Litigation Stream

Faculty Advisor: Professor Stephen Pitel

Litigators can work in a wide variety of practice areas, including personal injury, commercial law, constitutional law, and intellectual property. They require strong skills in negotiation and written and oral advocacy, as well as a solid understanding of the law of evidence, civil procedure and remedies. The litigation stream at Western Law provides students with both foundational knowledge and the ability to practice their litigation skills through clinical and advocacy courses at the trial and appellate levels.

Students can participate in a large number of co-curricular activities that build their litigation skills. Western Law boasts one of the richest mooting programs in the country, with internal moots in the areas of civil law, labour law, legal ethics, medical malpractice, and corporate restructuring. Most of these competitions are open to students from all years, which means that first-year students can get on their feet early and often in front of professors, practitioners, and eminent members of the judiciary. Western Law has an active student Advocacy Committee, which organizes workshops and coaching sessions to help students build their advocacy skills. Western Law also frequently invites local litigators to give students practical advice on a variety of specific skills related to litigation.

The litigation stream also benefits from Western’s faculty strength in tort law. Western Law professors have authored leading textbooks and casebooks in tort law, and have expertise in medical malpractice, alcohol-related liability, economic torts, insurance, public authority liability, and tort theory.

Capstone

Capstone Prerequisites* 

  • Civil Procedure
  • Evidence

Upper Year Electives

  • Advanced Civil Law Clinic
  • Advanced Family Law Clinic
  • Advanced Torts
  • Conflict of Laws
  • External advocacy competitions (various)
  • Family Law Externship
  • Healthcare Law and Policy
  • Insurance Law
  • International Commercial Litigation
  • Introduction to Clinical Law
  • Labour Arbitration and Procedure
  • Negotiation and Mediation
  • Personal Injury Law
  • Remedies
  • Theory and Practice of Sport Law
  • Trial Advocacy

NOTE: not all courses are offered every year.

*All upper year prerequisites must be taken after first year Torts.

Relevant Co-Curricular Opportunities