Osgoode Hall Law School

Osgoode Hall was named for William Osgoode, an Oxford University graduate and barrister of Lincoln's Inn. He was the first person to serve as the chief justice of Upper Canada.^[4][5]

The law school traces its origins back to the 1820s, and it counts the first Canadian prime minister (Sir John A. Macdonald) among its graduates.^[6] It was reorganized in 1889, and the Law Society of Upper Canada permanently established the law school on the site now known as Osgoode Hall.^[6] At the time, it was the only law school in Ontario, and this remained the case until the establishment of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1949.^[7]

Ontario lawyers were originally required to attend Osgoode Hall in order to practise in the province.^[8] In 1855, the Law Society began requiring members to attend lectures given at Osgoode Hall (the building). In 1862, a law school opened in that building, only to close in 1868. It frequently opened and closed throughout the late 19th century.^[9] The law school at Osgoode Hall was only titled "Osgoode Hall Law School" in March 1924, when the Law Society of Upper Canada formally assigned it that name.^[10]

The school signed an agreement of affiliation with York University in 1965.^[11] It relocated from the Osgoode Hall building in downtown Toronto to York University's Keele Campus in 1968.^[12]

Osgoode Hall is one of the most elite law schools in Canada.^[13] Times Higher Education ranked Osgoode Hall Law School 43 in the world in 2021.^[14] In 2022, Osgoode's joint JD/MBA program with the Schulich School of Business was named among the top 10 business and law programs in North America by FIND MBA.^[15][16]

In the 2008 rankings published by Canadian Lawyer Magazine, Osgoode was ranked first in Canada^[17] and was awarded high marks for the quality of its professors, flexible curriculum, and the diversity and relevance of course offerings.^[17] The faculty has been described as the "strongest in the country," and rank number one in Canada for faculty journal citations.^[18][13]

In 2011, 2012, 2013, Maclean's magazine has ranked Osgoode second amongst Canadian law schools.^[19][20][21]

In 2025, Osgoode Hall Law School ranked 4th overall in Canada and 2nd in Ontario based on rankings from Times Higher Education^[22] The school remains highly competitive with about 2600 applicants a year and an acceptance rate of 8-10%.^[23]

For its first eight decades, Osgoode Hall Law School was located at Osgoode Hall at the corner of Queen Street and University Avenue. The structures at Queen and University (the earliest dating from 1832) are still known as Osgoode Hall. They remain the headquarters of the Law Society of Upper Canada, house the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, the offices of the Law Society of Ontario and the Great Library of the Law Society.^[24]

Currently, the law school is located on the Keele Campus of York University, in the Toronto suburb of North York.^[25] In May 2007, then-dean Patrick J. Monahan announced plans for an extensive renovation and extension of Osgoode Hall Law School involving a renovation of the existing building, and the addition of an additional wing.

The building was designed by architect Jack Diamond with the construction of the renovated building beginning in the summer of 2009. The project had been majorly funded by a $2.5 million gift by Ignat Kaneff,^[26] and the building has been renamed in his honour.^[27] The law school is referred to by York as its faculty of law. Osgoode's Professional Development offices and classrooms are based at 1 Dundas Street West in Downtown Toronto, overlooking Sankofa Square.^{[citation needed]}

The Legal & Literary Society, Osgoode Hall Law School's official student society, coordinates student activities both on and off campus. The organization also funds the student newspaper, Obiter Dicta, along with over fifty student clubs, with notable examples including the Osgoode Hall Criminal Law Society and the Osgoode Constitutional Law Society (OCLS), which was founded in 2014.^[28]

Osgoode hosts Professional Development Programs (OPD) which are located in downtown Toronto at 1 Dundas Street near the original Osgoode Hall building.^[29]

• Jean-Gabriel Castel, private international law, decorated member of French Resistance^{[182][183][184]}
• Peter Hogg, Canadian constitutional law, authored most-cited book at Supreme Court of Canada^{[185][186][187]}
• Gord Kirke, sports and entertainment lawyer^[143]
• Deborah McGregor, Whitefish Bay Ojibway environmentalist, educator^[188]
• Obiora Chinedu Okafor, international and human rights law, also UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity^[189]
• David Vaver, intellectual property law, also Emeritus Professor at Oxford University^[190][191]
• John Borrows, Indigenous legal scholar^[192]
• Angela Swan, contract law scholar, Officer of the Order of Canada^{[193][194][195]}
• Leslie Green, philosopher and legal scholar specializing in jurisprudence, also Emeritus Professor at Oxford University^[196]

• Main character in Canadian legal drama, This Is Wonderland is an graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School.

• List of law schools in Canada