Lakehead University is introducing a new online option for attending law school

August 14, 2023 – Thunder Bay, Ont.   

Lakehead University is pleased to announce an exciting development for the upcoming 2024 academic year at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

As part of Lakehead’s ongoing commitment to innovative education, the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is launching the 1L Online Intensive program. This new cohort of students will pursue their first year of law school through a combination of online learning and four weeks of intensive, in-person, land-based learning.

The 1L Online Intensive cohort will complete their second and third year of the Juris Doctor program in Thunder Bay, alongside their classmates who completed their first year in-person.

This new initiative will open spots to an additional 25 students to the full-time Juris Doctor program at Lakehead.

“At the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, we take great pride in our Integrated Practice Curriculum (IPC) and our emphasis on Indigenous and Aboriginal Law,” said Jula Hughes, Dean of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

Photo of Dean Jula Hughes

“This cohort will have the unique opportunity to actively engage with these pivotal elements through the new program,” Hughes said.

The 1L Online Intensive cohort will commence their first week of law school alongside their in-person peers, engaging in a blend of orientation and immersive land-based experiences while learning the foundations of Canadian Law.

Subsequently, the 1L Online Intensive students will participate in a second week of exclusive land-based learning in the Thunder Bay area. Following these two weeks of land-based learning, the 1L Online Intensive cohort will continue the semester online from the comfort of their homes.

The course curriculum for the 1L Online Intensive program aligns with the in-person cohort, encompassing the same mandatory first-year courses.

During the winter semester, the 1L Online Intensive cohort will return to the Thunder Bay area for two weeks, to participate in IPC assignments and further land-based learning, fostering meaningful interactions with Indigenous communities and partners.

Upon completion of their Online Intensive first year, students will transition to join their in-person classmates in second year, completing the remaining two years of the Juris Doctorate program in person.

“We believe this exceptional opportunity offers an unparalleled legal education experience, embracing both tradition and innovation,” Hughes said.

“The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law welcomes applicants who are enthusiastic about exploring an alternate path to legal education.”

For more details on 1L Online Intensive and the admissions process, please visit this page.

 

 

 

 

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

 

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 9,000 students in THE’s 2023 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.