U of T vs uOttawa for Criminal Law

[counterstriker]

Curious about a comparison between uOttawa and U of T.

My current career goal is to practice criminal law. Is it worth attending U of T for that objective?

My career plan is not definite as first year will include exposure to several courses involving different practice areas.

Thanks for any input!

[ArchivesandMuseums]

8 minutes ago, counterstriker said:

Curious about a comparison between uOttawa and U of T.

My current career goal is to practice criminal law. Is it worth attending U of T for that objective?

My career plan is not definite as first year will include exposure to several courses involving different practice areas.

Thanks for any input!

As a uOttawa law student, I would say that U of T is a far better school in terms of learning criminal law. U of T has Professor Kent Roach who is a giant in Canadian criminal law. Also, U of T has better clinical options regarding criminal law than uOttawa.  

[CleanHands]

39 minutes ago, counterstriker said:

Is it worth attending U of T for that objective?

Unless you come from money, paying $33k/year tuition and cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the country (and world) for three years to pursue a criminal law career is insane. The numbers simply don't add up.

Whenever this comes up, inevitably clowns on this forum chime in with "UofT was super cheap/free for me due to bursaries; don't worry about that," but I know plenty of broke UofT law students from middle class families who paid sticker. Don't count on that unless you have reason to.

28 minutes ago, ArchivesandMuseums said:

U of T has Professor Kent Roach who is a giant in Canadian criminal law. Also, U of T has better clinical options regarding criminal law than uOttawa.  

UofT criminal clinical options are still worse than a number of other Canadian law schools, and at an unviable tuition rate. And possibly studying under Roach (or any kind of legal legend) for a class or two is of course cool, but not worth paying the highest tuition in the country by far.

UOttawa is still a better option based on cost alone unless OP is either extremely loaded or extremely impoverished.

[123]

1 hour ago, CleanHands said:

And possibly studying under Roach (or any kind of legal legend) for a class or two is of course cool, but not worth paying the highest tuition in the country by far.

Yeah, I would not pick a school based upon the quality of instruction in a single subject. Having a great prof might spark interest in a field. But I don’t believe quality of instruction has much of a positive, practical impact on a prospective criminal lawyer’s career.

I had a great criminal prof. But most of what he taught me was too limited to inform the day-to-day of criminal practice. That’s the stuff you really only learn in the trenches. You get good at reviewing disclosure, building cross, managing clients, by getting on your feet as much as you can under adequate supervision.

That’s why @CleanHands advice is sound.  You want to go wherever you can get the best clinical opportunities for the lowest cost. If you want to be a great criminal lawyer, put yourself in a position where you’ll be free to go to Court a lot during law school, articling, and the first few years of practice. 

Debt is a massive constraint. It will limit the opportunities and jobs you can take. Not all of the best criminal law experiences pay very well. You will price yourself out of those, if you pay $30,000+ per year. Listening to someone like Kent Roach talk for a few hours a week in law school is no substitute for having the freedom to pursue what you want. 

Edited June 4, 2022 by realpseudonym