OsgoodePD’s Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law is a graduate program in law designed specifically for lawyers and professionals with legal work experience. Each of our distinct specializations focuses on interdisciplinary learning and provides you with a unique mix of academic, applied, and theoretical perspectives. You will learn through interactive discussions and explore practical issues related to your specialization. You’ll have access to a wide range of elective options to broaden your legal knowledge or explore new areas related to your professional interests.
The Canadian Common Law specialization offers an in-depth examination into core Canadian common law topics, alongside a wide range of elective options. Internationally trained lawyers and law graduates who pursue this specialization benefit from academic and career support to assist in their transition to the Canadian legal marketplace. Core courses are specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s National Committee on Accreditation (NCA). Note: Completing the Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law does not automatically entitle you to practice law in Canada or to be admitted to the Bar of a Canadian province or territory. Consult the NCA or your provincial/territorial law society for more information.
Who is the Specialization for?
Graduates of law degree programs from outside Canada, OR graduates with a civil law degree from a Canadian university who wish to become licensed to practice in a Canadian common law jurisdiction, or want a solid grounding in Canadian common law for comparative law purposes.
Applicants are required to have at least 2 years of professional work experience.
Note: Canadian Common Law is available on both a full-time and part-time basis. Full-time studies are geared to applicants who are in a career transition period or who wish to take time away from work to focus on their studies. This is also the appropriate option for international applicants. While full-time students are welcome to work part-time during their studies, we encourage those working full-time to consider our part-time option if their legal status will enable them to.
Alumni Spotlight
Francisco Rojas
Francisco is counsel at the Royal Bank of Canada, one of the country’s largest financial institutions. While his practice back home centered on criminal law, through interactions with classmates, instructors and networking in his new professional environment, Rojas came to realize that banking and financial services were a more suitable direction for his legal career restart in Canada.
Student Services
As a full-time Professional LLM student, you’ll benefit from a wide range of student services designed to help you meet your academic and career goals.
Career Development: We understand that our full-time students are often interested in making a career transition after their studies, so we place significant emphasis on providing a range of resources, events, and one-on-one counselling to help our students meet their goals.
Academic Success: Full-time Professional LLM students come from across the globe and from many different professional backgrounds. To help you achieve academic success, we offer resources and counselling throughout your program.
Student Life: Our students are uniquely positioned to participate in student life on York University’s Keele Campus and through Osgoode Hall Law School groups and events, as well as in professional legal events and networking through the Osgoode Professional Development centre.
Our full range of services and more details about each one can be viewed below.
List of Services
Academic Services
Program Orientation
Introductory Courses
Workshops and Resources
Confidential Academic and Wellness Counselling
Career Support
Job Postings
Resources/Guides
Workshops and Events
Counselling
Campus Life
Student Social Activities
Osgoode and York U Extra Curriculars
Professional Networking Events
Learn about the Program
Get started with our on demand information sessions!
Our Study Law in Canada and Practise Law in Canada on demand information sessions are designed to help you better understand our program offerings and provide you with the confidence to choose the program that best fits your background and interests.
Course Requirements
The Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law requires completion of 36 credits. The program is designed to be completed in one year (three active terms) through a combination of core courses, related electives, and up to 6 credits of outside electives. Students also have the option to engage in a research component.
What You Can Expect
The program is designed to be completed in one year (three active terms) by completing 12 credits (two to four courses) per term. Full-time students usually take all their courses in person and are expected to visit campus on a regular basis.
Courses in the Canadian Common Law specialization are scheduled in a variety of ways, primarily as daytime intensive courses or weekly evening courses. Courses may be held at our downtown Toronto location or on the York University Keele campus.
In your first term of admission, you may be assigned a course as a condition of your admission. Admission condition courses count towards your degree requirements. Students with the following profiles usually have required introductory courses:
- Internationally-trained lawyers: GNRL 6209 – Canadian Graduate Legal Research & Writing (Online) (3 Credits)
- International students, students from civil law or distance education backgrounds: GNRL 6514 Introduction to Canadian LLM Studies (no weighting)
Your remaining course selections should be driven by your own interests, goals, and strengths. Generally, students in the Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law will want to prioritize courses that satisfy their NCA requirements. For students from civil law jurisdictions, this usually means taking as many of the five mandatory and three core NCA subjects as possible.
