We offer students the option to choose from four specializations or concentrations. This provides you with an opportunity to hone your skills and deepen your knowledge in a field that interests you the most. More than a certificate or notation on your transcript, your specialized training in these areas will help you stand out to potential employers. These concentrations and specializations are optional and not required for graduation.
Specialization in Indigenous Legal Studies
Program Highlights
- A broad range of courses are offered related to legal issues affecting Indigenous peoples and Aboriginal law in Canada
- A few of the core concepts students can learn about include Section 35 jurisprudence, modern treaties, current legal issues, economic and taxation issues particular to Indigenous peoples, and Indigenous legal orders.
See specialization requirements (PDF) for more information.
Practical Opportunities
- The Allard School of Law runs the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic, located in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. This provides an incredible learning opportunity for students while also providing free legal services to the Indigenous community.
- The Kawaskimhon ("Speaking with Knowledge") Aboriginal Rights Moot is a Canada-wide non adversarial moot that looks at consensus based negotiations on legal issues important to Indigenous peoples and provides Allard students with an opportunity to work with practicing lawyers and students from across Canada.
Business Law Concentration
Program Highlights
- The Business Law Concentration requires students to complete six courses plus an additional six credits from a selection of business law courses.
- As part of the requirements, students must also complete Law 466: Business Law Capstone in the spring term of third year. The Capstone is taught by Adjunct Professor Benjamin Lee, Vice President, Legal & General Counsel at TimberWest Forest Corp. and includes several guest lectures by practicing lawyers and executives. The final assignment requires students to present to the board members of Entrée Gold, Goldcorp, or Teck Resources.
Practical Opportunities
- The Centre for Business Law at the Allard School of Law runs the The Richards Buell Sutton LLP Business Law Clinic, which provides law students with an opportunity to use their substantive understanding of business law in a clinical setting by offering legal services for a range of businesses and non-profit organizations.
- The Centre for Business Law also runs the Norton Rose Fulbright LLP Corporate Counsel Externship, where you are placed in the legal department of a business oriented organization on a part-time basis for one academic term.
Visit the Centre for Business Law website to learn more.
Specialization in Law & Social Justice
Program Highlights
- This specialization allows you to focus part of your studies on the use of law to advance and engage with broader justice issues.
- Courses included in the specialization examine the role of law and legal discourse in constructing and maintaining social, political, and economic inequalities, as well as the potential for law to shift inequalities rooted in social relations.
- There are a broad range of courses from which you can choose from. Topics range from constitutional law and criminal law to gender and sexuality and immigration and refugee law.
Practical Opportunities
- There are a number of practical learning opportunities for you to choose from related to this specialization, from community clinics to directed research projects.
- The Rise Women's clinic and the International Justice and Human Rights Clinic are two community clinics that you can enroll to for credit towards this specialization.
Learn more about the list of courses and practical learning opportunities in this specialization on the Current Student Portal.
Specialization in Environmental and Natural Resource Law
Program Highlights
- Thus specialization prepares you for the demanding practice in environmental or natural resource law.
- To earn the specialization, you can select from a variety of courses including: Sustainable Development Law, Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law, International Law and Natural Resources and mining law.
Practical Highlights
- You can participate in the Global Environmental & Resources Law Externship Program
- The Willms and Shier Environmental Law Moot is the only moot in Canada dedicated to environmental law, and one of the few such competitions worldwide.
Visit the the Centre for Law and Environment website for a full list of courses and to learn more about the specialization.