Handbook of Academic Policies

The Handbook of Academic Policies (PDF) is a guide to policies and procedures in the JD program. It is informed by several important principles. The Faculty applies its policies consistently to maintain academic standards and support academic excellence.

The Faculty is sensitive to issues of diversity and equity. The Faculty's policies are designed to establish procedures and standards at the law school while recognizing that equity and fairness may sometimes require flexibility and variation.

The Faculty makes every effort to ensure that its policies are transparent and readily accessible to students. The Faculty encourages students to raise matters of concern in the knowledge that privacy and confidentiality will be respected.

Jackman Law is dedicated to teaching a distinctive way of thinking about the world, equipping students to understand the complex social challenges of a free and democratic society. 

Jackman Law believes that legal education is a project of collaborative pedagogy, of thinking and learning together. Through critical dialogue, reflection, and engagement in the classroom and community, students are elevated by their teachers and peers to become outstanding lawyers and leaders.  

Extraordinary levels of classroom and community engagement in the JD Program are supported by the law school’s policy on mandatory attendance. Discussion amongst students and professors is critical to developing the ability to understand, explain, and challenge doctrinal knowledge. Most importantly, in class, students are prompted to respond to direct challenges to their own understanding. 

In preparing students for a profession focused on advocacy and on the adversarial context of competing for specific outcomes, students must observe and participate in discussions based on a changing landscape of facts and ideas. Learning flourishes in real time, in small spaces, with participants engaged in collaborative intellectual development.

1. As the practice of law is a regulated profession, Jackman Law’s curriculum and learning objectives are designed to be consistent with or to exceed the requirements set out by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The Faculty requires students to meet a set of graduation requirements, many of which are required by the profession. 
2. Jackman Law’s pedagogy and programs are designed to enable each student to achieve the following learning objectives:
   1. Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law;
   2. Aptitude for legal research, analysis, and reasoning;
   3. Aptitude for academic research;
   4. Proficiency in the use of critical thinking and written and oral advocacy skills, including through persuasive writing, oral presentations, problem-solving, and real-time debate;
   5. Ability to engage respectfully with others, consider diverse perspectives, and collaborate effectively;
   6. Knowledge and understanding of the ethical and professional responsibilities required of members of the legal sector;
   7. Ability to listen critically to and take part in oral discussions, to extract from oral discussions the central arguments, lines of reasoning, principles of law and key information relevant to thinking about legal problems. 
3. Because of the vast array of course subjects, teaching styles, and class formats that are on offer at the Faculty, not every course will involve each of these objectives. Nonetheless, our expectation is that all students in the JD program will benefit from multiple and repeated opportunities to practice and develop these skills.  
4. Students are required to demonstrate these learning objectives and develop corresponding core competencies across a range of courses covering different areas of law and using a range of pedagogical techniques. Students in the JD Program must demonstrate competency to:
   1. read and engage with a range of sources;
   2. express their ideas in writing;
   3. conduct legal and academic research;
   4. engage in problem solving during class, through a question-and-answer format; 
   5. actively and respectfully listen to, and participate in dialogue with students, faculty, and other members of the community;
   6. attend classes and participate in in-person class activities;
   7. interact with classmates with different perspectives;
   8. present their ideas orally;
   9. take timed evaluations; and
   10. submit work to meet deadlines and requirements.

1. JD degree requirements

   The juris doctor (JD) degree is conferred upon students who have satisfactorily completed:

   1. the first-year academic program;
   2. the upper year graduation requirements;
   3. courses totalling no fewer than 90 course credits, compliant with the maximum and minimum credit loads per semester; and
   4. two academic years of full-time enrolment or the equivalent half-time enrolment;
   5. two academic years of residence in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area.
       
2. First-year program
   
   The first-year academic program consists of 34 credits completed over two semesters. All first-year courses are mandatory, and there are no electives. The Registrar will assign all incoming 1L students to their lecture sections and small groups, and communicate these assignments by email, before fall classes begin. Students must complete all courses in the first-year program. 
    

3. Upper-year graduation requirements 

   After completing the first year, students must complete at least 56 credits over the following two years of full-time academic enrolment or the equivalent. In addition, students must fulfil the following requirements:

   1. Administrative law
   2. Ethics and professionalism
      1. Students must complete at least one 3-credit course dedicated to ethics and professionalism. 
      2. This requirement cannot be fulfilled at a different law school. 
      3. There are several courses that will satisfy this requirement. Courses that fulfil this requirement are identified as doing so during the course selection process.
   3. Legal process
      1. Students must successfully complete at least one course dedicated to the study of legal procedures, for a minimum of two credits. 
      2. A Legal Process course studies legal procedures designed to resolve disputes and resolve problems.
      3. This requirement cannot be fulfilled at a different law school. 
      4. There are several courses that will satisfy this requirement. Courses that fulfil this requirement are identified as doing so during the course selection process.
   4. Intersession intensive course
      1. Students must complete one intensive course during the January intersession of either their second or third year.
      2. Intensive courses are taught by distinguished visiting faculty, and change from year to year. 
      3. Intensive course descriptions are visible during the ordinary course selection process. 
      4. The credit(s) earned in the intensive session will be counted toward the Winter term credit count.  
      5. This requirement cannot be fulfilled at a different law school.
          
   5. International/comparative/transnational (ICT) course
      1. Students must take at least one International, Comparative, or Transnational Law (ICT) course for a minimum of two credits. 
      2. An ICT course is concerned with global themes and requires students to examine law from a non-Canadian perspective. ICT courses contain a significant international, comparative or transnational component. 
      3. With the exception of students on exchange at a foreign institution, students must fulfil this requirement while at Jackman Law. Participation in a foreign exchange meets this requirement.
      4. There are several courses that will satisfy this requirement. Courses that fulfil this requirement are identified as doing so during the course selection process.
   6. Oral advocacy
      1. The oral advocacy requirement is fulfilled by the completion of a moot. 
      2. Students may fulfil the requirements either by competing in one of several competitive moots that Jackman Law participates in, or by enrolling in the upper-year moot.
      3. This requirement cannot be fulfilled at a different law school.
   7. Perspective course
      1. Students must take at least one perspective course worth a minimum of two credits. 
      2. A Perspective course is concerned with the nature, sources, and purposes of legal regulation in general rather than with the study of legal doctrine in a particular area. 
      3. There are several courses that will satisfy this requirement. Courses that fulfil this requirement are identified as doing so during the course selection process.
      4. The Perspective requirement can be fulfilled by the completion of a Directed Research Project, if approved by the Directed Research Committee.
      5. This requirement cannot be fulfilled at a different law school.
          
4. Credit requirements and credit loads in the upper years
   1. In the full-time (3-year) JD program, students must:
      1. Take a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 16 credits each term. Students enrolled in a January Intensive course can take 17 Winter term credits;
      2. Take a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 32 credits each year. Students enrolled in a January Intensive course may take a maximum of 33 credits in that year.
   2. In the half-time program, students must:
      1. Take a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 8 credits each term. Students enrolled in a January Intensive course may take 9 Winter term credits;
      2. Take a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 16 credits each year. Students enrolled in a January Intensive course may take 17 credits in a year;
      3. Take a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 32 credits each program year. Students may take 33 credits in the program year in which they enrol in a January Intensive course.
   3. Students may take no more than 16 ungraded credits in any academic year.
   4. Graduate level courses taken in other divisions of the University are included in course credit limits: A half-year course is the equivalent of 2 law-school credits; while a full-year course is the equivalent of 4 law-school credits.

1. Overview

   The first-year program is comprised of eight mandatory courses. Six of these courses are core doctrinal courses, while two are intended to train students in the competencies critical to lawyering.

   Each first-year student studies one of their core courses in a small group of 15-20 students, which allows for close interaction with fellow students and a law professor. Small groups meet for 3 hours per week in both terms, which allows for more in-depth discussion. The intimate environment of the small group also provides students with a greater opportunity to complete and obtain feedback on written work and to gain exposure to the basics of legal research and writing.

   Students study the remaining five core courses in lecture format. The sizes of the classes in which students take their courses vary across the first-year program.

2. Core doctrinal courses
   
   •    Contract Law
   •    Constitutional Law
   •    Criminal Law
   •    Indigenous Peoples and the Law
   •    Property Law
   •    Tort Law
    

3. Legal Methods
   
   One of the central goals of our JD program is to train students to develop critical thinking and analytic skills. The Legal Methods intensive course is designed to introduce students to the foundational information and reasoning needed to make the most of the JD program from the outset.

   The course will provide general background information on the foundations of the Canadian legal system, such as the important legal institutions, the distinction between private and public law, the sources of law, and the relationship between core first year courses.

   The course emphasizes legal analytical methods and techniques used by law students. The course provides an introduction to analyzing and briefing cases, teaching students to identify key elements of a case and how to use precedents. The course also introduces students to statutory interpretation, the interaction between courts and the legislature, and an introduction on to how to prepare for and write law school exams.

4. Legal Research and Writing
   
   Acquiring basic legal research and writing skills is a vital component of a well-rounded legal education.  First year students must successfully complete a 2-credit, 24-hour course on legal research and writing.  
   
   The Law Library has also created an extensive online legal research and writing tutorial available to law students 24 hours per day via “My U of T Law” (Students will be given information on connecting to My U of T Law during orientation.)  Additional resources can be found at: https://library.law.utoronto.ca/

Legal research and writing opportunities in upper years are provided through elective courses in  advanced legal research and writing, involvement in moot competitions, working on law reviews or journals, longer-form writing projects or working as a faculty research assistant.

Jackman Law uses a modified pass/fail grading scale. The scale includes five grades: high honours (HH);  honours (H); pass with merit (P); low pass (LP); and fail (F). Students earn credit for courses by earning the lowest passing grade (LP) or higher.

A small number of courses at Jackman Law, including experiential courses, are offered on a Credit/No Credit scale.

The goal of this grading system is to counter grade inflation, recognize superior work, identify marginal performance and reduce student stress. A Pass with Merit signifies that a student has produced work that meets the Faculty’s very high standards of academic excellence. It is the most frequently given grade.

The Faculty provides the grade distribution to instructors. Instructors are expected to grade in conformity with this distribution. The Records Office will release grades after they have been approved by the Academic Standing Committee, four to five weeks after the last day to hand in written work in each semester.

