University of British Columbia Faculty of Law

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
University of British Columbia Faculty of Law

Coat of Arms
of the University of British Columbia
Motto Fiat Justitia Ruat Coelum (Latin) meaning "Let justice be done though the heavd = 1945
Type Public Law School
Chancellor Sarah Morgan-Silvester (July 1)[1]
President Stephen Toope
Provost Dr. David Farrar
Undergraduates 600 students
Postgraduates available
Location Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Campus Urban, Point Grey
Sport Teams UBC Thunderbirds
Colours Gold and Blue         
Mascot Thunderbird
Affiliations G13
APRU
Universitas 21
ASAIHL
AUCC
IAU, CIS, CWUAA, CUSID
Website www.law.ubc.ca

The University of British Columbia Faculty of Law is one of the largest English language legal programs in Canada, with over 600 law students. The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.) program and the graduate degrees of Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.) and doctorate (Ph. D.) degrees. Among other things, the faculty has courses emphasizing Pacific Rim issues, business law, environmental and natural resource law, aboriginal law, and feminist law.

Contents

[edit] Motto

The law school's motto is: fiat justitia ruat cœlum meaning "Let justice be done though the heavens fall."

[edit] Location

The faculty is located at the University of British Columbia's Point Grey campus in the University Endowment Lands, just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia. Until May, 2009 the faculty was housed in the Curtis Building, named for the faculty's founding dean, George F. Curtis, who died on October 23, 2005. The Curtis Building has been demolished and replaced with Allard Hall, named after donor Peter Allard,[2] which was constructed on the same land.

[edit] Academics

UBC law is currently ranked third in Canada by Maclean's Law School Rankings,[3] and 23rd in the world and 3rd in Canada by the QS World University Rankings by Subject: Law.[4]

[edit] History

Courses in law were taught at UBC from its founding. However, it did not create a formal Faculty of Law until 1945 in response to the large number of veterans returning from World War II needing education. Given special funding by the Provincial Government, the school hired George Curtis from Dalhousie's Faculty of Law to serve as their first Dean and within two months the Faculty was educating its first incoming class. Due to a lack of infrastructure, the University secured army huts that had been used to house servicemen during the war to house the law school until a permanent structure became available.[5] The law school became the standard means by which prospective lawyers could become members of the bar, replacing the traditional approach that involved articling under an established lawyer in a relationship much like an apprenticeship.

UBC was recognized as Canada's second academic legal institution, following in the footsteps of Dalhousie and in the tradition of Harvard Law School. It was unique in offering a broad range of courses, including International Law, Taxation, Labour Law, Conflicts of Law, and Municipal Law in addition to the traditional black letter law classes.[6] UBC was one of the first schools in Canada to have professors utilize the Socratic method in teaching, pushing students to think critically of the cases they were expected to read.[7]

In 1951, after the inadequacy of the army huts became apparent, the Faculty received funding from the university to build its own permanent structure. This building became the first permanent structure for UBC Law, and remained so until 1973. During this era, UBC Law pioneered the use of casebooks, collections of excerpts from legal cases designed to illustrate principles derived from judicial decisions.[8]

[edit] Programs & Research Centres

[edit] National Centre for Business Law

The University of British Columbia Faculty of Law is home to the National Centre for Business Law. The NCBL is an interdisciplinary environment providing empirical research and scholarship in both domestic and international business law and finance policy. The Centre provides a forum for engagement and open debate focussed on the advancement and development of business law policy. The Centre allows students to earn a designation in business law.[9]

[edit] Centre for Law and the Environment

UBC Law is home of the Centre for Law and the Environment, which works to establish an interdisciplinary network of scholars and policymakers to help tackle challenges faced by our rapidly globalizing world. The Centre specializes in Environmental and Natural Resource Law, and allows students earn a designation in this highly demanding legal field. [10]

[edit] Law Students Legal Advice Program

The Law Students Legal Advice Program is a non-for-profit society run by UBC law students. LSLAP provides free legal advice and representation to clients who are unable to afford legal assistance. Established in 1969, the program has since grown into a large organization of over 200 volunteer student clinicians staffing 20 legal clinics across the Greater Vancouver Regional District on a year round basis. LSLAP provides direct assistance to clients, and helps to educate the community in the use of the legal system. [11]

[edit] International Centre for Criminal Law Reform & Criminal Justice Policy

Housed at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law, the ICCLR is a joint initiative of the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the Government of Canada, and the International Society for the reform of Criminal Law. The Centre is officially affiliated with the United Nations (UN) pursuant to a formal agreement between the Government of Canada and the United Nations. The Centre is a component of the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. The Centre's Mandate is to promote human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and good governance in criminal law and the administration of criminal law, both domestically and internationally.[12][13][14]

[edit] The Centre for Asian Legal Studies

The University of British Columbia is the home of the Centre for Asian Legal Studies, which is the largest group of academics engaged in teaching and research of Asian legal issues in Canada. The focus of the centre is on law and legal culture of China (including Taiwan), Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. [15]

[edit] Other Programs

See: UBC Programs and Research Centres

  • UBC Dispute Resolution Program
  • Centre for Feminist Legal Studies
  • First Nations Legal Studies
  • UBC Law Innocence Project
  • South China Seas Informal Working Group
  • British Columbia Law Institute
  • Pro Bono Students Canada-UBC Chapter

