LSAT Annouces Changes To The LSAT - Effective June 2007

Law Services has announced the first format (question type) change to the multiple-choice format of the LSAT since June 1991. Effective June 2007, part of the reading comprehension section will be based on a new question type called "comparative reading." This does not appear to be a major change and will affect only part of the reading comprehension section.

In addition there will no longer be two kinds of writing sample prompts. Effective June 2007 all writing sample prompts will be the "decision prompt."

For full details please visit:
http://www.lsac.org/lsac/changing-news.asp#LSAT_changes

The Demand For Canadian Law School Spots

"The demand for law school spots is increasing at such a rate that Canadian law schools cannot cope with the influx of applications from qualified students. Hence, we see an increase in the number of Canadian law students who are going abroad to study in foreign schools with the intention of returning to Canada and qualifying for practice. For example, there are nearly 300 Canadian law students studying at Bond University in Australia who intend to return to Canada within the next two years to qualify as lawyers."

From Billing shakeup imminent - Professor Vern Khrishna - National Post October 11/06

For the complete article visit:
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=b0314cc7-f4a0-40ea-b764-63eaaa8f37e3

A Report On - Western Pre-Law Forum
Thursday, September 21st 2006

Daniel J. Lynde - President of the Western Pre-Law Society

(This article is posted with the permission of Mr. Lynde who retains ownership in the copyright).

Guest Speakers:

Mr. John Richardson
Ms. Beryl Theobald (Western Law)
Mr. Stéphane Émard-Chabot (Assistant Dean, University of Ottawa law school)
Ms. Niki Healey (Richard Ivey School of Business)
Professor Grant Huscroft (R v. Oakes, Associate Dean, Western Law)

On September 21st 2006, Western Law School and the Western Pre-Law Society co-hosted a Pre-Law Forum event at Western’s Law School. The speakers included Assistant Dean (Admissions) Stéphane Émard-Chabot from the University of Ottawa Law School, Head of Admissions at Western Law Ms. Beryl Theobald, Ms. Niki Healey from Richard Ivey School of Business, John Richardson who runs a LSAT prep course based in Toronto, Associate Dean of Western Law Professor Grant Huscroft, and a second-year Western Law student.

This event allowed for undergraduate students and potential law applicants to come out and hear what the admission committees are looking for when reviewing applications for students that are applying to start law school in September 2007. As well, the Western Law’s Associate Dean Professor Grant Huscroft came to teach a Mock Constitutional Law Class.

During the past few years law schools have been offering new combined degrees to allow law students to study a number of different fields while completing their LL.B. All of the speakers spoke of the merits of studying a combined degree, which included the J.D./LL.B., LL.B./MBA, and the LL.L. All of these programs offer students a number of different ways to study law in a number of diverse environments.

The J.D./LL.B. offers students to study both in the Canadian and United States Common Law tradition. The University of Ottawa Law School offers this specialized program with two different U.S. law schools: Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing, Michigan and American University in Washignton, D.C. Beryl Theobald of Western Law said that there is a possibility that in the future Western Law might offer something similar. Currently, Osgoode Hall and the University of Windsor Law School offer a joint-Canadian/U.S. law degree. Osgoode Hall offers a J.D./LL.B. with New York University Law School and Windsor offers a joint degree with Detroit Mercy College of Law. Stéphane Émard-Chabot also spoke of the merits of studying the National Law Program (LL.L) at the University of Ottawa Law School. Unbeknownst to many undergraduate students that attended the Pre-Law Forum, most of the world practices civil law. The merits of the LL.L. program is that students are able to study both French Civil Law and English Common Law at the University of Ottawa. Beryl Theobald mentioned that Western offers an exchange program with many law schools in Quebec to allow students to study French Civil Law during their three year LL.B. at Western.
Niki Healey gave a presentation about the newly revised MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business. This allows for students to study both law and business, graduating in three years with both degrees. Traditionally, the MBA/LL.B. had been a four year program. The details of this newly revised degree can be found on the Western Law website.

Following these informative presentations, students were able to ask questions about the application process and admissions decisions, as well as what it is like to go to law school. A second-year law of Western Law came and spoke with students about how it is all about balance at law school. She explained that she was really involved during her undergraduate years, which helped her to learn to juggle her time between academics and extra-curricular commitments. Furthermore, Beryl Theobald explained how to put together an effective law school application; including what law school admission committees are looking for in personal statements. Beryl invited Associate Dean Grant Huscroft to come and give a brief constitutional law class on the famous Oakes test. Students were able to see first hand how a class would be structured and were able to ask Associate Dean Huscroft how curriculums are structured in law school ranging from law school tests and research/writing component.

This event was a success due to the numerous people that were involved. I would like to thank John Richardson, Beryl Theobald, Stéphane Émard-Chabot, Niki Healey Associate Dean Grant Huscroft, and Sonia the second year law student that spoke to the students that attended the Pre-Law Forum. From the feedback that I have received over the past few weeks, students found the session to be extremely informative and rewarding, as it provided insight into applications as well as student life at law school. The Western-Pre Law Society is planning another similar event on October 17th.

Law Admissions Article - This Article Appeared in the Western Gazette

- David Van Staalduinen - September 28 2ooo6
This article is reprinted with the permission of the author who retains the copyright.

"If you’re considering applying to law school there are a number of considerations you may want to think about. Law school may not be right for everyone. According to Gerry Goodine, the career counselor for the Faculty of Social Science at Western, “many students come into their undergraduate with hopes of applying to law school. However, some may decide in their third or fourth year that law school is not for them”. If you should decide to follow this path most law schools require you to write the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) before being considered for admission.

The test is designed to measure acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills. Usually taking about 5-7 hours to complete, this test is not your average multiple-choice exam. You will need a lot of time to prepare. When Gerry Goodine was asked about the application process he said, “application to law school is more than LSAT scores and grades”, potential applicants will benefit from community involvement and extracurricular activities.

There are a number of resources available to help you get ready. For example, John Richardson is the author of Law School Bound, a comprehensive guide to getting into Canadian and American law schools, and has devoted significant amount of time to helping people with the application process. As a speaker at the pre-law forum 2006, which took place in the Western law building last Thursday, September 21th, John has organized many similar programs including prep courses for the LSAT. His advice to potential applicants is to “apply to lots of schools, the more the better. If you don’t apply, they can’t accept you”. When it comes to choosing a law school, each and every school in Canada is an excellent academic institution. However, when applying to American schools, always look to see if the school is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Some schools in Canada are now offering a joint degree in partnership with American law schools. Currently, the University of Ottawa, York University, and the University of Windsor offer such degrees. In fact, each Canadian school offers some uniquely focused programs. “Whatever your undergraduate interest is, you can continue [studying that interest] in law school.” Said Richardson. For instance, Western has joint law degrees with political science, history, engineering, and the coveted Richard Ivey School of Business MBA program. The University of British Columbia has an exciting environmentally focused law program. If you are interested in practicing law internationally, McGill has a joint common and civil law degree program. You can now take your interests and apply them to your career in law. Make sure to consider a broad range of programs that are specific to your interests when applying to any program.

For more information on applying to law school check out www.prelaw.ca."