As part of improving their own teaching and learning skills in a peer-to-peer format, students can apply to become Group Assistants or Legal Methodology Tutorial Leaders.
Group Assistants
Group Assistants (WRIT 048) lead tutorial sessions, answer questions and explain concepts in connection with a specific course.
Current postings for Group Assistantships are available under our Get Involved section.
Who should consider applying?
Students who are passionate about research as well as helping their peers succeed.
Eligibility
Open to students who have completed at least 2 years of the BCL/JD Program. Students may apply to be a Group Assistant (GA) and/or a Tutorial Leader (TL) upon completion of their second year of the program and may only earn the credits once during their program. Students cannot normally act as a GA and Legal Methodology Tutorial Leader in the same academic year. Approval will take into account the student’s other non-course commitments and overall credit load. A student must be registered in both the fall and winter terms in order to be a GA for a full year course.
Credit weight
Group Assistant (WRIT 048). Two (2) credits for a minimum of 50 hours.
Supervision and assessment
In addition, the Supervising Professor will provide the student and the SAO with a list of objectives and assignments which sets out
- a schedule of weekly meetings between the GA and the Supervising Professor;
- a list of topics for each meeting between the GA and the Supervising Professor, which focus on questions of pedagogy, and are independent of the content of the Supervising Professor’s course;
- and an assurance that GA’s will have no final authority to grade student assignments.
How to apply
To apply to be a GA, first use the Group Assistant application form available on the SAO’s Forms page
More information
Students will receive information about GA postings in the SAO's JustASC newsletter, or can consult the available postings under our Get Involved section.
If you have any question, write to sao.law [at] mcgill.ca.
Legal Methodology Tutorial Leaders
Students may elect to become Legal Methodology Tutorial Leaders for either the 1st year Integration Workshop course or the 2nd year Advocacy course. Le travail consiste, entre autres, à réfléchir sur la pédagogie juridique, animer les rencontres hebdomadaires avec votre groupe, préparer les travaux de recherches et de rédaction en équipe, commenter les travaux de vos étudiants, participer à l’exercice de plaidoirie orale à titre de juge, et à agir comme mentor pour vos étudiants.
Who should consider applying?
Students who wish to gain hands on experience in the teaching and learning process. Generally, students who excel as Legal Methodology Tutorial Leaders demonstrate leadership qualities, strong interpersonal and organizational skills and empathy towards others. They must have a demonstrated ability in legal research and writing.
Eligibility
Open to students who have completed at least 2 years of the BCL/JD Program.
Course description and credit weight
4 credits (2 credits in Fall, 2 credits in Winter).
How to apply
The application should consist of the following:
- a CV (max two pages);
- your unofficial McGill transcript; and
- a cover letter (max one page) stating
- Why you would like to be a TL;
- Your relevant qualifications and experience; and
- Your capacity to lead sections in French, English, or both.
Applications should be submitted to the Student Affairs Office (SAO.law [at] mcgill.ca), addressed to Prof. Rosalie Jukier. Please use “Integration Workshop TL 2023-24” in the subject line.
Timeline
Applications are due in the Winter semester.
Témoignage
“They say that the best way to understand material is to have to teach it to others. I learned this as a result of the Legal Methodology Tutorial Leaders Program. I wanted to lead a course on Legal Ethics because I believe it is the single most important topic that young budding lawyers should be discussing, reflecting upon, implementing into their practices. It isn't easy to create a forum for discussion on such complicated and difficult issues that touch our personal lives as well as our professional ones. I also learned a great deal from reading my peers' papers and this improved my writing and editing skills enormously. The best part of being a tutorial leader, however, was the interaction with my peers; this dialogue was invaluable to me in my legal career and I still remember some of the exchanges I had - those which shook me, provoked me and changed me.”
— Tanya De Mello, participant 2010-2011, BCL/LLB’11