This September we are welcoming our tenth class of law students, while also celebrating the entrance of our seventh set of alumni into the legal profession.  These are exciting times at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law! 

To join our next class, please read carefully:

For questions regarding the Admission process, please see Admissions Questions.

Applications for September 2023 open August 18th via OLSAS. The deadline to apply is November 1st, 2022. 

 General Application Requirements:

The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law’s Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to reviewing applications, taking into consideration a number of factors including:

• Academic requirements
• Transcripts
• Grade Point Average (GPA)
• LSAT scores
• Personal statement
• Autobiographical Sketch
• References
• Other supporting documentation where necessary (for Mature, Access and Indigenous Applicant categories)

Applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, that have demonstrated academic ability and good potential for success, will be selected.

We cannot accept any advanced standing students from other law programs - all students at Lakehead must do the full three-year JD program.

Applicants must have either Canadian permanent residency status or Canadian citizenship.

Academic Requirements 

To be considered for admission, applicants must have successfully completed a minimum of three (3) years of full-time undergraduate studies at a recognized university. Preference will be given to applicants with an undergraduate degree. Applicants may apply in the third or final year of their undergraduate degree program. An overall academic standing of B+/75% is recommended with an A-/80% in the last two years of study at the undergraduate level.

Transcripts

Applicants are required to submit official transcripts for each university, college, CEGEP, junior college, graduate school or other postsecondary institution they have attended. 

For applicants with post-secondary credentials outside of Canada or the United States, a credential evaluation report through World Education Services (WES) is required. A course-by-course evaluation is required. WES evaluations are not needed for course work completed on exchange or Letter of Permission if transfer credits for courses are recorded on the home university transcript.

All transcripts must be ordered by the applicant and must be sent directly to OLSAS from the host institution. Current and previous Lakehead University students must also provide official transcripts to OLSAS.

There is a transcript fee as part of the application process for each transcript request. This fee is mandatory, even if the applicant is a prior Lakehead University student.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

OLSAS calculates an applicant’s GPA, and the GPA calculation takes into account every course taken at the undergraduate level from every university attended.  If a mark appears on a transcript, it is part of the calculation. If a student re-takes a course to improve their mark, usually both marks are listed on the transcript, meaning both marks are part of the calculation.  The GPA does not reflect any Graduate Level work or college education. Graduate degree transcripts and/or college transcripts are considered separately. 

LSAT Scores

All applicants are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Lakehead University does not set a minimum LSAT score. The weight given to the LSAT varies depending on the fulfilment of other elements of the application. To be considered for September 2023 entry, applicants must take the LSAT no later than January 2023. However, in order to have the score reports available for the first round of offers, applicants are highly recommended to write the LSAT in August 2022, October 2022 or November 2022. The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law will receive a complete record from the Law School Admission Service (LSAC) of all of an applicant's LSAT test scores, but the highest test result is prioritized in admission consideration. If it is the first time an applicant is taking the LSAT, it is not considered complete until the writing sample is completed. LSAT scores within the past five (5) years may be used.

It is not necessary to apply to the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law prior to registering for the LSAT.

For questions about the LSAT test, please see a list of common LSAT questions and answers provided by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) which administers the LSAT.

Personal Statement

The Personal Statement must be completed with the Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS) application. The Personal Statement provides applicants with the opportunity to demonstrate the strengths, capabilities and achievements that distinguish desirable applicants. On the Personal Statement, an applicant can include information about what led the applicant to apply to study law, the applicant’s preparedness for the study of law, the applicant’s aspirations after graduation, and the applicant’s interest in Lakehead University and the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

Applicants are expected to discuss how any or all of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law mandate areas fit in with the applicant’s goals as a future lawyer. They are expected to discuss any connection or previous experience they have with any or all of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law mandate areas.

Applicants may wish to include information about any anomalies with their academic performance, highlight non‐academic achievements and note any special circumstances that have contributed to, or adversely affected, their academic and non‐academic success.

An applicant’s personal statement will be considered in the context of the rest of their application. It must be authored entirely by the applicant and must not exceed 8,000 characters in length. 

Autobiographical Sketch

The Autobiographical Sketch serves as a ‘snapshot’ of the applicant’s interests and experiences. The Autobiographical Sketch is an opportunity for applicants to highlight any work experience, volunteer experience, awards or accolades.

References

All applicants must provide at least two (2) letters of reference. Although it is preferable that both letters are academic references, applicants may provide one non-academic reference letter. 

Applicants should carefully consider the selection of their referees. Referees should have extensive personal knowledge of the applicant in order to make statements concerning the applicant’s character, personal qualities, academic competencies, employment performance, volunteer contributions and other areas that may be of interest to the Admissions Committee.

Letters of reference must be confidential and submitted directly by the referee to OLSAS. Applicants will arrange for their referees to submit the OLSAS Confidential Reference Forms that are provided with the application.

Other Supporting Documentation

Applicants are able to submit any relevant documentation to supplement their application, where necessary. If an applicant has applied under the Mature, Access or Indigenous Category, they are encouraged to submit supporting documentation with their application. See specific categories for documentation requirements.

How to Apply:

To apply to the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, the application form used is available online through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre. All applications, even those from current/previous Lakehead students, must go through the OLSAS system.

---> Apply through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre on the OLSAS Application Form 

As part of the application process, applicants can select from the four Applicant Categories to apply, including the General Category, Mature Category, Access Category or Indigenous Category. Please refer to the OLSAS Application Guide for additional information on each of these categories. Please read the guide carefully, as it contains important information about the application process.

Questions? Please see Law Admission questions before contacting us.

Required Documentation:

Applicants are to submit the following required documentation as part of the application process. (Please also refer to the Important Deadline Dates to ensure you are meeting all the published deadline dates.)

1. Application and Application Fees - applicants pay a $200 OLSAS application fee, plus $115 per Ontario law school applied to. So if you are applying only to Lakehead, your application fee will be $315. If you are applying to Lakehead + 1 other school, application fee will be $415. There are eight Ontario law schools. You may request a fee waiver for the Bora Laskin portion of the application fee. The basic criterion for granting a fee waiver is the absolute inability to pay for the service.
2. Transcript fee - there is also a $12 transcript fee as part of the application process for each transcript request. This fee is mandatory, even if you are a prior Lakehead University student.
3. Official Post-Secondary Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (includes those studied for Letter of Permission or Exchanges)
4. International Credential Assessment (World Education Services) for applicants with post-secondary credentials outside of Canada or the United States. A course-by-course evaluation is required. This is NOT required for students who studied abroad as part of an exchange program. Your foreign university transcript is still required, but it does not need WES evaluation.
5. Language Proficiency Requirements (if applicable)
6. Autobiographical Sketch & Personal Statement (part of the application process submitted online through OLSAS)
7. LSAT Scores (if you have not yet written your LSAT, you must register to do so and include your LSAC code in your application.
8. References
9. Supporting evidence, where necessary
   
   

Important Deadline Dates:

Contact Information:

Please direct all OLSAS-related inquiries directly to OLSAS (i.e., submission of applications or the receipt of documents) at:

Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC)
Telephone: (519) 823-1063
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. EST
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. EST

Information regarding the program and admission requirements should be directed to Lakehead University:

Ms. Anya Scheibmayr
Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Admissions 
Telephone: (807) 346-7862
Email: law@lakeheadu.ca

Website: law.lakeheadu.ca

Please see Law Admission Questions before contacting us.