How do I choose my courses? What should I take? Will I be a successful lawyer if I don’t take course X, Y or Z?
Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Below we’ve set out some links to key pages in the Allard Law Student Portal to assist you. By reviewing all the linked info, you should have a better idea of options available to you. Additionally, the Law Students’ Society 1L Academic Representatives, working with the Assistant Dean, Students, approached lawyers in a number of practice areas to ask for their video advice on choosing courses.
Key links to help you choose your courses
Degree Requirements
Review the JD degree requirements to help ensure you will meet all the requirements for graduation. The Degree Requirements also set out details about how to meet the experiential requirement.
Course and Registration Information
Summer 2021 and Winter 2021 Course and Registration Information.
- Note the registration dates and times for Summer and Winter
- Review the detailed course descriptions (at the Summer and Winter links above) rather than those on the Student Services Centre: these descriptions give you detailed information about each course section as well as describing the evaluation method
- Consider timetables, schedule changes and exam dates to plan your course selection.
- Review the detailed information about registration dates and tips to improve your registration experience
Further Reading: Course Selection Advice, Frequently Asked Questions for course selection and registration
Beyond Courses
- Specializations and Concentrations: consider whether you wish to complete one and what courses are required.
- Experiential Opportunities: consider how you wish to complete your mandatory experiential requirement. Review the Clinic & Externship Handout for detailed info about each clinic.
- Clinics and Moots: Consider how you wish to complete your mandatory experiential requirement.
- Joint Legal Education Programs: Explore opportunities in Hong Kong or Melbourne.
Course Selection Advice from Alumni Lawyers
We are grateful to our lawyer alumni who have prepared short videos about their perspectives on course selection based on their experience and practice area and we hope they are helpful to our students. These videos should be viewed as part of the advice that a student may receive in considering their upper-year course selection. Every student has unique goals and realities and the advice an individual lawyer’s (even if the student intends to practice in a lawyer’s field) may not be applicable to a student’s situation.
We also recommend that students speak to professors, upper year students and seek advice from the Assistant Dean, Students or Manager, Student Experience.
Patrick Chou, Allard Law Class of 2018, Business lawyer
Maria Oswald, Allard Law Class of 2017, Former Clerk for the BC Court of Appeal, Government Lawyer (litigation)
Tyson Gratton, Allard Law Class of 2013, Business Lawyer
NEED MORE ADVICE?
Please reach out to the Assistant Dean, Students (general course advising), the Manager, Student Experience (clinics, moots, exchange), or the Associate Director, Indigenous Legal Studies (advising for indigenous students or on indigenous course offerings) for one-on-one advising. They would be happy to meet with you!