Civil Law Graduates from Quebec Applying to Queen’s Law

Queen’s Law admits civil law graduates from the University of Sherbrooke pursuant to an agreement that enables completion of a common law degree in one academic year. Applications from University of Sherbrooke applicants are due on March 1 for admission the following September. If there is sufficient space, civil law graduates from other Quebec law schools may apply for admission by May 1. Applications must be supported by a personal statement, at least one academic letter of reference and some documentation establishing fluency in written and spoken English. The application fee is $75.

Students domiciled in Quebec who study at Queen’s are eligible for the Senator Frank Carrel Scholarship, the Agnes Lefas Memorial Scholarship and needs-based assistance through General Bursaries. See the Queen's University Student Awards website.

Admission Information

The application form may be downloaded and printed from the Applicant Forms page.

Application materials and the fee should be sent to:

Admissions Office
Faculty of Law
Room 301
Queen’s University
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
Tel: (613) 533-2220 Fax: (613) 533-6611
E-mail: jd@queensu.ca

Program Structure

Registrants in the Civil Law-Common Law combined program must be in compliance with National Requirement for Approving Canadian Common Law Degree Programs. 

Students are not permitted to enroll simultaneously in the combined degree program and another full-time program such as the Barreau du Québec program.

Students will be required to register in 30 credits through the academic year and must complete the following courses:

  • Law-16x AB Contracts (6 credits, fall and winter terms)
  • Law-19x AB Torts (6 credits, fall and winter terms)
  • Law-18x AB Property (6 credits, fall and winter terms)
  • Law-225 Civil Procedure (4 credits, winter term)

Students must also complete or be able to demonstrate having completed successfully the required competencies, including fiduciary relationships in a commercial context by registration in the following required courses:

  • Law-440 Business Associations (4 credits, fall term)
  • Law-334 Legal Ethics and Professionalism (3 credits, fall or winter term)

Students will register in their upper year courses directly in SOLUS. Following this, they will send an email to the JD Program Coordinator identifying which section of each first year course noted above they would like to enroll in. 

The onus rests upon the applicant to demonstrate through official transcripts, course descriptions and course syllabi that they have completed the competencies outlined in the National Requirement in order to be exempted additional courses, including Law-440 Business Associations and Law-334 Legal Ethics and Professionalism. It is possible that other courses could be required or recommended if it is apparent that the applicant has not completed the relevant competency through completion of comparable courses in the civil law degree or successful completion of a provincial licensing process. Decisions on course requirements will be made by the Assistant Dean of JD and Graduate Students in consultation with the Associate Dean Academic Policy.

Courses from which electives may be chosen can be seen on our Academic Programs page.

Queen’s Faculty of Law Graduating Students Applying to University of Sherbrooke

Queen’s Law students expecting to graduate with their common law JD degree may apply by March, to the University of Sherbrooke for admission into the combined degree program which leads to the conferral of a civil law degree after just one academic year of study. Applicants must be in good academic standing and be fluent in French. The intensive program offered to Queen’s University graduates consists of 30 credits. A total of 22 credits are earned in courses aimed at the fundamental and professional aspects of civil law and a total of nine credits are earned in core civil law courses and courses oriented to the theoretical, comparative or social aspects of the law.

More information can be found on the University of Sherbrooke website.