1. Failing grades 
   1. The Academic Standing Committee meets to approve grades before grades they are released, decide issues of academic standing and respond to petitions for Aegrotat. To be granted academic standing to continue in the JD program a student must, subject to the circumstances set out below, obtain a passing grade in each of the subjects for which they are enrolled. A grade of F in a graded course and a grade of NC (no credit) in an ungraded course is a failing grade.
   2. When a student earns no more than one failing mark in a semester, the Academic Standing Committee may order that the student be offered an opportunity to complete a supplemental assessment.
   3. When a student in the first-year program fails two or more courses, they must repeat those courses and successfully earn a passing grade before enrolling in upper-year courses. Ordinarily, a student in this situation will be able to complete those courses in the fall semester: in this case, the student shall enrol on a half-time basis for the fall semester.
   4. When an upper-year student does not earn a passing grade on a supplemental assessment ordered by the Academic Standing Committee, they may, with the permission of the Academic Standing Committee, continue in the program and repeat the course the following year. Students repeating courses must remain within the credit-load limits set out in section 3(4) above.
2. Supplemental assessments
   1. When the Academic Standing Committee orders a supplemental assessment, the failing students must complete the supplemental assessment as soon as practicable after the release of grades.
   2.  Other than in the first semester of the first year, when a student passes the supplemental assessment their transcript will reflect the grade they earned for the supplemental assessment as well as the failing grade earned in the original evaluation.
   3. For supplemental assessments completed for courses failed in the first semester of the first-year program only, the grade earned on the supplemental assessment will replace the failing grade.
   4. Students may complete only one supplemental assessment per semester. The Academic Standing Committee will not order supplemental assessments for students who fail more than one course.
3. Denial of standing to continue
   1. Circumstances in which standing to continue in the JD program may be denied:
      The Academic Standing Committee may find that a student has no standing to continue in the program if they fail to advance in the JD program. The Associate Dean will ask the Academic Standing Committee to consider whether students in the following circumstances have standing to continue:
      1. Students who fail the same course more than once;
      2. Students who fail one or more courses in three consecutive semesters;
      3. Students who, without requesting a leave of absence, do not enrol in classes or complete assignments, examinations or other evaluations necessary to complete courses, for two consecutive academic years;
      4. Students who, without requesting permission to extend a leave of absence beyond two years, do not enrol in classes or complete assignments, examinations or other evaluations necessary to complete courses, for two consecutive academic years after the expiry of their leave of absence.
   2. Process for denial of standing
      1. When a student falls into one or more of the categories described in paragraph (a), the Associate Dean shall present the student’s file to the Academic Standing Committee for a decision on standing. 
      2. The student shall be notified at least 30 days before the Academic Standing Committee meets and may make written representations to the Committee. 
      3. The Assistant Dean, Academic, shall notify students of the decision of the Academic Standing Committee by email.
   3. Appeal
      Students may appeal a decision of the Academic Standing Committee to the JD Academic Appeals Committee pursuant to section 57(8) below.
   4. Transcript notation
      When the Academic Standing Committee denies a student standing to continue in the JD program and the student does not pursue or is unsuccessful in an appeal, the Registrar shall record a notation of ‘No standing to continue’ on the student’s academic record.
4. Distinction standing
   Students may earn distinction standing in any of their three years in the JD program, and/or may graduate with distinction. The Academic Standing Committee determines which students earn distinction standing in each cohort in an academic year and determines which students will graduate with distinction standing.
   1. Eligibility for distinction standing:
      1. Students must complete a minimum of 22 graded credits in each program year.
      2.  Students participating in a one-semester exchange program (including the Clinical Legal Education: Downtown Legal Services (DLS) Intensive Term or studying for a semester on a letter of permission at another law school), must complete a minimum of 14 graded credits during the semester of full-time enrolment at the Jackman Faculty of Law.
      3. Students in combined programs must complete a minimum of 22 graded credits at the Faculty of Law in each program year or complete a minimum of 14 graded credits in one semester of that year.
   2. Distinction standing per year:
      Approximately the top ten percent of students in each cohort will be awarded distinction standing.
   3. Graduating with distinction:
      To graduate with distinction, students must earn distinction standing in two of the three years of the JD programme. 

1. A first-year student who withdraws from the JD program before October 1 may request that the Admissions Committee treat their withdrawal as a deferral of admission and allow them to begin the first-year program afresh the following September. 
2. Other than students who withdraw from the program before 1 October in their first semester of their 1L year, a student who withdraws from the JD program will be required to reapply for admission in order to return to the JD program. A leave of absence is not a withdrawal. 
3. Students who are considering withdrawing from the program are strongly advised to make an appointment to meet with the Assistant Dean, Academic, to discuss their circumstances. In particular, it may be that a leave of absence, transfer to another law school after the first year or a letter of permission to complete the final year or semester at another law school are more suitable courses of action. 
4. Students must bear in mind that a withdrawal may impact their eligibility for financial aid and should speak with the Faculty’s Financial Aid Office and their financial institutions for further information.

1. Circumstances in which a leave may be appropriate
   1. A leave of absence may be appropriate when a student anticipates being unable to continue their studies for an extended period of time due to personal, health, family or similar circumstances.
   2. A leave of absence may be granted for one semester or one year.
2. Financial and health insurance implications
   Students must bear in mind that a leave of absence may impact their eligibility for financial aid and health insurance coverage. Students contemplating a leave of absence should seek further information regarding the impact of taking a leave of absence from their health insurance provider, the Faculty’s Financial Aid Office, and their financial institutions.
3. Leave of absence in the upper years
   1. Upper year students may request a leave of absence for a semester or an academic year by giving notice to the Assistant Dean, Academic, by 30 June for the academic year commencing the following September, or by 1 January if requesting a leave of absence for only the following winter semester. In exceptional circumstances, Jackman Law may consider requests submitted after these dates. 
   2. A year-long leave of absence may be extended for an additional year on request to the Assistant Dean, Academic. A further extension of a leave of absence beyond two years requires the permission of the Associate Dean for each additional year. 
   3. A student who, with the permission of the Associate Dean, takes a leave of absence longer than four years must repeat the first-year program upon their return to legal studies. The first-year curriculum covers foundational subject areas in Canadian law: because our common-law legal system develops over time, it is essential that students who have been away from the study of law for an extended period demonstrate competence in these foundational areas before continuing through the JD curriculum.
4. Leave of absence in the first year
   Students cannot enrol in upper-year courses until they have completed all courses in the first-year program. When a first-year student requests a leave of absence for the winter semester, it is possible that they will not be able to compete all of the courses in the first-year program until the following winter. This will delay their upper year enrolment until the following academic year.

1. A move to half-time status may be appropriate when a student anticipates that personal, health, family or other circumstances are likely to impede their ability to successfully complete the JD program on a full-time basis. 
2. Students on half-time status will enrol in courses totalling approximately half the credit load of full-time studies in the JD program: please consult section 3 of this Handbook for further details about credit loads.
3. Students contemplating a move to half-time status should contact the Assistant Dean, Academic. If the Assistant Dean, Academic, agrees that a move to half-time status is appropriate they will, together with the student, develop an academic plan suited to the student’s circumstances and which provides the best chances of successfully completing the JD program. 
4. Students must request to move to half-time status before the beginning of a semester. In circumstances of exceptional hardship, students may petition the Associate Dean to move to half-time status during the semester.

1. Students may transfer to another law school after completing the first-year program. Students contemplating a transfer can request support for their transfer from the Assistant Dean, Academic. Students should remain mindful of application deadlines at the law school to which the transfer is being sought.
2. Students who transfer to another law school after the first year at Jackman Law and who complete a course of study towards the degree of Juris Doctor at that institution will not earn the degree of Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto.

1. A letter of permission allows a student to complete the third year of study or a single semester towards the JD degree at another Canadian university, common-law school or such other university as may be approved by the Council of the Faculty of Law, and earn the degree of Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto. 
2. Jackman Law will provide a letter of permission if the Assistant Dean, Academic has determined that the destination law school offers a curriculum for the study of law that is comparable in quality and breadth to the curriculum at Jackman Law, and if students:
   1. have successfully completed the first-year program;
   2. have fulfilled or will fulfill all the graduation requirements at Jackman Law; and
   3. are able to demonstrate compelling personal, compassionate or academic grounds that justify their request to complete their studies at another institution.
3. Students may apply for permission to complete a single semester or the third year of their JD degree at another institution by giving notice to the Assistant Dean, Academic, by 30 June for the academic year commencing the following September. Students must be admitted to the study of law at the destination university and should remain mindful of that institution’s deadlines for receipt of applications.
4. Jackman Law will not issue a letter of permission in order to prolong an exchange or to seek permission to study at an institution for which the law school does not have an exchange agreement. 
5. Students completing their final year of study on a letter of permission at another institution will pay the fees of the destination institution, not the fees of Jackman Law. 
6. Students studying for one term on a letter of permission at another institution must complete a minimum of 14 graded credits during the term which is spent at Jackman Law.

1. Eligibility for exchange
   1. Students who have demonstrated academic excellence in the course of their studies in the JD program may, in the second or third year of their studies, spend one semester studying abroad at one of several leading global law schools with which Jackman Law has exchange agreements. 
   2. The office of the Associate Dean will review students’ academic records at the time of application and again at the end of the semester preceding the proposed semester on exchange: 
      1. Students must have academic standing to continue in the JD program in order to apply for exchange and must retain this status until departing for their exchange semester. 
      2. Students with two or more grades of either LP or F are not eligible for exchange.
      3. Students with incomplete term work or deferred exams are not eligible for exchange.
   3. Transfer students are not eligible for exchange.
   4. Students who spend a semester on exchange in their second year will not be eligible to complete the final year of study towards the JD degree at another institution on a letter of permission; however students may be able to complete both an exchange and a single-semester at another institution on a letter of permission.
   5. Students who plan to study in a language other than English may be required to pass a language test administered by the host school.
2. Requirements for exchange
   1. While on exchange, students must be enrolled full time at the host institution.
   2. Virtual exchange programs are not permitted, and courses delivered virtually while on exchange will not count for credit. 
   3. Other than the International, Comparative and Transnational (ICT) Course graduation requirement, all graduation requirements must be completed at Jackman Law. Students satisfy the International, Comparative and Transnational (ICT) Course graduation requirement by going on exchange.
   4. Students in the final year of the JD program should avoid an exchange in the winter semester if they wish to convocate the following summer. Many host institutions will not be able to provide official transcripts in time for convocation. Students planning an exchange in the winter semester of their final year in the JD program must have completed all graduation requirements prior to departure. 
   5. While on exchange students may not be enrolled in courses at Jackman Law.
3. Credit requirements
   1. Students on exchange must take courses equivalent to 14 law school credits.
   2. Students may not register for courses at the host institution that are substantively similar to course already completed at Jackman Law. 
   3. Language courses do not count towards the 14-credit equivalency, although students may enrol in language courses if available. 
   4. The Records Office must certify that a student’s course selection at the host institution meets these requirements. Students on exchange must provide their course selection to the Records Office as soon as it is finalised.
4. Application process
   Please consult the Jackman Law Academic Program website for up-to-date information about available exchanges, details of the application process and deadlines.
    

1. Available combined degree programs
   Jackman Law offers a wide variety of interdisciplinary combined programs, which allow students to reduce the standard time to completion for both degrees by up to one year. Information and details about combined degrees can be found on the Combined Programs webpage.
2. Admission to combined degree programs
   1. Students interested in a combined degree program must apply separately to and be admitted into both Jackman Law’s JD program and another degree program. Jackman Law’s admissions decisions are not influenced by acceptance into another program.
   2. Students may apply for combined degree programs going into the first year of the JD program (via OLSAS) or during the fall term of their first year in the JD program. Students must apply to and be admitted separately by both divisions and meet U of T’s admission requirements for each program. 
   3. Students may not enrol in more than one combined degree program or take courses outside Jackman Law or the partner division unless related to their combined degree.
3. Enrolment at another division: financial and health insurance implications
   1. Combined degree students will be enrolled full-time in another division at the University at some point during the course of their combined program (usually the second year of a combined four-year degree). During this time students will not be registered as law students, which may affect, for example, financial aid and health-insurance coverage.
   2. Students enrolled in a combined program may apply for financial aid from Jackman Law for only the years in which they are registered as full-time or half-time students at Jackman Law.
4. Credit requirements
   1. Students enrolled in a combined program must complete all requirements for both programs, as described in the program description of the relevant combined program, in order to graduate from either program.
   2. Students cannot vary the order of the program years as set out in the relevant program description.
   3. Students enrolled in combined degree programs and enrolled in a combination of law school and other courses must maintain a credit load equivalent to full-time enrolment at Jackman Law in each semester of their combined degree program, and may not exceed the credit load limits set out in this Handbook.
   4. Under no circumstances will students enrolled in a combined degree program pay less than the equivalent of full-time tuition for the stated duration of their combined program.
5. Exchange for students enrolled in a combined degree program
   Students enrolled in a combined degree program must have the written approval of both the Assistant Dean, Academic, in the Jackman Faculty of Law and the Registrar of the combined program in order to go on exchange. Please consult the International Exchange Program page on the Jackman Law website for details. 
    

1. Jackman Law offers a number of concentration programs that involve registration in a specific category of classes and a significant writing component.  Many of them involve working with an external division of the University. Please consult the Concentration Programs page on the Jackman Law website for details.
2. Completion of the concentration program will result in a transcript notation indicating the student has earned a certificate (not a second degree or a combined program degree). Students who enrol in a concentration program must complete all other JD graduation requirements

1. Only upper-year students select courses during the course selection period over the summer. The Registrar will enrol incoming 1L students in their mandatory courses for their first year.
2. Students use a software system (Cognomos) to rank their course selections by order of preference. The system allocates students into courses, ensuring equivalency in course enrolments for all students.
3. There are four stages to course selection: 
   1. Pre-allocation review and selection;
   2. Allocation into courses 
   3. Post-allocation waitlist review and conditional drops;
   4. Post-allocation, first-come/first-served add/drop period.

