nationally and internationally as a leader in Indigenous legal matters.

The Centre’s vision is to be a Centre of Excellence that contributes substantially to the creation of justice for Indigenous peoples through legal research, professional and public education on Indigenous peoples and Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples’ law and the promotion of access to legal education for Indigenous students.  It has a national specialized law reporter (Canadian Native Law Reporter), as well as various books and resources from Canada’s leading Aboriginal and Indigenous law experts.  In addition, the Centre is active in promoting legal education and awareness on Aboriginal and Indigenous law for the law school, the Indigenous community, and for the public more generally as part of its commitment to reconciliation.  Notably, the Centre continues to offer its Spring and Summer courses for Indigenous Students in property law, customary law and other subjects designed to promote the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students into the legal profession.

Spring and Summer Courses for Indigenous Students

The courses introduce students to the process, substance and demands of the first year of law school, with particular emphasis on the skills required to succeed in law school. Successful students receive credit for the first-year property course and the first year Kwayeskastasowin course at the University of Saskatchewan and at other law schools, depending upon individual law school policies. 

These courses have limited enrolment. Indigenous students are advised to apply as soon as possible in order to secure a seat. Please visit law.usask.ca for eligibility criteria.

Please note that a new Certificate with credited courses is under construction, and we hope to launch in 2023. The Certificate will also have a limited enrolment. The Indigenous Law Centre is working to have admissions criteria, course offerings and dates available upon securing university approval for this Certificate. Please check back for updates.

For further information on this program, please contact:

Indigenous Law Centre
University of Saskatchewan
Room 160, Law Building
15 Campus Drive
Saskatoon SK  S7N 5A6
Tel: 306-966-6193

Email: ilc.general@usask.ca

The University of Saskatchewan offers a number of options for a combined J.D. degree through its Second Degree Programs. The J.D. program is taken as the second part of these combined degree programs. Students choosing to pursue these programs compete for acceptance into the College of Law with all other applicants. Following one of the programs does not guarantee acceptance into the College of Law.

Bachelor of Commerce/Juris Doctor: The B.Comm./J.D. program allows students to obtain both degrees in six years rather than the seven years needed to complete the degrees separately. Students initially apply to the Edwards School of Business and spend three years completing the core and major classes. Once admitted to the College of Law, students complete the regular three-year J.D. program. Students are eligible to receive their B.Comm. after successful completion of two years in law. For information on this program, please contact the Edwards School of Business.

Arts & Science and Law: The Second Degree Program in Arts & Science and Law, leading to the B.A., B.A.&Sc., B.F.A., or B.Sc. and J.D., is available. Up to 18 credit units of LAW courses may be counted as senior electives in the College of Arts & Science by students following the Second Degree Program. Students must consult an Advisor in the College of Arts & Science to confirm that a particular LAW course will be counted toward their Arts & Science degree requirements (LAW courses which are primarily skills-based courses will not count). For more information, please contact the College of Arts and Science.

Four scholarships, valued at $250 each, are awarded annually to students of Aboriginal ancestry entering second or third year law at a Canadian law school. The fund was established in honour of Roger Carter, Q.C., the founder of the Native Law Centre (now the Indigenous Law Centre) and the Program of Legal Studies for Native People.

These scholarships are in memory of the late Harvey Bell who practiced law in North Battleford, Saskatchewan for many years. Up to $1,000 will be awarded to one or more students of Aboriginal ancestry receiving their J.D. degree in Canada.

Complete details on promotion and graduation are outlined in the College of Law Academic Regulations. Please consult the College of Law website for more details.

Appeals of evaluation, grading, and academic standing are governed by university-wide council regulations. However, please note that the College of Law requires appeals to be made no later than 10 calendar days after the assessment has been made available to the student.

Great Distinction will be awarded to students graduating with a cumulative grade point average in the top 5% of the graduating class. Distinction will be awarded to students graduating with a cumulative grade point average in the next 25% of the graduating class.

There are many career and academic options available to a student with a law degree, however many require the student become a practicing licensed lawyer in Canada. This is a separate process from the academic process. Each province/territory has its own procedure and rules regarding the process to become a licensed lawyer. Every student is individually responsible to ensure they meet the requirements of the Law Society in the province/territory they are interested in becoming a student-at-law and eventually licensed to practice as a lawyer. As well, there are some steps to be aware of that arise during law school.

The information below is provided as an overview and the Law Society in which the student wishes to practice must be consulted. Generally, the steps to becoming a lawyer are as follows:

1. Successfully complete law school (Note: There may be mandatory courses/requirements to successfully complete a J.D. degree. Please refer to the appropriate section of the catalogue and the respective Law Society.)

2. Apply to graduate from law school (in third/final year).

3. Apply for admission as a Student-at-Law with the respective Law Society (in third/final year). Most information can now be found online with the respective Law Society. The Law Society will be your governing and professional body. As with all interactions at law school, your professionalism and reputation are of utmost importance. You will want to ensure you have your application completed correctly and delivered to the Law Society well within the deadline periods.  Usually the student-at-law will be required to demonstrate that he or she is of good character and repute.

