Blog
When Jay Chalke got his first taste of ombudsing back in the mid-1980s, there weren’t many places a fledgling professional like him could turn for advice about what the job would entail. The Office of the Ontario Ombudsman was barely a decade old when Chalke – a fresh call to… Click to Continue Reading.
Program SpotlightJay Chalke helps ombuds and the ombuds-curious get to grips with the role
There’s no such thing as a “typical” OsgoodePD student, especially among those without a formal legal background. In fact, roughly one-third of our students across programs do not hold a law degree. That’s by design. A core part of OsgoodePD’s mission is to bring together professionals from a wide range… Click to Continue Reading.
It’s difficult to write a one-size-fits-all blog post for internationally trained lawyers, because “internationally trained lawyer” is such a broad category. And actually, that’s one of the most important insights we can offer when it comes to preparing your application. Having a law degree is just one part of your… Click to Continue Reading.
Applying to a graduate law program as a non-legal professional might feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The Admissions Committee regularly reviews applications from professionals across a wide range of industries and backgrounds. What we’re looking for is how you’ve encountered legal concepts in your work and how… Click to Continue Reading.
On May 28, 2025, Osgoode’s Internationally Trained Lawyers Day (OITLD) welcomed a packed room of internationally trained lawyers, students, and mentors for a full day of learning, community, and career-building insight. The day began with a series of online-accessible morning panels led by representatives from the National Committee on Accreditation… Click to Continue Reading.
Professor Hassan Ahmad can think of few better indicators of society’s increasing complexity than the growth of the administrative state. “1825 looked very different to 2025 and administrative law is a response to that diversity and fragmentation in decision making,” says Professor Ahmad, who teaches courses to students enrolled in Osgoode’s… Click to Continue Reading.
Instructor ProfileHassan Ahmad sees society’s increasing complexity reflected in administrative law
One of the foundational messages of the Certificate in Law Teaching is that law teachers should strive to create a “community of inquiry” – a learning community with a shared intellectual purpose, guided by an expert, engaged in activities in support of that purpose. The inaugural offering of the Certificate… Click to Continue Reading.
Coding is not just for computer scientists. As artificial intelligence promises to reshape legal practice in the coming years, tech skills are increasingly valuable for young lawyers. With that in mind, Osgoode recently revived its legal information technology course for JD students, rebooting the class as an experiential learning course… Click to Continue Reading.
Program SpotlightOsgoode’s Legal Information Technology course focuses on hands-on learning to enhance access to justice
Fledging lawyers with an interest in business transactions face a very different legal landscape to the one Germán Morales Farah entered almost three decades ago. “When I started, I had firms and companies that were willing to invest in me while I learned,” says Morales Farah, the Program Director for… Click to Continue Reading.
Instructor ProfileOsgoodePD program on business transactions helps students put their core learning into practice
Osgoode’s focus on skills means its graduates leave with much more than a highly respected degree; they are also equipped with the tools they need to thrive in the real world of legal practice. “Lawyering skills are in Osgoode’s DNA”, says Dean Trevor Farrow. “Whether it’s throughout the JD program… Click to Continue Reading.
David Thomas has had a front-row seat to the explosive growth in the field of workplace investigations. As the program lawyer for Osgoode’s Certificate in Human Resources Law for HR Professionals, he was part of the team that allocated an afternoon session to the subject on the five-day program. Over… Click to Continue Reading.
Program SpotlightOsgoodePD offers participants a unique opportunity to boost their skills in workplace investigations