1. Pre-allocation review provides students with an opportunity to review the upcoming academic year’s course offerings. After the view-only period, students can list their course preferences. Students will select courses for the entire academic year (i.e. both semesters) during course selection. 
2. Students indicate their course preferences by categorising courses they select as ‘great’, ‘good’ or ‘acceptable’, and ranking them within in each category in order of preference.  
3. There is no limit to the number of courses each student may categorise as ‘great’. However, neither categorising courses as ‘great’ nor ranking them first in that category guarantees that students will be allocated into that course. 
4. Students considering different sections of the same course should select both courses, indicating their preference between the sections, if any. 
5. Students can indicate that they have no preference between certain courses (i.e. rank them equally), by ‘linking’ courses together. There is no limit to how many courses students can link together.
6. Incoming exchange students and students attending Jackman Law on a Letter of Permission from another institution may not enrol in Directed Research, Intensive Courses, Moots, Clinics, Externships or any other courses for which enrolment is limited to JD students enrolled at Jackman Law.

1. Students must select courses that amount to twice as many credits as they need each semester: 

• Full-time students must select courses totalling 32 credits each semester and 64 credits for the year;
• Half-time students must list credits totalling 16 credits in each semester and 32 credits for the year.

2. Students selecting a single-credit January intensive course will use a separate course-selection and allocation process. Students may take up to 17 credits in the winter semester and 33 credits in the academic year they take a January intensive. Students should select three intensive courses in the year they intend to complete a January intensive course. 
3. Students will not be placed in courses if they have not or will not have completed all pre-requisites for that course or are not enrolled in co-requisites.

1. Moots:
   1. Students can enrol in the Upper-Year Moot as they would any other course. Keep in mind that the Upper-Year Moot course has an earlier add/drop deadline than the other winter courses because there are some mandatory sessions held late in the fall semester. If students who have already registered for the Upper Year Moot are selected for a Competitive Moot and would prefer the Competitive Moot, they must drop the Upper Year Moot and make any other adjustments to their schedule by the fall term add/drop deadline.
   2. Students who want to earn coaching credit in the year after their moot should read the course description for coaching and notify the Records Office before the add/drop deadline.
   3. Competitive moots:
      1. Students should not select a Competitive Moot during Course Selection: Although the list of competitive moots is visible in the course selection portal, try-outs for competitive moots take place only in September.
      2. Students hoping to be selected for a competitive moot must enrol in alterative courses sufficient to meet the credit minimum: if a student is subsequently selected for a competitive moot and after they confirm their participation, the moot will be added to the student’s curriculum and they will have the opportunity to adjust their credit loads accordingly.
   4. Upper-year moot:
      1. Students must select the Upper Year Moot as part of their course selection.
      2. Preparation for the Upper Year Moot begins in the first term.
         Students work in groups of four, including a teammate who serves as co-counsel and an opposing counsel team. Two students can request to work as a team, or students can ask to have a teammate assigned by lottery.
2. Externships:
   1. Jackman Law has productive partnerships with several organizations outside the University. These partnerships extend the depth and breadth of the learning opportunities Jackman offers students. Students in externships will carry out hands-on work under the careful supervision of experienced lawyers. Jackman Law centres these opportunities on social justice initiatives, good government practices and access to justice. External partners do not charge students’ time to paying clients
   2. Some Externships and Clinic placements are by application: the course descriptions include instructions and relevant deadlines for applying for a placement.
   3. Students working in externships must enrol in the Externship Seminar as a co-requisite during the semester their externship meets. Students in yearlong externship placements need not attend their Externship Seminar during the second term of their placement, however students who enrol in subsequent externships are required to enrol in an Externship Seminar again for each additional placement. 
   4. The credit weight for externships varies. A two-credit externship involves six to eight hours of work a week; a three-credit externship involves nine to twelve hours of work a week, and a four-credit externship involves twelve to sixteen hours of work a week. Although workload per week will vary, as is the nature of legal work, under no circumstances will work hours exceed the following limits:
      •    Two-credit externships: 12 hours/week
      •    Three-credit externships: 18 hours/week
      •    For-credit externships: 24 hours/week
   5. The Externship Seminar meets six times a year: twice early in the term, twice in the middle of the term, and twice toward the end of the term.  
3. Directed Research Project 
   1. Students wishing to undertake a Directed Research Project (DRP) may enrol in the course Directed Research Program and select an appropriate credit weight. However, students must secure the participation of a Faculty member to direct the research and submit a proposal to the Directed Research Committee for approval before enrolment in the course will be confirmed.
   2. The deadlines for applications are included in the Jackman Law Sessional Dates and provide enough time for the Committee to approve proposals or recommend revisions in time for the add/drop date.
   3. Students may complete only one DRP in a program year, and no more than two over the course of the JD program
4. Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper (SUYRP)
   1. Some courses allow students to earn an additional credit by completing a SUYRP for that course. Students wishing to do so must enrol in the course Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper for the appropriate semester, confirm that the course instructor is willing to supervise the work and submit the relevant paperwork to the Records Office by the deadline included in the Jackman Law Sessional Dates. The deadline is usually the same as the deadline for submitting DRP proposals. 
   2. Students may complete one SUYRP per program year, and no more than two over the course of the JD program.
5. January Intensive Courses
   1. Each year, Jackman Law invites distinguished visitors from around the world to visit and teach intensive courses in January. The January Intensive program offers JD students exceptional opportunities to study with outstanding international and Canadian scholars. 
   2. Jackman Law offers the intensive courses during an intersession week at the beginning of January. The January Intersession starts at the same time as first year courses (shortly after New Year's Day). This date is included in the Sessional Dates. 
   3. There is a separate allocation in Cognomos for January Intensive courses. In the year that students plan to take a January Intensive course, they must select three options during course selection. 
   4. The priority ranking for allocation into January Intensive courses is as follows: (1) third-year students who did not complete a January intensive course during their second year; (2) second-year students; (3) third-year students who have already completed an intensive course in their second year.
   5. January Intensive courses are all weighted at 1 credit. 
   6. The add/drop date for intensive courses is 10:00pm on the second day that classes meet.
6. Visiting students:
   Visiting students, understood in this subsection to mean incoming exchange students and students completing their final year of JD study at Jackman Law on a letter of permission from another institution, will participate in the course selection process along with JD students subject to the following rules:
   1. Visting students may not register for courses in the first-year program nor, except with the permission of the Associate Dean, for any courses that fulfil graduation requirements for Jackman Law students.   
   2. Visiting students may not participate in the Directed Research Program, January Intensive courses, Moots, Clinics or Externships.
   3. Visiting students may not take more than 16 credits per semester or more than 32 credits for the year.
7. Conditional enrolment:
   Some clinics, externships, journals, moots, the Directed Research Program and a Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper require an application, try-out, or approval prior to confirmation. Students should not select these courses during course selection but must instead select alternative courses meeting the required number of credits for the year or term. If a student’s application to a one of the application- or try-out-only courses is approved, they will be placed into the appropriate course and must drop courses exceeding the credit maximum.

After students select their courses, the course selection system will be temporarily closed in order to run the allocation. The system will generate the course allocation that meets the highest number of student preferences. After the allocation is completed, students may view the courses for which they have been confirmed and/or waitlisted. 

Students will appear on waitlists for all courses they categorised as ‘great’ but into which they were not enrolled. Students allocated into courses totalling fewer than 22 credits will be moved to top positions on waitlists. Students whose position on the waitlist is outside of the top 20 will not see their precise position on the waitlist. 

1. A short time after the allocation has run, the course selection system will reopen to allow students to make changes to their course selection and to rectify credit deficits. Students who do not meet the minimum credit requirements must add courses to their selection to bring their credit count to the required minimum.
2. During the add/drop period, students can select courses in which seats are available or add themselves to waitlists for courses in which enrolment is full. Students cannot select courses or waitlists if doing so would invalidate their existing schedule, either by taking them over the credit maximum or if their selection creates a scheduling conflict. Cognomos will flag the conflict in both cases.
3. To resolve a flagged conflict, students can specify a ‘conditional drop’ for one course with respect to which a conflict has arisen. If the student is admitted off the waitlist for a preferred course, Cognomos will then drop the student from the course to which the student added a conditional drop. 
4. If a student selects a course but has not completed or will not have completed the pre-requisites for that course, Cognomos will flag the selection. This flag cannot be resolved, and a student must drop the course. 
5. If a student selects a course but is not enrolled in co-requisite courses, Cognomos will flag the selection. The flag will be resolved if the student is subsequently allocated into co-requisite courses during the add/drop process. 
6. Cognomos will process all add/drop requests at once, several days into the add/drop period. After this initial round of changes, Cognomos will process add/drop requests several times a day. At this point, students will be able to make requests to add and drop courses on a first come, first served basis.
7. Students must remove themselves from waitlists as soon as they are satisfied with their course allocation. If they do not, they may be enrolled in courses they ultimately do not want or need or may be unenrolled from a course for which they indicated a conditional drop. These changes cannot be rectified. Removing oneself from the waitlist also increases others’ chances of being enrolled in a course they would prefer to take. 
8. Students who are waitlisted for courses may attend classes for those courses. However, waitlisted students who do attend will not be given preference or priority to join the class over waitlisted students who do not attend during the add/drop period.
9. Students may not withdraw from classes after the add/drop period.

1. Preface
   Legal education is a project of collaborative pedagogy, of thinking and learning together. Each member of the Jackman community benefits from attending in person and is benefitted by the presence of each other member in this collaborative project. Face-to-face engagement through in-person education creates opportunities for students to learn core skills and competencies that are essential to legal careers, including critical analysis in real time, speaking in public, interacting in public with others, reading the room, working as part of a team, honing effective interpersonal skills, and dealing with unexpected developments. Moreover, the community of learning at Jackman Law extends beyond the classroom: the social and intellectual collaboration that happens at the law school inside, outside, and across classes, programs, and student communities, is at its best when it happens in a space shared by all the members of the Jackman community.
2. Mandatory attendance policy
   Attendance is mandatory in all classes at Jackman Law. Students are required to be in residence during any semester in which they are enrolled in a class or classes at Jackman Law. Students are expected to attend classes in person on a regular basis. In-person presence is a core component of achieving our learning objectives. Students should not accept significant outside obligations during the academic term and should prioritize their academic obligations during the school year.
3. Engagement and participation
   1. Attendance contemplates active and engaged participation in each class. Students must expect to be called upon to actively contribute to class discussions. Intellectual engagement through collaboration and participation is one of the primary learning objectives in many law school courses. Individual courses may have more specific participation requirements.  
   2. Jackman Law discourages students from taking copious notes or attempting to make comprehensive transcripts of every class and lecture. Rather, Jackman Law’s commitment to teaching students to think critically about and with the law encourages students to use time in class to discuss, question and reflect deeply on course materials.
4. Failure to attend
   Failure to attend class may incur academic penalties. Students cannot earn credit for courses without attending at least seventy-five percent of the class meetings. In appropriate circumstances, it may be possible to accommodate absences equivalent to twenty-five per cent or less of a course during an academic session without compromising pedagogical goals and core aspects of the course curriculum. When a student misses more than twenty-five per cent of class in a course the Assistant Dean, Academic, may refuse that student permission to write the final exam or submit a final paper.
5. Considerations for missed classes
   1. Students who have reason to think that they may not be able to attend at least seventy-five percent of classes in a course, or who anticipate being absent for a continuous period of two weeks or more due to illness or personal circumstances, should be in touch with the Accommodations and Considerations Committee (accommodations.law@utoronto.ca) as soon as possible. 
   2. Students can ask to take a leave of absence or petition for late withdrawal without academic penalty (LWD) from a course when they have been unable to attend more than twenty-five percent of class meetings.
   3. Per the University of Toronto Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and Other Accommodations for Religious Observances, Jackman Law will provide every reasonable opportunity for students who miss class because of religious observances to make up missed work. 
       