4. Article or Clerkship – This process is governed by the respective Law Society. This period usually lasts approximately one year after law school and is often combined with a bar course and assignments and/or exams.

Articling is a process where a student-at-law works under the guidance of a principal, which is a licensed lawyer or Judge. In the event the student is working with a Court, the Articles are referred to as a Clerkship. Articling is an exciting time as the student will gain invaluable experience and practical information to provide the foundation to practice as a lawyer.

Students generally seek articles in the same manner as any other employment search, beginning in their first year of law (1L), and do so by reviewing postings, researching and connecting with employers, submitting applications, attending networking events/career fairs and attending interviews. Articling recruitment usually occurs at the end of second year (2L) for articles to start the end of third year.  However, securing 1L and 2L summer positions, may help with securing articling positions early on.    

Recruitment rules are different in each province and are often set by the law society and/or local bar associations.

The Career Development Office has numerous services and resources to assist current law students, including 1L Professional Development Sessions, Upper Year Professional Development Sessions and Career Development one-on-one appointments for all years. It is important for students to ensure they are familiar with the Law Society rules and to connect with the Career Development Office early on in their program, or reach out if they have any questions.

5. Complete the Bar Admission Course/Examinations – This process is governed by the respective Law Society. In Saskatchewan, the Bar Admission program is the CPLED PREP (Practice-Readiness Education Program) which also operates in Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. As per the Law Society of Nunavut website, “Since March 2014 the Law Society established a collaboration with the Law Society of Manitoba to offer the Manitoba CPLED Bar Admission Course to all Nunavut Students-at-Law.”

Currently, there are two options:

1. The Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) will be offered twice a year in either June or December to provide students and firms greater flexibility, for 9 months part time.
2. Accelerated PREP 2022 (limited enrollment) is an online full-time 14-week compressed version of PREP. The program demands students to dedicate a full day (seven and a half hours) of study, five days a week. Due to the program’s fast-paced nature and heavy workload, firms should not assign work while students complete the program; it also does not allow time for students to go on vacation while enrolled. Accelerated PREP is not replacing the nine-month program; it is an additional program intake.  The 2022 Accelerated PREP will begin on May 30, 2022, and conclude on September 2, 2022. Registration will open at cpled.ca on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, with limited enrolment, and it will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

6. Apply for admission as a Lawyer – Near the end of articles the student will apply to the respective Law Society to become a lawyer. Each jurisdiction has developed its own application procedure which may include signing the rolls, a ceremony and taking the oath. A student-at-law should look into the procedure as soon as possible to ensure no delays in the licensing process.

A Law degree does not automatically entitle the recipient to become a member of a Law Society. Anyone who wishes to practice law should be aware that not all applications are accepted by the respective Law Society. Therefore, if a prospective student has any concerns it is worthwhile to review the procedure and requirements ahead of time.

Law Society of Saskatchewan
Tel: 1-833-733-0133
Website: https://www.lawsociety.sk.ca

Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED)
Tel: (General) 1-833-549-1571
Email: admin@cpled.ca 
Website: https://www.cpled.ca

Provincial/Territorial Informational Links:

• Saskatchewan: SK: becoming a student-at-law, the CPLED website and an infographic from the Law Society of Saskatchewan on how to become a lawyer in Saskatchewan.
  
  
• Alberta: AB: becoming a student-at-law and the CPLED website.
  
  
• British Columbia: The Law Society of B.C. student page, information on the admission program and information on the Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC).
  
  
• Manitoba: The Law Society of Manitoba – Become a Lawyer and the CPLED website.
  
  
• New Brunswick: Information on becoming a lawyer in NB.
  
  
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Law Society Newfoundland and Labrador – Student Admission.
  
  
• Northwest Territories: Students and articling information page.
  
  
• Nova Scotia: Information on articling, and the bar admission program.
  
  
• Nunavut: Admission as a Student-at-Law (SAL) and bar course information.
  
  
• Ontario: Information and further links on becoming a lawyer in ON. Ontario has an alternative program to clerking and articling called the Law Professional Placement Program. For information on this Toronto Metropolitan University program, click here. Please note that to become a lawyer using this program, you will have to practice in ON.
  
  
• Prince Edward Island: Information for students, hover your mouse over the “Become a Lawyer” tab for more options.
  
  
• Quebec: Quebec law society page – Some pages may not fully translate to English. Keep in mind, Quebec uses Civil Law instead of Common Law, so if you want to practice there, you will have to take extra steps, which may include getting a law degree from a school in the province.
  
  
• Yukon: PDF of the student-at-law requirements and information on the Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC).

The LL.M. is thesis-based, offering specialized programs in a wide range of areas. For details on the LL.M. program, please refer to the College of Graduate Studies and Research section.

For information on study abroad opportunities at the University of Saskatchewan, please visit the Go Abroad website.