The Faculty of Law is proud to offer a wide variety of Clinical Legal Education opportunities that allow students to build valuable skills through experiential learning.
BCL/JD students may take up to 15 “non-course” credits by participating in the opportunities list below. Students must ensure they do not exceed the 15 “non-course” credits.
- Legal clinic course, which places students in local community organisations and legal clinics.
- Court clerkships, where students work as research assistants in an administrative tribunal in Montreal.
- Mooting, where selected students represent the Faculty at Canadian and international mooting competitions.
- Human rights internship program, which places students as summer interns with NGOs and tribunals nationally and internationally.
- Group assistants & legal methodology tutorial leaders, where students assist in teaching, while improving their own teaching and learning skills.
- External internships and clerkships, to which students can participate during the summer term (includes Convention de stage document for internships in France).
- Law journals, where students work at different levels, while earning academic credit.
Not sure which activity is right for you? Need help planning your program? Drop by the Student Affairs Office or email the SAO to make an appointment with an advisor.
Clinical Legal Education & Program Outcomes
The McGill Law BCL/JD Program outcomes guide the Faculty in curriculum planning by articulating the knowledge, skills and values we hope to see in our graduating students. Our broad Clinical Legal Education offerings play an integral role in achieving our program outcomes. Here are the ways in which our Clinical Legal Education offerings support our undergraduate program outcomes:
1. Well-Rounded Individuals
CLE offerings help students transition into their roles as future professionals by providing opportunities for integrating legal research, writing and advocacy skills within real-world situations.
2. Content Knowledge
Through the CLE offerings, students have the opportunity to apply and deepen the content knowledge they have acquired through their courses.
3. Professional Identity, Citizenship and Ethics
As students apply their growing legal knowledge base within a clinical or similar setting, questions of professional identity, citizenship responsibility and ethical issues become tangible and contextualized in ways that allow students to consider their approach and role within the legal community.
4. Research and Information-Gathering
Students develop research and information-gathering skills in clinical legal education settings that permit them to develop and apply information literacy skills and interact with legal texts, in the context of real-life situations.
5. Legal Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
As students are faced with the complex and multi-sided issues and questions that arise in clinical situations, they have the opportunity to further develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills.
6. Communication
Communication occurs in various media, in a wealth of formats and among numerous audiences. In CLE settings, occasions abound for students to practice communicating with different audiences in a situation-appropriate style and manner.
7. Lifelong Learning
Clinical settings permit students to reflect upon situations, roles and responsibilities that they might consider inhabiting post-graduation. Further, through the application of their evolving knowledge and reflection, students can develop habits and approaches to learning that are supportive of lifelong learning.