1. Preface
   1. Jackman Law may make video and/or audio recordings of law school classes and provide students with access to recordings in consideration for missed classes. 
   2. Recordings of lectures are not a substitute for attendance: classes for which a student is absent and for which a recording is made available will nonetheless count towards the maximum allowable absence of twenty-five percent of classes.
2. No personal recording of classes without permission
   As set out in the Provostial Guidelines on the Appropriate Use of Information and Communication Technology, the unauthorized use of any form of device to audio-record, photograph, video-record, produce or generate a transcript or otherwise reproduce lectures, course notes or teaching materials provided by instructors is covered by the Canadian Copyright Act and is prohibited.
3. Instructor’s discretion to record classes
   1. Instructors at Jackman Law may choose to record or not to record their classes in whole or in part, in video and/or audio form. 
   2. Individual instructors who choose to record their classes may further choose whether to grant access to all class recordings without restriction, or only upon request to the Accommodations and Considerations Committee and with verification of a valid reason for absence.
   3. An instructor’s decision to record or to not record classes, applies for the duration of the course. Instructors may not choose to record some classes while not recording others.
4. Notice
   If a class is to be recorded, in whole or in part, the instructor will provide notice to class participants on the syllabus.
5. Access to recordings 
   1. The Accommodations and Considerations Committee will determine whether to approve access to recordings, if available, for students who are unable to attend class for:
      1. Religious observances;
      2. Medical reasons;
      3. Unforeseen circumstances outside a student’s control. 
   2. The Accommodations and Considerations Committee will not grant access to recordings without appropriate supporting documentation. In the case of medical reasons for absence, a student will need to provide a Verification of Illness (VOI). In the case of absence for a major life event (such as a birth or death of a family member), the relevant documentation will depend on the specific nature of the absence. Disability-related requests for recordings, including those related to episodic disabilities, cannot be addressed by the Accommodations and Considerations Committee, and must be made through Accessibility Services.
   3. Jackman Law will not provide access to recordings to students who miss class to attend employment interviews. Jackman Law avoids scheduling classes during the interview periods prescribed by the Law Society of Ontario, but cannot anticipate the interviewing calendars of employers not regulated by the Law Society of Ontario. Students should schedule any such interviews to avoid conflicts with class time or make other arrangements to catch up on work they miss when choosing to attend employment interviews.
   4. In cases where a class is not recorded or the student is unable to provide documentation for their absence, students should arrange to meet with their instructors and engage with classmates and study groups to cover missed content.
   5. Recordings made and provided by Jackman Law are intended to allow students to keep up with course discussions. The expectation is that students will review recordings at the earliest opportunity. As such, recordings will be available for three weeks after the date of the recorded class and will not be retained beyond that period. Faculty who agree to allow their class to be recorded for this purpose do so with the understanding that recording is not retained. 
   6. Recordings will be provided subject to an undertaking that they be used only for academic purposes related to the course or courses for which they were created and that they will not be reproduced or distributed in any form.
6. Authorised personal recording of classes
   1. A student with a disability that impacts their in-class learning experience may wish to consult with Accessibility Services to determine if they have a disability-related need to make personal audio recordings of classes. In limited circumstances, an appropriate disability-related accommodation will authorise a student to make a personal audio recording to be used for learning purposes only. 
   2. In classes where a student is granted an accommodation to make personal audio recordings, the instructor and students in the class must be made aware of the accommodation.
   3. When an instructor refuses to consent to personal audio recording, the instructor must work with the student and their Accessibility Services Advisor to find an appropriate alternative to personal recordings.
       

1. Although classes are not ordinarily scheduled for Fridays, Jackman Law will use Fridays during the academic year to meet a variety of curricular and co-curricular needs. These needs include, but are not limited to:
   1. Rescheduled or make-up classes, in cases where individual instructors are unable to deliver a class on the scheduled day; 
   2. Mandatory programming for first-year students;
   3. In cases where inclement weather results in a University closure, Jackman Law may deem a subsequent Friday as another day of the week and run that day’s schedule on that Friday;
   4. When there are insufficient calendar weeks in a semester to deliver the curriculum, such as in years when Labour Day occurs late in September, Jackman Law may make up the missed week by deeming one or more Fridays as other days of the week and running those days’ schedules on Fridays.
2. Jackman Law expects students to commit Fridays during the academic year to their studies, including attending the Faculty in specific circumstances including those listed above. Absences from classes or activities that are scheduled or rescheduled for Friday will be handled under the provisions in this Handbook for Accommodations and Considerations. No special considerations will be applied to student absences on Fridays. 

1. In general, cancelled classes will be rescheduled to take place on Fridays.
2. Classes will not be scheduled or rescheduled to take place during the reading week of either semester or during the examination period of either semester (i.e. after the last day of class).
3. Classes will not be cancelled and rescheduled to accommodate extra-curricular events or activities. 
4. Other than colloquia and workshops, for-credit classes will not be scheduled or rescheduled to take place during the lunch hour (12:30-2:00pm).
5. Review classes will not be scheduled during the exam period. If instructors wish to deliver a review session or course summary, they should do so before the last day of classes. Jackman Law reserves the first weekday after the last day of classes for review sessions, should instructors find it impossible to deliver a review session before the last day of classes. 

1. Research indicates that the use of laptops to take copious notes in class at tertiary level can have detrimental effects on learning outcomes. In particular, using laptops to transcribe lectures and class discussions reduces critical and analytical thinking during class. Jackman Law discourages students from attempting to transcribe lectures on laptops and instead encourages students to think critically about class material, participate actively in class discussions and take concise notes by hand where necessary. 
2. Individual instructors may choose to teach in laptop-free classrooms. Students should pay close attention to course syllabi for each instructor’s choice about laptop use.
3. When an instructor chooses to teach in a laptop-free classroom in a course with 30 or more students, the following rules will apply:
   1. Students may not use laptops or any device with a physical keyboard in class. Students wishing to take notes in class must do so by hand, either with pen and paper or on a tablet with a stylus.
   2. In every course with laptop-free classrooms, the Faculty will provide a written record of each class to support all students’ learning. Instructors will choose to provide this written record in one of the following forms:
      1. AI-powered notes of each class;
      2. Collaborative note-taking, in which a roster of rotating students will take notes for each class (these students will be allowed to use laptops); or
      3. Class slides, speaker notes, an annotated case list, summaries or a similar record of material covered in each class that the instructor provides.
   3. The existing policy on class recordings will continue to apply. An instructor may choose to make recordings freely available, but doing so will not displace the requirement for a written record of each class as set out in paragraph (b).
   4. Students with disabilities registered with Accessibility Services who are concerned about the impact of laptop-free classrooms should consult their Accessibility Advisor to determine appropriate accommodations. Students with a disability who have not registered with Accessibility Services should consult with the Accommodations and Considerations Committee.
   5. Students using a tablet with a stylus, another assistive device or technology, or a laptop as an approved accommodation, may use their device only for purposes related to the class. They may not use email or messaging apps, check social media, read the news, play games or engage in any other non-class-related activity.
   6. The unauthorised use of any device for the purposes of recording or transcribing lectures is absolutely prohibited, as per Jackman Law’s policy on class recording.
4. In seminar-style courses with fewer than 30 students, AI-powered notes or student note-takers may suppress the free and open expression of viewpoints and discussion of sensitive topics. When an instructor chooses to teach a course with fewer than 30 students in a laptop-free classroom, they may choose to provide a record of each class as per subsection 3(b), but will not be required to do so. 
5. Please note that both AI-powered notes and notes made by designated student note-takers may be inaccurate. Both human beings and machines make errors. Written records of classes provided through either of these methods are intended to support in-class learning and are not a substitute for attendance. It remains students’ responsibility to verify the accuracy of these notes. Students who rely on these written records alone do so at their own risk.
    

Students have the chance to provide anonymous feedback on their experience in each course at the end of each semester through the course evaluations process. Evaluations are distributed by the instructor in each course and collected by the Records Office. The information students provide on the evaluation forms is important to the Faculty and may be used to plan the curriculum and assist instructors. The data collected will also contribute to decisions on the retention, tenure and promotion of faculty members. Evaluation summaries, available to students, are placed on reserve in the library and in the Records Office. Instructors may review individual course evaluations only after the submission of grades in the course. As the evaluations are key to informing the Administration of the competence of the instructor, accuracy in filling out the evaluation forms is critical.

1. A student’s University of Toronto consolidated transcript shows all degrees granted and courses taken at the University of Toronto.
2. Students should check the accuracy of their grades on ACORN prior to ordering a formal transcript.
3. Students can download informal statements of grades from ACORN.
4. Jackman Law’s Records Office does not provide copies of transcripts. Orders for transcripts are processed through the University of Toronto Transcript Centre (UTTC).   
5. Students and alumni may order transcripts online: please visit https://www.acorn.utoronto.ca for further details. 
6. The Records Office does not provide students with copies of their academic transcripts from other institutions as these must be obtained by the student directly from the institution issuing the transcript.

Exams at Jackman Law are usually between 90 minutes and three hours in duration, depending on credit weight and the weight of the various components of the course’s evaluation method:

• For a four-credit course where the evaluation consists in a single exam worth 100 per cent of the course grade, the exam will be three hours in duration. 
• For a three-credit course where the evaluation consists in a single exam worth 100 per cent of the course grade, the exam will be between two and three hours in duration. 
• For a two-credit course where the evaluation consists in a single exam worth 100 per cent of the course grade, the exam will be two hours in duration.
• For single-credit courses examined by way of a written exam, such as some January Intensive courses, the exam will be 90 minutes in duration.

1. Jackman Law allows students to type their exams on their personal laptops, or to write by hand in blue books. 
2. Students wishing to type-write their exams on their own laptops must download the law school’s chosen exam-writing software to their laptops before every exam period. The Records Office   sends instructions to all students each semester about how to download the most up to date version of the software, and about how to use it during exams. Exam-writing software ensures that during each exam, students will not be able to access the internet, use any messaging apps or email, or access the hard-drives on their laptops.
3. Students type-writing their exams must ensure that their laptops are in excellent working order and have sufficient battery capacity to last the duration of the exam. The exam-writing software requires internet connectivity: students must ensure that their laptops can connect to the Jackman Law wireless internet network.
4. If a student experiences problems with their laptop and is unable to begin or continue type-writing the exam, they must hand-write the remainder of the exam. Invigilators will provide blue books.
5. Students who do not have a laptop compatible with the exam-writing software but would like to type-write their exams may request to borrow a laptop from the Faculty. Students wishing to do so must inform the Records Office at least 48 hours before their scheduled exam and must collect the laptop from the Records office at least 30 minutes before the start of the exam. Students who do not meet these timing requirements will not be able to borrow a laptop.

1. The use or possession of any unauthorised aid is considered an academic offence under the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour of Academic Matters
2. Students may not use or have in their possession during exams the following items:
   1. cellular phones, smart phones or any communication devices;
   2. smart watches or any wearable technology including smart glasses;
   3. tablets, other than if being used to write the exam;
   4. external monitors, 
   5. headphones, ear buds or hearing protectors. For noise suppression during exams students may use earplugs only. The Records Office and exam invigilators will provide foam earplugs on request.
3. Beyond the list of prohibited items included in this section, instructors may prohibit additional items. In other circumstances, instructors may explicitly authorise the use of certain items. Students must pay careful attention to any examination instructions included on course syllabi.

1. For an exam specified as open book, students may bring into the exam room any material except material that is expressly prohibited by the exam instructions and books that are owned by the library.
2. Any material students wish to access during an open book exam must be in print: students will not have access to laptop hard drives during the exam and will be unable to access any electronic resources or materials during the exam.

1. For an exam specified as limited open book, students may bring into the exam only the materials expressly allowed by the instructor. 
2. Any materials students wish to access during a limited open book exam must be in print: students will not have access to laptop hard drives during the exam and will be unable to access any electronic resources or materials during the exam.  
3. When an instructor authorises students to bring their own personal notes into the exam, they must conform to the following formatting requirements:
   1. Notes may be up to four pages of text (i.e. two double-sided sheets of paper), with a word limit of 1000 words per page;
   2. If typed, notes must be in Arial font, 10 point. There are no minimum requirements for margin size and pages may be formatted in columns or text blocks, in landscape or portrait orientation;
   3. Notes may be handwritten: the word limit remains 1000 words per page;
   4. Notes must be paginated and must include the student’s name. Students will be required to turn notes into exam invigilators after each exam.

During a closed book exam, students will not be allowed to bring any books, notes, materials or resources into the exam. 