[edit] Publications

[edit] UBC Law Review

One of Canada's foremost referred peer-reviewed law journals. The UBC Law Review's mandate is to stimulate debate and encourage discussion on Canadian and international legal matters through the publication of indepenent articles, case comments, and book reviews. Spanning over 50 years, the law review has a tradition of excellence that boasts many prominent judges, practitioners, and professors among its past members. First published in 1949, it was originally a collection of student essays entitled UBC Legal Notes. In 1959 it officially became the UBC Law Review. The UBC Law Review is staffed entirely by students.[16]

[edit] Table of Statutory Limitations

First published in 1955 as a section of the UBC Law Review, the TSL has since matured into an annual compendium of legal limitation periods of various statutes. The TSL is published by UBC Law Students[17] and features the following:

  • All Canadian provincial and territorial Limitation Acts
  • Small Claims Court Rules
  • Supreme Court of British Columbia Rules
  • British Columbia Court of Appeal Rules

[edit] Annual Review of Insolvency Law

The only Canadian peer-reviewed journal dedicated to insolvency and bankruptcy law. This annual publication offers articles by scholars and practitioners on personal and commercial insolvency law.[18]

[edit] Canadian Journal of Family Law

First published in 1978, the Canadian Journal of Family Law is Canada's first family law journal. The journal is biannual interdisciplinary journal that publishes both English and French academic articles on a broad range of issues related to family law. The journal is peer reviewed by an advisory board consisting of legal professionals and academics. It is produced by an editorial staff of UBC law students.[19]

[edit] Masks: The Online Journal of Law and Theatre

An interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal based at UBC Law. The journal focusses on the intersections of Law and theatre. [20]

[edit] Deans

  • 1945 to 1971: George F. Curtis, OC, OBC, QC
  • 1971 to 1976: Albert McClean, QC
  • 1976 to 1982: Kenneth M. Lysyk, QC
  • 1982 to 1991: Peter T. Burns, QC
  • 1991 to 1997: Lynn Smith, QC
  • 1997 to 2003: Joost Blom, QC
  • 2003 to present: Mary Anne Bobinski

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable faculty

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Corporate Director and Community Volunteer Elected UBC Chancellor; New Board Members Named" (Press release). University of British Columbia. 2008-04-14. http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2008/mr-08-040.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16. 
  2. ^ "UBC Law Receives $11.86 Million Gift". http://www.law.ubc.ca/news/2011/july/07_13_11_gift.html. 
  3. ^ http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/09/15/the-2011-macleans-law-school-rankings
  4. ^ http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011/subject-rankings/social-sciences/law
  5. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/Pue/historybook/school.html
  6. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/Pue/historybook/school07c.html#c7p3
  7. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/Pue/historybook/school07b.html#c7p2
  8. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/Pue/historybook/school10h.html
  9. ^ http://www.law.ubc.ca/ncbl/index.html
  10. ^ http://www.law.ubc.ca/enlaw/index.html
  11. ^ http://www.lslap.bc.ca/main/
  12. ^ http://www.icclr.law.ubc.ca/Index.htm
  13. ^ http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=10,243,659,0
  14. ^ http://www.uncjin.org/Institutes/institutes.html
  15. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/calsweb/
  16. ^ http://ubclawreview.ca/
  17. ^ http://ubclawreview.ca/tsl/
  18. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/ailr/
  19. ^ http://faculty.law.ubc.ca/cdnjfl/index.html
  20. ^ http://masksjournal.com/wordpress/?page_id=2
  21. ^ http://www.musqueam.bc.ca/Guerin.html
  22. ^ http://www.blakes.com/english/view_disc.asp?ID=4056
  23. ^ http://www.blakes.com/english/people/lawyers2.asp?las=MRVS
  24. ^ http://www.alumni.ubc.ca/events/awards/2010-recipients/lifetime-achievement-award/
  25. ^ http://www.law.ubc.ca/news/2011/mar/03_16_11_brenner.html
  26. ^ http://www.cba.org/lawweek/media/2010/finch.aspx
  27. ^ http://www.law.ubc.ca/news/2009/may/5_13_2009_stansfield.html
  28. ^ http://www.fraserinstitute.org/author.aspx?id=15271&txID=3173
  29. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3406-e.html
  30. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/nyregion/30franck.html
  31. ^ http://www.asil.org/presidents/FranckTM.html
  32. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/aug/23/thomas-franck-obituary
  33. ^ http://www.cba.org/cba/cle/PDF/Constit09_Smith_bio.pdf
  34. ^ http://www.law.ubc.ca/files/pdf/alumni/magazine/alumni_mag_spr06.pdf

[edit] External links
Core subjects
Scales of justice
Other subjects
Legal systems
Legal theory
Legal institutions
Campuses
Academics
Student life
Greek system
and societies
Social
AΓΔ · AΔΠ · AΔΦ · AEΠ · AΦ · BΘΠ · ΓΦB · ΔΓ · ΔKE · KAΘ · KKΓ · KΣ · ΣX · FIJI · ΦΔΘ · ΨY
Professional
AKΨ (business) · AΩE (engineering sorority) · KΨ (pharmacy) · ΛKΣ (pharmacy) · ΣΦΔ (engineering fraternity) · ΦΔE (medical) · ΦΔΦ (law)
Affiliated
People
Law Schools of the Pacific Northwest
British Columbia
University of British Columbia Faculty of Law • University of Victoria Faculty of Law
Idaho
Oregon
Washington

Coordinates: 49°16′11″N 123°15′13″W / 49.2698°N 123.2536°W / 49.2698; -123.2536

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_of_British_Columbia_Faculty_of_Law&oldid=479205805"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export