Teaching

Specialize in Law & Technology

We offer one of the strongest Law and Technology programs in the country. With ubiquitous computing and online connectivity, advances in biotechnology, big data storage and search, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, questions of law, technology, policy, ethics, and society are of increasing importance and public concern. Our program is designed to prepare law students for technologies of today and tomorrow, with a variety of courses engaging with and thinking critically about issues and problems at the intersections of law, technology, and society.

The Program is anchored by the Law and Technology Institute—founded to promote scholarly legal research and advance knowledge in technology law. LATI was among the first such research centers in the country; our flagship publication the Canadian Journal of Law and Technology. The CJLT is Canada’s leading technology law journal, with significant impact, currency, and citation scores ranking it 8th over all among Canadian law journals, and 3rd overall internationally among all science and technology law journals outside the United States.

Students interested in registering for the Law and Technology Certificate must download and complete the form - [PDF - 200Kb] and then send it to lawandtech@dal.ca as early as possible and ideally at the start of second year.

Requirements

JD students are able to earn a certificate in Law and Technology. The specialization will be recognized on their transcript. To specialize, a student must take:

Core Courses:

• LAWS 2178 - Intellectual Property Law I

AND

• LAWS 2019 - Law and Technology

OR

• LAWS 2372 - The Law of Digital Commerce

 Elective Classes:

All electives offered as part of the Law and Technology Certificate build on the knowledge and skills acquired in either one of the two core courses: law and technology, and intellectual property law (LAWS 2019 and LAWS 2178 respectively). Students will be required to take at least one elective in each of the two baskets, i.e. Law and Technology, and Intellectual Property Law.

Basket 1 - Law and Technology

• LAWS 2096 - Entertainment Law
• LAWS 2168 - Internet and Media Law
• LAWS 2170 - Information Technology Transactions
• LAWS 2220 - Privacy Law
• LAWS 2230 - Science and the Law
• LAWS 2320 - Technology & Innovation Law Clinic: Clinical Advocacy
• LAWS 2372 - The Law of Digital Commerce (if not counted as core course)

Basket 2 - Intellectual Property Law

• LAWS 2028 - Copyright Law
• LAWS 2203 - Intellectual Property II
• LAWS 2217 - Intellectual Property Commercialization Placement
• LAWS 2222 - Patent Law
• LAWS 2273 - Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property Moot
• Approved Directed Research Papers

Other major paper courses may also serve as electives towards the specialization, if the paper topic is approved by the Director of the Law and Technology Institute, who serves as the Director of the Law and Technology Specialization program.

Students should also check the courses listed on the Law School web page as it sometimes includes new courses approved after the calendar deadline.

Students interested in registering for the Law and Technology Certificate must contact the Director of the Law and Technology Institute as early as possible and ideally at the end of first year.