1. Upon arriving to the exam room, invigilators will check each student’s TCard to confirm attendance and identity. Students must display their TCards on the desk at their station at all times during the exam.
2. With the exception of students’ TCards and permitted notes, Jackman Law strictly enforces a “clear desk” policy: no personal belongings are permitted on the table tops when students write exams.
3. Once sealed exams have been received, students must follow the invigilator’s instructions for choosing a seat according to the seating plan and may then prepare their workspace and wait quietly for the exam to begin.
4. At the end of the exam, students must wait for the invigilator to dismiss them. When instructed to leave the exam, students will bring all exam materials to the invigilator. Students may leave the exam room once they have received their TCard.

1. Students who arrive late to an examination by 15 minutes or less should proceed directly to the scheduled examination room and follow the invigilator’s instructions. Students will write until the scheduled end time for the exam. No additional time will be given.
2. Students who arrive more than 15 minutes after the start of an examination may choose to proceed to the scheduled examination room and continue to write the exam as under subsection (1). Alternatively, students arriving more than 15 minutes late may proceed to the Students Services Hub and inform the Chief Invigilator, Registrar or Assistant Dean, Academic that they have arrived law. Students may then petition the Assistant Dean, Academic, to write a deferred examination. Please refer to section 61(5) for further details regarding exam deferrals.
3. When the Faculty is aware of circumstances outside students’ control that may have affected students’ ability to arrive on time to an examination, such as inclement weather, widespread traffic congestion, power outages or public transit delays, the Faculty will delay the start of the exam for an appropriate amount of time and make reasonable efforts to communicate with affected students. 

1. All exams in the JD program at Jackman Law are graded anonymously. The Records Office assigns pseudonyms to students in the first semester and examination papers are identified by pseudonym or by student number. 
2. Instructors may request to know the identity of the student who wrote an exam, for example in order to provide feedback directly to the student, only after the work has been graded.
3. For courses where the evaluation method requires instructors to combine a non-anonymous grade such as class participation or a presentation grade with an anonymous grade such as on an examination, instructors may request to know students’ real names only after submitting anonymous exam grades to the Records Office. 
4. Students at Jackman Law other than JD students do not use pseudonyms for exams and are not graded anonymously. 

1. Jackman Law strongly encourages students to defer writing an exam if they feel unwell immediately before the exam commences. Please refer to section 61(5) for further details regarding exam deferrals. 
2. Students who begin writing an examination and who are unable to continue writing for health reasons should inform the invigilator and ask to be excused. Books and examination papers will be left in the examination room and the student should immediately go to the Records Office in the Jackman Law Building, Student Services Hub, 3rd Floor. The Records Office will notify the administration. The Assistant Dean, Academic, will meet with the student to assess the situation and determine how to proceed. Students unable to complete an exam may file a petition for Aegrotat.
3. If a student experiences a medical event or falls ill during or shortly before an examination and nevertheless completes the examination, and if they feel their performance on the exam was undermined by illness, the student should consider a petition for Aegrotat.

1. In exceptional circumstances, when a student:

   1. completes an exam but believes that, due to an unexpected event beyond their control such as a medical episode, they were unable to perform to the best of their ability, or
   2. is unable to complete or abandons an exam as a result of an unexpected event beyond their control,

   they may petition the Academic Standing Committee for Aegrotat standing. Students petitioning for Aegrotat standing should identify and document a discrete and unforeseen episode or event that affected their exam performance.

2. If the Academic Standing Committee grants Aegrotat, the student will be awarded ungraded credits for the course and a notation of ‘AEG’ will appear on their academic transcript.
3. Students must submit a petition for Aegrotat to the Assistant Dean, Academic, as soon as practicably possible after the conclusion of the exam. Students should provide a compelling explanation of a delay of more than 48 hours between the end of the exam and making a petition for Aegrotat.  
4. Recognising that the unforeseen nature of events giving rise to a petition for Aegrotat may lead to delays in students procuring documentary or medical evidence supporting the petition for Aegrotat, students may provide supporting evidence after lodging the initial petition. 
5. A petition for Aegrotat will not be considered if a student submits the petition after grades are released, unless exceptional circumstances made it impossible for a student to file a petition for Aegrotat before grades were released. 
6. In deciding a petition for Aegrotat the Academic Standing Committee will consider the following:
   1. Whether the grade the student earned on the exam is consistent with other grades on their transcript. the Committee will not grant Aegrotat standing in a course when the student’s grade on the exam in question is similar to other grades on the student’s academic record;
   2. If the grade the student earned is below other grades the student has earned, whether, on a balance of probabilities, the events the student describes in a petition for Aegrotat caused or contributed to their sub-standard exam performance;
   3. The period of time between the end of the exam and the submission of the petition for Aegrotat. Because Aegrotat is a remedy for a discrete and unforeseen event affecting a student’s performance on an exam, students should be able to make a petition immediately or shortly after the end of the exam. Without a compelling explanation of a delay longer than 48 hours between the end of the exam and the making of a petition for Aegrotat, petitions filed after a delay of 48 hours or more are less likely to be granted. 

1. Students are encouraged to review their examinations with the instructor. This review can take the form written or oral comments. Students are permitted to see their examination paper, which may include comments from the instructor. In all cases, instructors will be available to discuss the examination with students within a reasonable time after the marks are released through the Records Office. Students are encouraged to use this resource, and indeed, a meeting with the instructor is a necessary step should a student wish to appeal a grade.
2. The Records Office will not release exam questions until all deferred exams have been completed, usually during the next academic year. 

1. Students should avoid attempting to write more than three research papers in a semester or more than five in an academic year. Typically, students find it difficult to meet the deadline requirements and to do justice to each paper if they exceed these guidelines. 
2. Students may make only one submission for each assignment. Subsequent submissions will not be accepted.
3. It is an academic offense under the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters to submit for credit, without the knowledge and approval of the instructor to whom it is submitted, any academic work for which credit has been previously obtained or is being sought in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere.

1. The amount of writing a student is expected to do to meet course requirements varies according to the credit weight of the course. The cumulative total word counts are as follows:
   •    Four-credit courses: 10,000-12,000 words
   •    Three-credit courses: 6,250-7,500 words
   •    Two-credit courses: 3,750-5000 words
   •    One-credit courses: 2,500-3,000 words
2. In general, word counts will be calculated without counting footnotes. Students should accordingly avoid using footnotes for anything other than citations. Substantive text or commentary should be integrated into the main text of the paper and should not be included in footnotes. Instructors may choose to ignore extensive footnotes if the paper as a whole exceeds the word limit.
3. Penalties may be imposed for exceeding word counts, in order to ensure equity in assessment. Unless an instructor clearly articulates a specific penalty for exceeding word limits before work is submitted, the default penalty is that the instructor will not read or give credit for text that exceeds the word limit and will evaluate the work on its strength up to that point. 
4. Any alternate penalties an instructor chooses to impose for exceeding word limits must be clearly articulated or explained and graduated to match different degrees of breach. Further, instructors must be able to demonstrate that they applied these penalties fairly and consistently.
5. Students submitting written work that does not reach the minimum word count will not have a grade assigned for the course. A notation of ‘Incomplete’ (‘INC’) will appear on a student’s transcript until such time as they submit work reaching the cumulative minimum word counts specified above. 

1. All written work in the JD program at Jackman Law is graded anonymously. The Records Office assigns pseudonyms to students in the first semester. Students must submit all final papers electronically to the Records Office (assignments.law@utoronto.ca), using their pseudonym and attaching the standard written work cover page as the first page of their submission. Students should cc themselves to ensure the file was sent. The Records Office cannot answer queries as to the receipt of written work and will contact the student directly if written work due for a course was not received.
2. Students should save their work with the following file name: Course Code – Course Title – Instructor Name – Pseudonym. The subject line of the email should be as follows: Course Code – Course Title – Instructor Name.
3. For courses where the evaluation method requires instructors to combine a non-anonymous grade such as class participation or a presentation grade with a grade for written work submitted anonymously, instructors may request to see students’ real names only after submitting anonymous grades to the Records Office. 
4. Students should be aware that, especially in small classes where the evaluation of the written work includes prior discussion of a paper topic or the submission or discussion of a draft paper, it may be difficult if not impossible to maintain complete anonymity in grading. Similarly, although the Records Office will provide first-year Small Group writing assignments to instructors under students’ pseudonyms for anonymous grading, prior discussions between students and the instructor may make it possible for the instructor to identity the author of a particular paper. Jackman Law believes that any breach in anonymity that result from these interactions between instructors and students is justified by the learning opportunities they allow.
5. Students at Jackman Law other than JD students do not use pseudonyms for written assignments and are not graded anonymously. 

Jackman Law has adopted the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, as our citation system. It is usually referred to as the McGill Guide. Students must submit all written work with citations and references formatted in conformity with the McGill Guide.

1. All papers, written work and assignments are to be submitted to the Records Office by email by 4:00pm (unless otherwise specified by the instructor) on the due date(s) set by the instructor. Student must not submit assignments directly to the instructor. 
2. Due dates, including extended due dates, will never fall on a day or at a time when the Records Office is closed
3. Each year, Jackman Law establishes a final deadline date by which all papers must be submitted. The written work deadline is included in Jackman Law’s Sessional Dates.
4. Instructors may not set a deadline for written work during the exam period. Written work may be due up until the last day of classes as per the Sessional Dates, or on the written work deadline.

