Osgoode versus Lincoln Alexander (LASL) unique points please help!

[Cali_75]

I got accepted to both of these schools and although the question seems silly given Osgoode’s reputation, I have a couple of things weighing on my mind as I try to make a more strategic choice.  For my background I’m looking to study either corporate law, employment law or real estate.  I’m also interested in civil.  Essentially I’m keeping my options open to these practices and seeing what I like best.  I know for sure I don’t want to be in areas like criminal, family, immigration etc.  Here are some of the things I’m considering:

At LASL they don’t have 100% exams like Osgoode.  Their exams are 60% the most and the rest of your grade is coursework.  LASL seems to be more of a hands on approach but also would appear to be more work during the semester because of the volume of assignments in their integrated practice curriculum in comparison to Osgoode’s more traditional approach.

The competition in Big law is less at LASL so I’m thinking it will be easier to excel and take advantage of opportunities as opposed to Osgoode which is a much larger school with more competition.  A friend of mine at LASL mentioned that a lot of students are taking the social justice and civil streams so big law was less competitive in terms of applications in the recruits etc.

Commute is about the same for me to either school so not really a deciding factor.  I live in Toronto.

Osgoode has recorded classes which is good if you miss a class for various reasons, LASL does not.  LASL also only has a couple of years of upper year summaries in comparison to Osgoode which has decades plus an alumni network.

LASL allows you to graduate a semester early due to their mandatory professional placement semester in 3L.  If your summer job in 2L meets this requirement you can use it as your 3L placement and graduate a semester early.  

Osgoode has more clinics and is well established in that area which will give more opportunities to gain experience and fill your resume.  LASL has far less established clinics.  I’m unsure how important clinics really are if you’re pursuing big law I know it’s more important for legal aid streams etc.

Osgoode had about 30% of 290 students placement rate in the 2023 recruits and LASL had about 12% out of 150 students so Osgoode obviously has better job prospects but I’m surprised that LASL perform that well given how new they are.

Tuition is about $4,500 more a year at Osgoode which to me isn’t a relevant factor.

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences between these two schools. I know this question has been asked before but I haven’t seen some of these points addressed.  Open to correction if I’m wrong on any of the above!

Edited June 17, 2023 by Cali_75

[Chef Justice]

There are a few things I would note:

First, it is never a good reason to pick a school because there is "less competition"; the focus should be on what the outcomes are for an average student. Students at LASL may or may not have a lower participation rate in the recruits, but that does not mean people are going to be less competitive about grades. You still have to have good enough grades, good CV, network, etc. Additionally, I'm a firm believer that law school stats don't indicate someones actual ability as a law student (and definitely not as a lawyer). I go to Queen's and the students with high stats (3.8+, 165+) still had to struggle learning how to properly FIRAC a case, how to apply law to a fact pattern, and study as hard as anyone else to stay with the curve. LASL doesn't release a class profile either way, so there wouldn't be any indication of how statistically competitive their class is, but always assume that your law class is going to be similarly competitive at any Canadian law school.

Second, the point about 100% exams vs assignments is fair. Some people excel at assignments but don't do nearly as well on exams and so having more assignments could potentially offset their exam performance. Having more assignments may also be more reflective of what you will actually be doing as a lawyer.

Ultimately, most people in this situation would choose Osgoode. It is the more established school that gives better outcomes to average students in the practice areas that you mentioned. However, if you believe the learning environment of LASL is better for you, then choose LASL. You can still achieve those outcomes from LASL.

[NewJd5726]

I think you're overthinking this one a bit. I'm sure LASL is and will continue to be a pretty good law school, but Osgoode has been a great law school for a very long time, with a strong alumni network (meanwhile LASL's first class is just now graduating).

If your goal is to work in big law, you've already highlighted the stats yourself. Osgoode places students at twice the rate LASL does. I don't think there's any merit to the idea that getting into big law is less competitive at LASL, because first, firms don't have a quota of students they hire from each school, so it's not as though you'd have an easier time getting into big law from LASL just because fewer students are applying. And second, I'm highly doubtful that a significant portion of the class at LASL is opting out of the recruit process. At the very least, that portion would be the same if not lower than at Osgoode, considering Osgoode also has a strong social justice contingent every year.

On the point about 100% exams, I wouldn't necessarily shy away from them before you've even experienced them. Is it possible you'll struggle with them? Sure. But it's also possible you'll crush them. Unless you know for sure that you struggle with those types of assessments, I wouldn't even let that be a factor, and even then I don't think it should be a very important factor.