McGill University Faculty of Law
McGill University Faculty of Law is Canada's oldest law school and one of the few in North America offering genuine bijural legal education, training students in both common law and civil law traditions simultaneously. Founded in 1848, the faculty has produced generations of leaders including former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Supreme Court justices, and influential legal scholars worldwide. The unique transsystemic curriculum moves beyond simply teaching two legal systems to integrating comparative and theoretical perspectives throughout legal education. Located in Montreal, students experience immersion in a bilingual city where both legal traditions operate in daily life. The faculty attracts exceptional students from across Canada and internationally, creating an intellectually diverse community engaged with fundamental legal questions. Research excellence spans human rights, Indigenous law, private law theory, and emerging technology law. The faculty's relatively small size—approximately 180 students per class—creates intimate learning communities while providing access to McGill's broader resources. Graduates are uniquely positioned for legal careers in Quebec, across Canada, and internationally, with licensing pathways to both common law and civil law jurisdictions. The combination of historical prestige, intellectual rigor, and distinctive curriculum makes McGill Law unlike any other Canadian law school.
- Acceptance Rate
- 65.0%
- SAT Range
- 1050–1250
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- Avg GPA
- 3.25
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Student Life & Environment
Law students at McGill find themselves part of both the intimate faculty community and the larger university environment on one of Canada's most storied campuses. The law building includes common areas where students gather between classes, discuss cases, and form the study groups that help everyone survive the rigorous curriculum. The Law Students' Association organizes social events, speakers, and activities that build community among students who might otherwise spend all their time buried in casebooks. Montreal itself serves as an extension of the classroom, with its bilingual character, distinct civil law system, and cosmopolitan culture providing context for legal studies that pure common law environments cannot match. The city's legendary nightlife, restaurant scene, and cultural offerings give students outlets when academic pressure builds. Living costs remain remarkably reasonable for a world-class city, making the student lifestyle more comfortable than it would be in Toronto or Vancouver. The campus sits at the foot of Mount Royal, with easy access to trails and parks for those needing to clear their heads. McGill's broader student community includes graduate and undergraduate students from around the world, creating social opportunities beyond the law faculty for those wanting variety in their social circles.
Location & Surroundings
Montreal provides an exceptional setting for legal education, with its unique position as a French-speaking city operating under civil law within an English-speaking common law country creating the laboratory for the bijural approach McGill pioneered. The law faculty sits on the downtown campus, within walking distance of the Montreal courthouse and the law firms clustered in the commercial district. Students can observe legal proceedings, attend professional events, and network with practitioners without leaving the neighborhood. The city itself offers cultural richness that rivals any in North America at a fraction of the cost of New York or Toronto. The distinct neighborhoods, from the Old Port to the Plateau to Mile End, provide different atmospheres for exploring, dining, and entertainment. French predominates in daily life, giving students from English-speaking backgrounds immersion in the language that proves valuable for Quebec practice. The winter months bring serious cold and snow, but the city's underground network of shopping and transit makes winter navigation manageable. Summer transforms Montreal into a festival capital, with jazz, comedy, and arts events drawing visitors from worldwide. The accessible housing market means students can live well on modest budgets, easing the financial pressure of law school years.
Costs & Career Outcomes
Tuition at McGill Law remains remarkably affordable by North American law school standards, with Quebec residents paying under $5,000 annually and other Canadian students facing costs around $10,000. International students pay considerably more, though still less than comparable American law schools. These relatively accessible costs reflect Quebec's approach to higher education funding and make McGill attractive to students who would take on significant debt elsewhere. Living expenses in Montreal run lower than Toronto or Vancouver, further reducing the financial burden of legal education. Career outcomes for McGill Law graduates reflect the school's national and international reputation. Major law firms in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal recruit heavily from McGill, valuing the bilingual capabilities and comparative law training that distinguish these graduates. Government positions, judicial clerkships, and public interest work provide alternatives to private practice. The bijural degree opens opportunities in international organizations and multinational corporations that need lawyers comfortable working across legal systems. McGill alumni occupy senior positions in the Supreme Court of Canada, major law firms, corporate legal departments, and legal academia. The career development office helps students navigate the competitive articling and summer placement processes that determine early career trajectories in Canadian law.
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