1. Directed Research Project (DRP)
   1. Introduction
      1. A DRP provides an opportunity for students to explore topics of their choosing under the direction and supervision of faculty with appropriate research expertise. Students are expected to engage in extensive primary research, advance an original thesis, meet several times with the faculty member under whose direction they are working, produce a draft paper for comment and feedback and produce a final piece of legal scholarship of near-publishable quality.
      2. Students may complete a DRP for variable credits, depending on the amount of work involved and the length of the final paper. The word limit ranges per credit weight can be found in the course description for the course Directed Research Program.
      3. The default credit weight for a DRP is three credits. However, where a student can demonstrate that the magnitude or complexity of the project and the demand on time, by contrast with other courses, require additional credit, the Committee may allow a DRP that carries four credits. Conversely, where the student is expanding on previous work it may be appropriate to assign two credits or even one credit. In the case of a single-credit DRP, the student, faculty supervisor and Directed Researach Committee shall determine an appropriate word limit for the project. 
      4. Only upper-year students may complete a DRP, and students may not enrol in more than one DRP per academic year.
      5. Adjunct faculty and faculty members in other divisions of the University cannot supervise directed research alone. However, a member of the adjunct faculty or a faculty member in other division may co-supervise a DRP with a full-time member of the Jackman Faculty of Law. 
      6. The Directed Research Committee must approve project proposals. During course selection. students should ensure that, in the event that their project proposal is not accepted by the Committee, they will nonetheless remain above the credit minimum for the semester.
   2. Application for directed research
      1. Students must submit a research proposal together with the Directed Research Form, signed by the faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project, to the Records Office by the deadline included on Jackman Law’s Sessional Dates. Proposals and the signed Directed Research Form must be attached to an email sent to records.law@utoronto.ca. Students should plan ahead and secure the agreement of a faculty member to supervise their research prior to course selection. 
      2. Both the supervisor and Committee will ensure that the proposed topic has sufficient academic content, and that the research methods are feasible. In particular, they will satisfy themselves that the project makes conceptual sense, that it can be done in the time allotted, and that the research material is available without any obstacles to its use, such as confidentiality. The general test to be used in accepting or rejecting a project is whether the topic is capable of supporting a paper suitable for publication (either in whole or part or in adapted form) and whether it will make a new contribution to a field. The Directed Research Committee may take account of proposing students’ non-academic and non-legal academic background, such as summer jobs or previous university programs, in considering the likelihood that they will be able to complete the proposed project. 
      3. The DRP proposal should include:
         •    An outline or abstract of the idea the student plans to investigate;
         •    An account of research methodologies the student will use, including strategies to obtain relevant data or research material;
         •    A description of research and sources the student will rely on, and a preliminary bibliography;
         •    Any problems or obstacles the student anticipates and how they expect to overcome them.
      4. The Directed Research Committee may approve the project, approve the project subject to substantive changes to the scope of work relative to the credit weight and time available, or approve the project subject to a change in credit to more accurately reflect the scope of work.  
   3. Research with human subjects
      The University of Toronto requires that all graduate student research involving human subjects be reviewed and approved by its Human Resources Ethics Unit before work can begin. These approvals can take more than a year, which makes them unfeasible for students in the JD program. Students who plan to use human subjects (including interviews) should propose an alternate methodology that is satisfactory to their supervisor. The students and supervisor must make sure the project is feasible without research with human subjects.
   4. Team projects:
      Team projects and interdisciplinary research are permitted and encouraged. However, students proposing a team DRP must clearly articulate why the project cannot be completed by a single student and, when students bring discrete skillsets or expertise to the project, whether students will contribute equally to the project. The Directed Research Committee may allocate different credit weights to the students proposing the project, if it is not satisfied that the students proposing the project will contribute equally to its completion.
   5. Directed research based on previously gathered data or research
      1. Empirically-oriented research projects are welcome, but the final paper should reflect more than merely the results of a data gathering exercise. Rather, a DRP drawing on empirical research should provide an analysis of the data and, where appropriate, a statement of methodology. Students are welcome to build upon data gathered in other contexts, such as summer jobs. However, students may not receive academic credit for work for which they are also receiving or have received compensation. 
      2. Students with experience in a clinical setting may prepare a research paper relevant to their work or experiences. Papers may take the form of a traditional academic paper, memoranda on cases handled by students, briefs for presentation to private or governmental agencies, or other forms acceptable to faculty supervisors and the Directed Research Committee.
   6. Change of credit/change of semester
      Students wishing to change the number of credits for a DRP after it has been approved by the Directed Research Committee, or to change the credit allocation of the project as between semesters, must submit a revised proposal justifying the change along with a Change of Credit or Change of Term form, available from the Records Office and on the ‘Academic Program’ tab of the Jackman Law JD Program webpage. Applications for change of credit must be made before the date on which a first draft is due to be submitted to the supervisor as indicated on the original proposal, and in any case no later than the first business day 28 days after the end of the add/drop period as indicated on Jackman Law’s Sessional Dates.
   7. Submission deadline
      Students must submit their completed work by the date determined by their faculty supervisors, and in all cases no later than the deadline for written work as set out in the Jackman Law Sessional Dates.
   8. Evaluation
      1. The finished product in a DRP is expected to be of high quality. Supervisors will evaluate the work according to the thoroughness of the research, the difficulty of the problems treated, the degree of originality, the coherence and structure of the argument, the persuasiveness of its conclusions.
      2. The supervising faculty member will evaluate the student’s final written work. In light of the close relationship between students and faculty supervising a DRP, it is impossible to maintain anonymity when grading a DRP. However, papers submitted as a DRP may be nominated for the Faculty’s writing prizes which are adjudicated anonymously. Students must therefore submit the final draft of a DRP in accordance with the protocols for anonymous grading of written work, by emailing an electronic copy of the final paper to the Records Office at assignments@law.utoronto.ca, using their pseudonym and attaching the standard written work cover page as the first page of their submission.
2. Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper (SUYRP)
   1. Introduction
      1. Certain courses in the JD program offer students the option of earning an extra credit for the course by completing a significant research paper under the supervision of the course instructor. This is the Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper (SUYRP). Similar to a Directed Research Project, a SUYRP must represent a serious attempt at legal scholarship of near-publishable quality. 
      2. Students will earn one additional graded credit for successfully completing a SUYRP, in addition to the credits assigned to the course for which the SUYRP submitted (the ‘underlying course’). The course ‘Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper’ will show on a students’ transcript, with the same grade as the underlying course.
   2. Rules for SUYRPs
      1. Only students in the upper years are eligible to complete a SUYRP, and students may complete only one SUYRP per academic program year.
      2. A student may complete a SUYRP only when a course is designated as an eligible ‘Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper course’. This designation is visible during course selection. 
      3. A SUYRP must be written under the supervision of full-time members of the Jackman Law faculty. Adjunct faculty may not supervise a SUYRP, unless the Assistant Dean, Academic, grants permission for an adjunct faculty member to co-supervise a SUYRP with a full-time faculty member. Students wishing to complete a SUYRP under the joint supervision of an adjunct and full-time faculty member must petition the Assistant Dean, Academic, well in advance of the deadline for submitting SUYRP requests.
      4. Students completing a SUYRP in a designated course must complete all requirements for course evaluation, such as case comments, response papers, class presentations or short-form writing due during the term, unless these requirements are explicitly excluded for students completing a SUYRP in the course. For example, in SUYRP courses where the primary form of evaluation is an exam, students completing a SUYRP will not write the final exam.
      5. Earning an additional credit for writing a SUYRP should involve more effort than what is required to earn the credits for the underlying course. Although word count is an imperfect measure of effort, the additional legal research and analysis expected in a SUYRP justifies a word count that is higher than the usual written work guidelines, and commensurate with the word counts required for Directed Research Papers. Accordingly, please note the following: 
         •    A SUYRP written for an underlying course worth 2 credits (i.e. three credits in total) must be between 7,500-10,000 words;
         •    A SUYRP written for an underlying course worth 3 credits (i.e. four credits in total) must be between 10,000 and 12,000 words;
         •    A SUYRP written for an underlying course worth 4 credits (i.e. five credits in total) must be between 12,000 and 15,000 words.
   3. Enrolling in a SUYRP
      1. Students considering a SUYRP should plan to enrol in the underlying course as well as in the 1-credit Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper course during course selection. 
      2. Students must contact the instructor of the underlying course well in advance of the deadline for requesting a SUYRP, and submit a Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper Request Form (available from the Records Office or the ‘Academic Program’ tab of the Jackman Law JD Program webpage), signed by the supervising instructor, to the Records Office by the SUYRP deadline. This deadline is earlier in each semester than the add/drop deadline: it is usually the same day as the deadline for Directed Research Project proposals and is included in Jackman Law’s Sessional Dates. Until a student submits this signed form, their enrolment in the single-credit SUYRP course cannot be confirmed.
      3. Instructors may limit the number of SUYRPs they will supervise in an underlying course, and must fill slots for SUYRPs on a first-come, first served basis. 
      4. If during the add/drop period a student wishes to drop the underlying course for which the SUYRP was originally approved and add a different SUYRP-eligible course, the student must submit a new Supervised Upper Year Research Paper Request Form, signed by the new supervising instructor. When making such changes, students must remain mindful of minimum required credits loads.
   4. Completing a SUYRP
      1. Students writing a SUYRP are expected to engage in ongoing discussion with the supervising instructor when selecting a topic and writing the paper. Students must meet with instructors at least twice during the semester to discuss the work in progress.
      2. Although not formally required for the completion of a SUYRP, it is good practice for students to prepare a proposal for the instructor’s review and approval early in the semester, write a literature review or annotated bibliography for the instructor’s comment; and prepare a draft well in advance of the deadline for submission of the final paper to allow time for the instructor to make comments and offer feedback and for the student to respond to feedback and write a final draft.
      3. The schedule for submitting proposals, preliminary work, drafts and the deadline for submitting the final work is to be determined by the instructor and student, subject to the rules for written work deadlines set out in section 45 of this Handbook.
   5. Evaluation
      1. Instructors will include students writing a SUYRP in the grade distribution for the underlying course. 
      2. As with Directed Research, although students will submit the final work for a SUYRP through the Records Office using their pseudonym, students must accept that it will be very difficult if not impossible to maintain anonymity when grading a SUYRP.

Students participating in clinical programs (i.e. Downtown Legal Services; International Human Rights; David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights) are encouraged to take opportunities to integrate their clinical work into an upper year paper course. For a Directed Research Project or Supervised Upper-Year Research Paper, a student must identify a faculty co-supervisor and obtain approval from the Clinical Director, the course instructor or Directed Research Committee, and the Assistant Dean, Academic.

1. JD students who find that they will be unable to submit their written work by the deadline must submit a request for an extension to the Jackman Law Accommodations and Considerations Committee, in accordance with the Academic Accommodations policy set out in Part VII of this Handbook. To do so, students should use the Accommodation Request Form and supply all appropriate documentation.
2. Students registered with Accessibility Services with an ongoing accommodation to submit written work after the deadline must nonetheless inform the Accommodations and Considerations Committee when they wish to apply the accommodation to the written work requirements of a particular course. 

1. Meeting deadlines and submitting work on time is a core competency that students must demonstrate during the course of their studies towards the JD degree. In the absence of an extension granted by the Accommodations and Considerations Committee or an accommodation for a disability-related need granted by Accessibility Services, written work that is submitted after the deadline will attract a penalty.
2. Assessing late penalties under Jackman Law’s grading scale involves consultation between the Records Office, the Assistant Dean, Academic, and the instructor. If possible, the Records Office will ensure that late assignments are graded alongside on-time assignments. Once the instructor has assigned a grade, the Records Office will inform the Assistant Dean, Academic, of the degree of lateness, who will then confer with the instructor to determine the final grade.
3. Late assignments will be penalized by half a grade category for the first day, and by a quarter of a grade category for each subsequent day. This means that late assignments originally assessed as lying close to the boundary of the grade category below will fall into the category below after fewer days of lateness than an assignment originally assessed as closer to the boundary of the grade category above. 
4. For the purposes of this section, the P grade category is understood to be two grade categories. This means that it will take a greater degree of lateness to drop from a P to an LP than from an HH to an H. 
5. In no circumstances will the assessment of late penalties reduce the grade on written work to an F. 
6. These same late penalties will be assessed on written work submitted after any extensions due to accommodations or as provided by the Accommodations and Considerations Committee.
7. Late penalties will begin to be assessed immediately after the time of day specified as the deadline. For example, when the deadline is 4:00pm, written work submitted at 4:10 pm will be considered late by one day.

After the release of grades for each semester, students may request that instructors or the Records Office return any written work that constitutes a majority of the grade in the course with comments and feedback, if any. 

1. Jackman Law adheres to the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. Students at Jackman Law are expected to be familiar with the academic offences described in the Code and the processes and consequences that will follow from the commission or suspected commission of an academic offence. 
2. With particular respect to the use of generative AI, pay attention to the following provisions of the Code:

1) Wherever in the Code an offence is described as depending on ‘knowing’, the offence shall likewise be deemed to have been committed if the person ought reasonably to have known.
3) It shall be an offence for a student knowingly: 
…
(b) to use or possess an unauthorized aid or aids or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work; 

3. In the context of graded written submissions at the Jackman Faculty of Law, absent express written instructions from an instructor permitting the use of generative AI tools on a specific assignment, using them constitutes the use of an unauthorized aid and is an offence under the Code.
4. Please see University’s discussion of the use of generative AI in written work here.
5. Please be aware that Jackman Law expects students to complete their own work, without outside assistance from another person or technology tool unless otherwise specified by their instructors. Students who are not certain about the permissibility of a specific technology in the completion of an assignment should ask their instructor.

Jackman Law is committed to providing a fair avenue for appeal for students aggrieved by Faculty decisions, in accordance with the following general principles:

1. Confidentiality
   1. Student confidentiality is of paramount importance. Jackman Law takes seriously its obligation to safeguard the confidentiality of matters on appeal. 
   2. For students whose work is graded anonymously, appeals will proceed under the pseudonym or student number assigned to the student and used for anonymous grading. Graduate student appeals will proceed under the student’s name.
   3. Where a student exercises a right to appear in person before the JD Appeal Committee, the student is understood to have waived their right to anonymity.
2. Consistency
   Appellate decisionmakers will strive to ensure consistency across decisions, ensuring that like cases are handled alike. Decisionmakers must remain alert and responsive to the circumstances, facts and submissions of the parties in each case.
3. No inordinate delay 
   The Faculty must resolve appeals without inordinate delay.  The Associate Dean’s Office will endeavour to resolve most appeals within six months, although the provision of a written decision may fall outside that time frame.  
4. Representation
   1. Students may pursue appeals with or without representation. 
   2. Representatives may include legal counsel. Representatives may assist students in preparing written submissions on appeal and may appear in person on a student’s behalf.
   3. Students who are represented must inform the Assistant Dean, Academic, and identify their representative, in accordance with the timelines set out in this Part of the Handbook.
   4. Students may wish to bring a person who is not an advocate, but who will provide them with emotional support during a meeting or hearing.
5. No appeal of policy
   Students may appeal the application of any academic rule or policy but may not appeal the rule or policy itself.  