Core Courses
Core courses are frequently offered twice a year and include some of the following:
CCLW 6842 – Canadian Administrative Law (6 Credits) – Fall, Winter, and Summer terms
CCLW 6841 – Constitutional Law (6 Credits) – Fall and Winter terms
CCLW 6843 – Canadian Criminal Law (6 Credits) – Fall, Winter, and Summer terms
CCLW 6844 – Canadian Professional Responsibility (3 Credits) – Fall, Winter, and Summer terms
CCLW 6850 – Canadian Tort Law (6 Credits) – Fall and Winter terms
Elective Courses
You must complete at least 18 credits of Canadian Common Law core courses. Remaining credits may be drawn from elective courses in International Business Law or unrelated specializations, so long as you have any required prerequisite knowledge for those courses. To see course offerings for upcoming terms, review the Course Planning information below.
Optional Research Requirement
The optional research component can be fulfilled through one of the following three options. Most students elect to fulfill the requirement through option 3:
- A Major Research Paper (70 pages, 6 Credits)
- An Independent Significant Research Paper (30 pages, 3 Credits)
- A Significant Research Paper (30 pages) completed as the means of assessment for one of the courses within the specialization.
Course Planning
Course plans are typically provided for the next two calendar years. Specific course schedules are subject to change without notice until the course enrollment process for an upcoming term begins. Please check course schedules immediately before making your enrollment request to ensure you have the most current schedule information.
This tool is for planning purposes only. Selecting courses using this tool does not enroll you in the course or reserve a space in the course for you.
Application Dates
The Canadian Common Law specialization accepts new students twice each calendar year, in the Fall term and the Winter term.
Fall 2024
Application Deadlines:
International Applicants are Encouraged to Apply by: January 15, 2024
Final Deadline: May 1, 2024
Winter 2025
Application Deadlines:
International Applicants are Encouraged to Apply by: April 15, 2024
Final Deadline: September 15, 2024
Faculty
Program director
François Tanguay-Renaud
Instructors include
Jonathan Rosenthal
Keith Taller
Natalie V. Kolos
Tuition and Fees
Full-time students pay in three installments over three terms.
You will be billed an installment for each term in which you enroll in courses. If you complete the program in fewer than three terms, you’ll be billed your remaining installment(s) at the end of your program. If you need more than three terms to complete your credits, extra term fees will apply.
Please note that the tuition/fees displayed here are subject to change, and may vary depending on your entry term.
Domestic
$7,601.58per term for 3 terms
$22,804.74total
$16,017.18per term for 3 terms
$48,051.54total
Students are also subject to supplementary fees including health benefits. Find out more about supplementary fees here.
Admission Requirements
Admission to Professional LLM specializations is competitive. At OsgoodePD, we can help you navigate the process. The Admissions Committee reviews each applicant’s completed file and takes into consideration criteria such as academic background, professional work experience, and whether the program fits your stated goals. The information below represents the minimum requirements for admission consideration to our graduate degree programs – meeting these criteria does not guarantee admission.
Degree in law from outside of Canada OR a Bachelor of Civil Law from a Canadian University
Overall B (75%) average (or equivalent)
Professional work experience (recent graduates require at least 2 years)
Acceptable English language proficiency (see requirements)
Writing sample
2 recommendations (academic and/or professional)
How to Apply
Create Your OsgoodePD Applicant Profile
Create an applicant profile in our online application portal. This portal allows us to gather your information, transcripts, and other documents electronically. You will receive an email with directions outlining how to create a new password for your application, along with a link to access the application.
Upload Application Documents
The following documents are required:
- Resume/CV
- Writing Sample
- Contact Information for Two References
- Transcripts
- Official Proof of Language Proficiency (if applicable)
For more information, see our Application Documents to Upload section.
Pay and Submit
Once your application is completed, you will be required to pay a non-refundable $130 CAD application fee.
Wait for Review
Timelines for decisions vary by program, but we will be in touch if we have questions about your application or need more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
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