Pre-Law Preparation

We offer students from North America and around the world who are keen about the law a unique summer camp opportunity.

You will discuss advanced legal concepts, learn about the reality of the Canadian legal system, and apply your knowledge in a variety of experiential learning environments. Participate in 1 to 5 week-long modules, each of which delves hands-on, into a legal area such as criminal law, international law, social justice, or corporate law.

Learn more about the YSP and subscribe to its mailing list.

During the Ontario high school March Break, spend a week at Jackman Law immersing yourself in the world of legal thinking and advocacy, as you learn what it is like to be a law student.

Find out more about the interactive March Break law school experience.

LAWS is a collaborative education program designed to support, guide and motivate high school students who face barriers to success by exposing them to law and justice through workshops, mentorship and employment programs. We’re levelling the playing field in education by helping students find a pathway to success.

LAWS was the innovation of Ron Daniels, the former Dean of the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. It was developed in response to Daniels’ recognition that although the law school was a well resourced institution with considerable expertise and engaged staff, faculty and students, it was located in the same community as high schools with diverse student bodies who faced significant challenges to succeeding in high school, accessing post-secondary education, attending law school and joining the legal profession. LAWS expanded to Osgoode Hall Law School in 2011.

LAWS is grateful for the generous support of the Law Foundation of Ontario.

Innovative Programming

Our model harnesses the power of experiential legal education to help high school students succeed. We bring high schools, law schools and justice professionals together to infuse law and justice themes into the education curriculum. We also provide a range of tutoring and mentorship programs to help students reach their potential and participate in the legal profession.

Our innovative programs are offered as part of three key streams:

• Core Program
• Newcomer Program
• Alumni Program

We also support various other University of Toronto Jackman Law youth outreach initiatives including the Youth Summer Program, and the Law School Access Program.

Through our programming, we aim to encourage access to postsecondary institutions and increase the diversity of the legal profession, in order to better reflect, serve, shape and strengthen Canadian society.

Tutors and Mentors

Law student volunteers provide the people power for the majority of our program activities, providing LAWS high school students with repeated positive interactions with keen and engaged role models. Law student volunteers bring their diverse backgrounds, expertise and personal paths to law school to the table. Their participation, commitment and enthusiasm have an immediate and transformative impact on the personal and academic lives of LAWS students.

Law students are trained in advance and fully supported and participate by:

• Tutoring and mentoring LAWS high school students
• Developing and facilitating in-class workshops on legal themes
• Coaching Mock Trial and Model United Nations teams
• Accompanying students on field trips to courthouses and legal organizations
• Supporting LAWS programs such as the Law Firm Mentoring Program and the Court Experience Program
• Delivering conference sessions
• Working for LAWS during the school year or over the summer break

Find out more

Visit the Law in Action Within Schools website.

The Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN) is a charitable not-for-profit, non-governmental organization with a province-wide mandate. OJEN provides innovative educational tools that introduce young people to the justice system, help them understand the law, and build their legal capability. The justice education projects help youth across Ontario learn about the law and develop the skills they need to manage legal issues they will face in life.

Learn more about OJEN classroom resources, programming and projects.

Everyone - regardless of citizenship or place of residence - must first complete at least three academic years' worth of undergraduate degree education before they start in the JD at U of T Law.

Even if the law school you are applying to does not require it, your application will be more competitive if you have completed your undergraduate degree. Most successful applicants have completed their undergraduate degree by the time they begin law school. So your first priority is to apply for a bachelor degree program, in any subject of your choosing, as there is no suggested or preferred prior academic degree program.

 At U of T Law, almost all of our JD students who studied for their undergraduate degee in Canada or the US, have completed at least a four-year degree.  In recent years, approximately five applicants a year have been admitted without completing a four-year undergraduate degree.

For when to apply, the soonest we advise is no earlier than during the final year of your undergraduate degree. However, it is not mandatory that you apply then, since you should apply only when you are ready for law school, rather than at a particular age or stage in life. Thus, before you apply you are welcome to pursue graduate education (master's/doctorate), work, or take a gap period for any reason.

At high school and higher education, there are no required or preferred prior courses, subjects or academic programs for getting into law school. You can study what you enjoy and keep your options open, since any undergraduate degree is good preparation for law school. 

There are people at U of T law school who have degrees in engineering, biochemistry, English literature, political science, economics, music, kiniesology, journalism, business etc. If you aren't sure what you want to study, don't let anyone tell you that one subject is better than another for getting into law school.

Before you begin law school, to better understand how arguments work, we suggest that you take an undergraduate course on introduction to logic. This will help you before you apply with preparing for the standardized Law School Admission Test (LSAT) test, and afterward, during your studies in law school.

Your high school marks will not be considered in your application to law school, only your higher education (post-secondary) marks are reviewed.

You should concentrate on getting into the undergraduate program of your choice, at the school of your choice, for their own merit and not for law school admission.

J.D. stands for Juris Doctor. It is a law degree that is typically granted to students who receive a legal education after they have completed an undergraduate degree. 

The LL.B. which stands for Bachelor of Law is typically granted in most Commonwealth countries to students who complete their legal education directly following graduation from high school, i.e. a program that is first-entry from secondary school.

The J.D. degree designation is intended to distinguish the U of T program, which is a second-entry degree, from first-entry degree law programs. This designation aligns the law school with the growing international standards for second degree law programs.

While your focus should be on what will be beneficial for your personal development, enjoyment and success in your initial undergraduate education, these activities may help you once you are in law school:

• oral advocacy e.g., debate club, model UN, slam poetry, mock trials, public-speaking, book clubs
• working well with others e.g., study-groups/projects, tutoring classmates/younger students, non-solo employment, volunteering in the community
• leadership e.g., role with responsibility in a student club, community organization, church or workplace
• empathy and awareness of the world e.g., community volunteering; reading local, national and international news