An appeal, referral or review, as appropriate, is available for the following:

1. The final grade assigned to a course;
2. The outcome of a grade review;
3. A decision of the Accommodations and Considerations Committee;
4. A decision of the Academic Standing Committee;
5. A decision of the Associate Dean on a student’s ad-hoc petition;
6. A decision of the Associate Dean applying an academic rule or policy, as set out in this Handbook or the University of Toronto Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters (‘the Code’), to a student.

1. The final grade assigned to a course may be reviewed by a second reader, as per section 55.
2. The outcome of a grade review under section 55 may be appealed to the JD Appeal Committee.
3. A decision of the Accommodations and Considerations Committee or by an Assistant Dean may be reviewed by the Associate Dean. 
4. Subject to subsection (5), a decision of the Academic Standing Committee or the Associate Dean may be appealed to the JD Appeal Committee.
5. A sanction imposed by the Associate Dean for academic misconduct under sections 21 and 35 of the Code may be referred only to the Provost for consideration, under section 25 of the Code.
6. No appeal is available against decisions of the Jackman Law Admissions Committee.

1. Instructors may not alter grades 
   1. Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection, an instructor may not request a change to the grades they assigned to a student’s work after submitting grades to the Records Office. 
   2. If an instructor has made a factual or calculation error unrelated to the substantive assessment of a student’s work, which has resulted in the assignment of an erroneous grade, the instructor may request an adjustment to the grade after submitting grades to the Records Office. 
   3. An instructor requesting a grade change under paragraph (b) must provide written reasons justifying the request.
   4. If the Associate Dean approves the instructor’s request for a grade change, the Associate Dean shall instruct the Records Office to correct the student’s academic record, and if the erroneous grade had already been released, inform the student by email of the correction.
2. Process for grade review 
   1. Instructor meeting
      1. The first step in the process of grade review is for students to meet with the instructor to discuss the work to which the disputed grade was assigned. The meeting provides an opportunity for instructors to explain the reasons for the grade they assigned. 
      2. The instructor meeting must take place within 30 calendar days of grades being released by the Records Office. The meeting may be in person or virtual. Instructors may choose to record the meeting.
      3. Students must make reasonable efforts to arrange the instructor meeting within 30 days of grades release. If the instructor is unable to meet within 30 days the student must alert the Assistant Dean, Academic, who will endeavour to set up a meeting as soon as possible. If such meeting occurs after the expiry of 30 days, the meeting will be understood to have satisfied the requirement of subparagraph (ii).
      4. If the instructor is unable to meet with a student to discuss a grade after the Assistant Dean’s intervention, a student may petition the Associate Dean to allow the grade review to go forward in the absence of an instructor meeting.
   2. Grounds of review
      1. A student must submit their written grounds of review to the Assistant Dean, Academic, within 30 days of the instructor meeting.
      2. Grounds of review are limited to the academic merit of the appellant student’s work and substantive arguments that the instructor’s conclusions about the quality or merit of the appellant student’s work were unreasonable.
      3. In their grounds of review, a student must specify and explain the error or errors they believe the instructor made in assigning the grade, and which render the grade unreasonable. The student may submit any supporting documentation relevant to the review. Complaints including but not limited to the following are irrelevant to a grade review and will not be considered in the review:
         A.    a student’s grades in other courses; 
         B.    the impact of a low grade on a student’s career or employment prospects;
         C.    the emotional impact of a lower-than-expected grade;
         D.    external, unforeseen circumstances beyond the student’s control affecting their ability to perform at their best during an exam (see Aegrotat in section 39 of this Handbook)
   3. Associate Dean’s recommendation
      If the Associate Dean is of the view that a student’s request for review has no prospects of success, the Associate Dean shall inform the student and recommend that they withdraw their request. Students have no obligation to follow the recommendation of the Associate Dean.
   4. Instructor’s response
      1. The Assistant Dean, Academic, shall provide the student’s grounds of review and any supporting documents to the instructor and request a response.
      2. The instructor must provide a response to the Assistant Dean’s request within 30 days of receipt of the grounds of review. In providing a response, the instructor may:
         A.    prepare a written response to the substance of the student’s grounds of review;
         B.    rely on written comments already made, either at the time of grading or in response to the student’s queries after grades release;
         C.    rely on the oral responses provided to the student in the instructor meeting, of which there may be a recording;
         D.    provide a grading rubric or guidelines according to which the instructor graded exams; or
         E.    choose not to reply to the substance of the student’s grounds of review. 
      3. If the instructor makes no response within 30 days, the review process will continue as if the instructor had chosen to make no response as per subparagraph (E) above.
   5. Second reader’s assessment
      1. The Assistant Dean, Academic, in consultation with the Associate Dean, shall identify a full-time faculty member or, if necessary, an adjunct instructor with relevant expertise to act as a second reader.
      2. The Assistant Dean, Academic, shall provide the following materials for the second reader: 
         A.    the piece of work under review; including any marginal comments the original marker made;
         B.    the student’s grounds of review and any supporting documents;  
         C.    the instructor’s response, if any; and
         D.    any other documents the Assistant Dean, Academic, deems necessary to conduct the review.
      3. The standard of review for a grade review is reasonableness, which is to be understood as follows:
         A.    When an instructor has provided reasons in support of the grade they assigned to the student’s work, the second reader shall consider whether those reasons provide a clear and intelligible justification for the grade.
         B.    When an instructor does not provide reasons explaining the grade, the second reader shall consider whether there are reasons which could have been given that would clearly and intelligibly justify the grade originally assigned.
      4. The second reader shall set out in writing their reasons for a conclusion that the instructor assigned an unreasonable grade to the work or that the grade was reasonable, as the case may be. The second reader must endeavour to provide their reasons within 30 days of receiving the file. The Associate Dean may, on request, grant up to 30 additional days to a second reader to complete the review.
      5. If the second reader concludes that the instructor’s grade was unreasonable, they may indicate the grade they believe should have been awarded. This grade may be higher or lower than the instructor’s grade.
      6. If the second reader concludes that the instructor’s grade is reasonable, the instructor’s grade shall stand.
3. Confirmation by the Associate Dean 
   1. Once the second reader has rendered a decision, the Associate Dean shall review the process, findings and recommendations of the second reader and, if satisfied that the provisions of this section have been complied with, confirm the second reader’s decision. 
   2. A student may appeal the second reader’s decision to the JD Appeal Committee.

1. A student may petition the Associate Dean to review a decision of the Accommodations and Considerations Committee, within 15 days of notice of the decision. 
2. The Associate Dean shall consider whether the Accommodations and Considerations Committee’s decision was a reasonable application of the Faculty’s policies or whether there are exceptional circumstances that justify allowing an exception from those policies. 
3. The Associate Dean shall issue a decision within 15 days.
4. The Associate Dean’s decision may in turn be appealed to the JD Appeal Committee. 
5. If the circumstances warrant, the Associate Dean may refer a petition to review a decision of the Accommodations and Considerations Committee directly to the Appeal Committee.
6. When a decision of the Accommodations and Considerations Committee affects or may affect a student’s academic standing, the Associate Dean must refer a petition for review of that decision to the Academic Standing Committee for consideration. 

1. Introduction 
   There shall be a standing committee of Faculty Council known as the JD Appeal Committee. The Appeal Committee is composed of all full-time members of faculty at Jackman Law, and up to four third-year students. The Appeal Committee may hear appeals of grade reviews, decisions of the Accommodations and Considerations Committee, decisions of the Academic Standing Committee and of the Associate Dean on ad-hoc petitions.
2. Panels of the Appeal Committee 
   1. Appeals shall be heard by panels of at least three members of the Appeal Committee.
      1. The Associate Dean shall designate at least two faculty members and up to one student member of the Appeal Committee to form a panel for the purposes of hearing appeals. Appellant students may request that the panel assigned to hear their appeal include only faculty members, in which case the Associate Dean shall designate at least three faculty members.
      2. The Associate Dean shall designate a faculty member to chair each panel of the Appeal Committee.
3. Conflict of interest
   Students and faculty members designated to form a panel of the Appeal Committee must disclose any conflict of interest they may have as a result of prior involvement in, or knowledge of a matter being appealed, or because of personal connection to the student appellant that goes beyond ordinary acquaintance within the Jackman Law community. Members of panels are expected to avoid the appearance of impropriety by recusing themselves from matters in which they have a disqualifying interest.
4. Hearings
   1. Subject to University policies, a JD student appealing a matter to the Appeal Committee shall have access to any documents a panel of the Appeal Committee considers to be relevant to the appeal and to which, in its opinion, the student ought to have access.
   2. Hearings may proceed on the record of the issue on appeal, if neither the appellant student nor the Faculty wish to make oral submissions.
   3. Students may choose to make oral submissions in person to a panel of the Appeal Committee, or to have a representative make oral submissions on their behalf. The panel may put questions to an appellant student or their representative appearing in person. 
      1. If a student chooses to make oral submissions to the Appeal Committee or have a representative make oral submissions on their behalf, the student must inform the Assistant Dean, Academic, at least 15 days before the scheduled date of the hearing. Failure to provide notice may result in the postponement of the hearing.
      2. A student intending to appear in person before the Appeal Committee may request that a specific member of faculty or a student assigned to the panel be replaced. Such a request may result in a postponement of the hearing.
   4. The Associate Dean, a faculty member or other suitable faculty representative designated by the Associate Dean may present evidence and argument on behalf of the Faculty to a panel of the Appeal Committee. The panel may put questions to the Associate Dean, faculty member or other person representing the Faculty.
   5. The chair of the panel shall rule on the admissibility of evidence put before the panel, shall resolve any disputes going to procedure, and shall answer any questions of law that arise during the hearing.
   6. Decisions of the panel are by majority vote and reasons for decisions of the panel shall be written by the Chair or a designate. If the panel is not unanimous, the reasons will state the conclusions and reasons of both the majority and the minority. The panel must render its decisions without inordinate delay. The Chair shall endeavour to release its decision within 30 days of the hearing.
   7. The Associate Dean, with the consent of the appellant student, may modify or disregard the deadlines specified in the appeals procedure or other procedural requirements if in his or her opinion it would be in the interest of fairness to the student or the integrity of the academic program to do so.
   8. Where appropriate, and with the consent of the appellant student, the Associate Dean may provide alternative or informal means of resolving disputes.
5. Grade appeal 
   1. A JD student may appeal the decision of a second reader in a grade review to the Appeal Committee. A student must file grounds of appeal and any supporting documents within 30 of receipt of the second reader’s decision.
   2. If a student’s representative is to prepare the grounds of appeal, the student must inform the Assistant Dean, Academic, at least 10 days prior to filing grounds of appeal.
   3. A student may argue in their grounds of appeal that the grade assigned by the instructor was unreasonable on the merits, or that the review before the second reader was procedurally unfair. The student must file any supporting documents along with their grounds of appeal.
   4. Upon receipt, the Assistant Dean, Academic, shall provide the student’s grounds of appeal and any supporting documents to the instructor and, in the case of allegations of procedural unfairness in the review before the second reader, to the Associate Dean. The instructor and the Associate Dean, in the case of allegations of procedural unfairness, may respond to the student’s submissions within 15 days.  
   5. The standard of review in a grade appeal on the merits is reasonableness. The Appeal Committee will ‘step into the shoes’ of the second reader and apply the standard of reasonableness as described in section 55(2)(e)(iii) to the original marker’s grade.
   6. When a student alleges procedural unfairness in the grade review before the second reader, the Appeal Committee will determine whether the process was fair, taking into account the submissions of the appellant student and the Associate Dean. 
6. Hearing a grade appeal 
   1. The record before the Appeal Committee for a grade appeal shall comprise the following:
      1. the student’s original work and any comments provided thereon by the instructor;
      2. the student’s initial grounds of review and any supporting documents;
      3. the instructor’s response to the grounds of review, if any;
      4. the second reader’s decision;
      5. the student’s grounds of appeal and any supporting documents; and 
      6. the instructor and Associate Dean’s responses to the grounds of appeal, if any.
   2. The Assistant Dean, Academic, will inform students of the date on which their grade appeal will be heard and of the identity of the panel members as soon as these details are finalised, and not later than 15 days prior to a scheduled hearing. With the consent of the appellant students, hearings may be held with a notice period shorter than 15 days.
7. Disposition of a grade appeal
   1. After hearing the appeal, the panel shall uphold or set aside the second reader’s decision. 
      1. If the panel finds that the original grade was unreasonable and that the second reader erred in upholding it, the panel may substitute a grade that it determines to be reasonable. 
      2. If the panel finds that the original grade was reasonable, it shall confirm the original grade.
8. Decisions of the Academic Standing Committee
   1. A JD student may appeal a decision of the Academic Standing Committee to the JD Appeal Committee within 30 days of being informed of the decision, by filing their grounds of appeal and any supporting documents with the Assistant Dean, Academic.
   2. The role of the Appeal Committee in an appeal of a decision of the Academic Standing Committee is to ensure the policies, regulations and standards of the Faculty and the University have been applied reasonably and procedurally fairly in the circumstances.
9. Decisions of the Associate Dean
   1. Except for decisions on sanctions for academic misconduct, a JD student may appeal a decision of the Associate Dean to the JD Appeal Committee within 30 days of being informed of the decision, by filing their grounds of appeal and any supporting documents with the Assistant Dean, Academic.
   2. The Associate Dean or their designate may file a response to the appellant student’s grounds of appeal, together with any supporting documentation, with the Assistant Dean, Academic, within 30 days. The student’s grounds of appeal and the Associate Dean’s response, if any, will constitute the appeal record before the Appeal Committee.
   3. The standard of review in an appeal of a decision of the Associate Dean is reasonableness. 

