About

Deep roots

Our history as the first university-based common law school in Canada sets us apart. Since 1883, we've been known for:

• our intellectually ambitious and rigorous approach to the profession of law
• serving as the model for legal education in Canada
• our unique emphasis on public service – now widely known as the "Weldon Tradition of Unselfish Public Service"

> Read about our rich history.

Strong foundation

Our strengths include a number of firsts and accolades:

• Ranked among the world's top 100 law schools in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) rankings
• Ranked in the top three Canadian law schools in Corporate Knights' 2011 Knight Schools Survey
• Canada's first clinical law program
• First Canadian law school awarded the prestigious Emil Gumpuert Award by the American College of Trial Lawyers for excellence in trial advocacy training
• Experiential learning through Environmental Law, Health Law, and Public Law placement courses as well as the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service and a Criminal Law Clinic
  
• Specialized degrees and institutes: Marine & Environmental Law, Health Law & Policy, Law & Technology, Business Law

> Find out more about our unique programs.

Accomplished faculty

Our faculty are internationally respected leaders in academia, practice, and policy-making:

• Distinguished full-time and adjunct faculty bring expert legal, judicial, and legislative experience
  
• Passionate teachers driven to deliver the best possible legal education bring practical experience, discovery, analysis and interpretation into the classroom
• University Research Professors Professor Richard Devlin and Professor Jocelyn Downie
• Canada Research Chair in Ocean Law & Governance, Dr David VanderZwagg
• Canada Research Chair in Maritime Law and Policy, Professor Aldo Chircop
• Royal Society of Canada Fellows Professor Jocelyn Downie and Professor Richard Devlin
• Fulbright Scholar Professor Jon Penney 
• Rhodes Scholar Professor William Lahey
• Trudeau Fellow Professor Jocelyn Downie and Trudeau Scholar Professor Elaine Craig 
  
• 3M National Teaching Fellow Professor Kim Brooks 
• Queen's Counsel designations for lawyers Shawna Hoyte and Heather McNeill (Dalhousie Legal Aid Service), and Professors Bruce Archibald, Philip Saunders, Rollie Thompson, Professor Emeritus Wayne MacKay and Professor Emeritus John Yogis
• Member of the Order of Canada: Professor Emeritus Wayne Mackay and  Professor Jocelyn Downie
• Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow, Professor Jocelyn Downie
• President's Research Excellence Award - Research Impact, Professor Jocelyn Downie

> Learn more about our distinguished faculty.

Accomplished student body

Our bright, motivated students are:

• drawn from across Canada: from coast to coast to coast!
• well represented in clerkships at every level of the Canadian judiciary
• strong in advocacy and mooting
• highly engaged and community minded: our school was singled out for best practices in "student-led initiatives" in Corporate Knights' 2011 Knight Schools Survey
• hired by every major firm in Canada and by firms around the globe
• successful after graduation: excellent job placement rate

> Hear what our students think about the Schulich School of Law.

Accomplished alumni

Our 7,000-strong living alumni cover the globe and make remarkable contributions to public life. They include:

• three prime ministers and many premiers, party leaders, cabinet ministers, senators, and elected officials
• over 300 judicial appointments to every level of court in every province of Canada – our alumni currently make up 20% of the Federal Court of Canada and 25% of the Tax Court of Canada
• the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, the Honourable Justice Bertha Wilson
• Canadian Business Hall of Famers Purdy Crawford, the "dean emeritus of Canada's corporate bar" and Sir Graham Day, knighted for his contribution to British industry
• human rights advocates such as Alex Neve, Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada and Kim Pate, Executive Director, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
  
• a long list of leading practitioners named as "Best Lawyers in Canada", "Lawyer of the Year" and Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers

> Find out more about our remarkable alumni.