Students may appeal a decision of the JD Appeal Committee to the Academic Appeals Committee of the Academic Board of the University of Toronto Governing Council in accordance with the University of Toronto Policy on Academic Appeals within Divisions.

1. Introduction
   1. Jackman Law is committed to affording all students equal opportunities to succeed in the JD program notwithstanding short- or long-term disabilities or other challenges.
   2. Jackman Law recognises its obligations to provide reasonable accommodations and considerations while maintaining high standards of academic excellence and ensuring students are in equitable positions to meet core learning objectives and acquire core competencies.
   3. The Jackman Law Accommodations and Considerations Committee works with Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto to implement reasonable accommodations for long-term disabilities, and provide considerations for short-term challenges impeding students’ ability to progress through the JD program.
2. Confidentiality 
   1. Accessibility Services will never share students’ medical or diagnostic information with law school staff without consent, and law school administrators will not share information about students, including information about grades, with Accessibility Services without consent.  
   2. Under no circumstance should students contact their instructors to request or discuss accommodations or considerations. Instructors do not have the authority to grant any form of accommodation or consideration, and students who make such requests risk exposing sensitive personal information and/or compromising the principle of anonymous assessment at Jackman Law.
3. Definitions
   1. ‘accommodation’ means an ongoing accommodation to meet a student’s disability-related needs, as described in an accommodations letter provided by Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto: only Accessibility Services can assess disability-related need and recommend accommodations;
   2. 'Committee', in this Part of the Handbook, means the Jackman Law Accommodations and Considerations Committee
   3. ‘consideration’ means an arrangement intended to allow students facing short-term and unexpected challenges to keep up with academic work and complete course requirements: considerations are granted by the Jackman Law Accommodations and Considerations Committee. Considerations include due-date extensions for written work, examination deferrals and access to recordings for missed classes;
   4. ‘VOI’ means the Verification of Illness or Injury form.
4. Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto
   Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto St George Campus is a team of interdisciplinary professionals striving to provide equitable access to education for University of Toronto students with disabilities, health conditions, and diverse ways of learning.

Accessibility Services provides individualized and reasonable solutions that meet the accessibility needs of registered students while upholding academic standards and academic integrity within the University.

Students with disabilities, health conditions or diverse ways of learning that require ongoing accommodations must register with Accessibility Services, providing current documentation describing their condition and its impact on their learning.

For more detail, see the University of Toronto Accessibility Services homepage.

5. Jackman Law Accommodations and Considerations Committee
   1. The membership of the Jackman Law Accommodations and Considerations Committee shall be the Assistant Dean, JD Program, the Assistant Dean, Academic, and the Registrar. The Committee may consult with the Associate Dean.
   2. The Committee performs two functions:
      1. The Committee will approve and implement all reasonable accommodations recommended by Accessibility Services; provided the recommended accommodations are consistent with Jackman Law policy and will not undermine core learning objectives, undermine academic integrity, or interfere with instructors’ ability to assess whether JD students have acquired core competencies. 
      2. The Committee decides all requests for considerations other than those requiring accommodations.

1. Registration
   1. The first step in the accommodations process is registering with Accessibility Services. Information on how to do so is available on the Accessibility Services Registration and Documentation webpage. 
   2. It is important that students register with Accessibility Services well before term starts. The registration process may take a significant length of time, depending on the complexity of a student’s circumstances and required documentation. 
   3. Jackman Law recommends that incoming first-year students and upper-year transfer students connect with Accessibility Services by early summer.  
   4. Returning students must renew their accommodations prior to each academic year.
2. Accessibility advisor
   Each student registered with Accessibility Services will be assigned Accessibility Advisor who will work closely with them to recommend a set of ongoing accommodations. Accessibility Advisors will also work with students to make additional accommodations recommendations beyond any ongoing accommodations already in place.
3. Ongoing accommodations
   Each term, Accessibility Services will document all recommended accommodations in letters specific to each course in which the student is enrolled. Students registered with Accessibility Services must provide copies of these letters to the Accommodations and Considerations Committee, by email, at accommodations.law@utoronto.ca.
4. Committee review
   The Accommodations and Considerations Committee will review all accommodations recommended by Accessibility Services. If the recommended accommodations are inconsistent with existing Jackman Law policy, may prevent Jackman Law students from meeting core learning objectives or developing core competencies of compromise the integrity of academic assessment, the Committee will work with Accessibility Services Advisors to design and implement alternative reasonable accommodations.
5. Putting ongoing accommodations into effect
   Students with ongoing accommodations recommended by their Accessibility Advisor and approved by the Committee must nonetheless inform the Committee when they wish to apply those accommodations in specific courses, by completing and submitting the online request form here.

1. Unforeseen circumstances 
   1. Students who find themselves facing unexpected and unforeseen obstacles to attending classes, completing academic work on time or preparing adequately for exams, and who are not registered with Accessibility Services, may request a consideration from the Accommodations and Considerations Committee.  
   2. Students who are registered with Accessibility Services facing unexpected and unforeseen obstacles unrelated to their ongoing accommodations may also request a consideration from the Accommodations and Considerations Committee.
   3. Circumstances in which a consideration may be appropriate include:
      1. Acute illness, injury or medical episode;
      2. Bereavement;
      3. Housing emergency;
      4. Birth or adoption of a child;
      5. Caregiving responsibilities for an unexpectedly ill family member;
      6. Traumatic experience, such as an accident or being the victim of a crime. 
   4.  Considerations will not be granted when the circumstances on which the student relies are foreseeable, within the student’s control, or which can be reasonably overcome. These include:
      1. Employment obligations or interviews;
      2. Recreational travel plans;
      3. Social events, including weddings;
      4. Common computer problems, including lost data, hard-drive crashes, stolen or damaged devices or internet connectivity;
      5. Commuting issues;
      6. Multiple assignments falling due on or around the same date;
      7. Assignment due dates falling on or around religious holidays, where the due date was posted with reasonable notice.
2. Requests for consideration
   All requests for considerations must be submitted to the Accommodations and Considerations Committee using the online request form, available here. Questions about considerations in circumstances of short-term and unexpected difficulty may be directed to the Committee by email at accommodations.law@utoronto.ca.
3. Documentation
   1. Except for considerations requested in respect of religious observance, students requesting a consideration are expected to provide documentation verifying the circumstances giving rise to the request.
   2. The Committee will accept only the Verification of Student Illness or Injury Form (‘VOI’) as documentation supporting a request for a short-term medical consideration. The VOI must be completed in full by a physician, surgeon, nurse practitioner, registered social worker, registered psychotherapist, registered psychologist, dentist, or other medical professional.
   3. The Committee will not accept a VOI completed by a person related to the student submitting the request.
   4. The VOI must establish that the student was examined and diagnosed at the time of illness, not after the fact. The VOI must specify the date range that the medical condition has affected the student’s capacity. Even when a student has a chronic condition, a VOI supporting the request for a medical consideration must have been completed within a reasonable time of the request and must attest to the immediate impact of the condition on a student’s capacity.
   5. For circumstances impacting wellbeing or capacity, such as grief, documentation should be on a VOI or on official letterhead from an independent professional. Where there is a serious illness that affects an immediate family member, the Committee requires a medical note from the family member’s physician.
   6. Where there is a death in the family, the Committee requires a death certificate, obituary, or memorial service program.
4. Due-date extensions
   1. When a due-date extension is warranted, the Accommodations and Considerations Committee will grant a due date extension commensurate with the circumstances giving rise to the request. For example, an illness of one week will support an extension of one week.
   2. The committee will not assign an extended due date that falls on a day that the Records Office is closed.
   3. Requests for due-date extensions must be made before the due date. A request for an extension made after the due date will not be granted other than in exceptional circumstances.
   4. A student may request a further extension, using the online form and supplying updated documentation.
5. Examination Deferrals
   1. The Committee will grant an examination deferral only in circumstances that significantly impair a student’s capacity to write an examination. The Committee will not grant deferrals if the student making the request indicates no more than a preference to defer the examination. 
   2. The Committee will grant deferrals upon request if two examinations are scheduled for the same day; it will not, in the absence of additional grounds, grant deferrals for examinations scheduled on consecutive days.
   3. Except in circumstances described in paragraph (d), students must submit a request to defer an examination before the scheduled start of the examination. When the circumstances prompting the request for an examination deferral arise within 48 hours of the scheduled start of the examination, students may submit documentation supporting the request at a later date; provided students submit such documentation as soon as reasonably possible after the request is initially made. 
   4. A student who arrives more than 15 minutes late for the start of an exam may request a deferral. This consideration will be provided to a student once only. Should a student arrive late on a subsequent occasion, they will not be offered a deferred exam and must write the exam in the assigned room. No additional time will be given.
   5. In both the fall and winter semesters, all deferred examinations will be scheduled for a deferred examination period after the end of the examination period as indicated on the Jackman Law Sessional Dates. Students who are unable to sit for examinations during the deferred examination period must write the examination during the scheduled exam period in the next semester when the course is offered.
6. Class recordings
   The committee will approve access to class recordings, where available, in accordance with the policy on class recordings set out in section 23 of this Handbook.
7. Religious observance
   1. It is the policy of the University of Toronto to allow reasonable consideration of the needs of students who observe religious holy days other than those already accommodated by ordinary scheduling and statutory holidays.
   2. Students must submit requests for examination deferrals in consideration of religious observance to the Accommodations and Considerations Committee before the end of the first month of each term, or immediately after exam dates are announced if after the end of the first month of term. 
   3. The Committee will grant requests for exam deferrals if the exam is scheduled on the same day as a religious observance. The Committee will not, in the absence of other reasons, grant a deferral for an exam when a religious observance precedes, but does not conflict with, a scheduled exam.
   4. When the scheduled exam period overlaps with any holy day the observance of which involves fasting, the Committee will, on request:
      1. Grant deferrals in respect of all exams scheduled to overlap with a day of fast;
      2. Reschedule afternoon exams to morning timeslots;
      3. Ensure fasting students write their exams in spaces where food and drink are prohibited.

1. Jackman Law aims to make no substantive changes to the Handbook during the academic year. Except in the circumstance outlined in subsection (2), any amendments to this Handbook will take effect in the following academic year beginning on 1 July.
2. Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Associate Dean may, with immediate effect:
   1. Make minor textual changes to the provisions of this Handbook in order to remove confusion or ambiguity;
   2. Make substantive or policy changes by amending the provisions of this Handbook if required by academic integrity, effective teaching, safety or well-being, or other urgent concerns. 
   3. When the Associate Dean makes changes contemplated in subsection (2)(b), they will notify instructors and students and provide the text of the new or altered provision(s).  

Any proceedings instituted during an academic year and unresolved by 30 June of that year shall continue according to the version of the Handbook in force at the time that proceedings in that matter began.