University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law is a Canadian law school which offers a bachelor of laws degree (LL.B.). It is located in New Brunswick's capital city, Fredericton, and is one of two law schools located in the province (the other being a French language common-law school, La Faculté de droit de l'Université de Moncton). The current Dean of the Faculty is Ian Peach. Former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Gerard V. La Forest
is the Distinguished Legal Scholar in Residence.
school in the Commonwealth
, the institution relishes its small size. With only 80 first year students, a close-knit community forms among the students and professors/instructors.
In 1892 the King's College Law School was established in Saint John
, New Brunswick
in the Provincial Building at the instersection of Princess Street and Canterbury Street in the city's central business district. This building hosted the offices of various Government of New Brunswick civil servants as well as the Saint John Law Society. The parent institution of the King's College Law School was King's College
which was located at that time in Windsor, Nova Scotia
; Windsor, being a port located on the Bay of Fundy
developed strong commercial connections with Saint John during the 19th century.
Beginning in 1912, the King's College Law School entered into a partnership with the University of New Brunswick
in Fredericton
whereby undergraduates in arts at UNB were permitted to take first-year law studies at the UNB campus in Fredericton.
A disastrous fire occurred on the King's College campus in Windsor on February 3, 1920, placing the future of the institution in doubt. An offer by the Carnegie Foundation
to fund moving King's College from Windsor to Halifax
where it would be located adjacent to and integrated with Dalhousie University
was accepted in 1922; this resulted in King's College being renamed as the University of King's College
.
These events saw various suggestions made as to the future of the orphaned King's College Law School located in Saint John. One option was for the law school to continue to operate in New Brunswick either independently or as a school of the proposed new University of King's College. The latter option proved difficult, given the existence of the Dalhousie University Faculty of Law and the fact that the University of King's College was to have considerable integration with Dalhousie.
Instead, a third option was undertaken in 1923 where the King's College Law School became the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law. The integration into UNB saw the law school continue to operate in Saint John much as before. The earlier link made with UNB in 1912 for first year law students undertaking their studies in Fredericton also continued.
In 1948 the newly installed Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick, Lord Beaverbrook, who had registered at the King's College Law School in the 1890s but did not attend the institution, was shocked at the condition of the instructional space used by the law school in Saint John's Provincial Building. Lord Beavrbrook arranged to purchase two buildings on Germain Street to move the school into new facilities; he had also purchased the residence of the late F.P. Starr on Coburg Street with the intention of creating a joint-use reception centre for the law school and Saint John City Council, however, this plan was subsequently scrapped.
Prior to 1950 the UNB Faculty of Law only had one professor of law at its campus in downtown Saint John with the majority of instruction being provided by members of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick
or practising barristers. In 1950 two professors of law were appointed. In 1953 the law school moved from the Provincial Building to Beaverbrook House on Carleton Street which also saw the creation of the faculty's dedicated law library; this year also saw the appointment of the first full-time dean of law. In 1956 an additional professor of law was appointed.
In 1959 the faculty moved from Saint John to Fredericton where it was located in Summerville House, the residence on Waterloo Row having been purchased in 1948 by Lord Beaverbrook as his Fredericton residence before donating it to UNB in the late 1950s. The UNB Faculty of Law remained at Summerville House for until the October 1968 opening of Ludlow Hall, located at the intersection of Dineen Drive and Kings College Road on the university's College Hill campus.
. In his report, he stated that the Saint John Law School was only "nominally a faculty of UNB". This prompted the two Saint John Law Professors, McAllister and Ryan to encourage Lord Beaverbrook (Max Atkin), as Chancellor, and UNB President Colin B McKay of Rothesay, NB, to permanently move the Saint John Law School to the UNB Fredericton campus, despite the Dean's objections.
The 1960s were a period of post-secondary education reform throughout New Brunswick and Saint John did not fare well, having lost all of its professional programs in a push to centralize them at UNB Fredericton, including the Teachers College, the Nursing School, as well as Engineering and Architecture classes. During this same period, the Irish Roman Catholic community in the town of Chatham
saw its Catholic liberal arts institution, St. Thomas University
move to Fredericton under McKay's direction.
, members of the provincial and federal government, as well as business and industry leaders.
's Fredericton campus, the Faculty is home to the Gerard V. La Forest
Law Library and the UNB Law Journal.
Gérard La Forest
Gérard Vincent La Forest, CC, QC, FRSC, LL.D was a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from January 16, 1985 to September 30, 1997....
is the Distinguished Legal Scholar in Residence.
Reputation
With a total student body of approximately 230 and about 20 full-time professors/instructors, the school ranks among the top Canadian law schools (based on surveys of over 500 lawyers and former law students http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=24).History
The second-oldest common lawCommon law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
school in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
, the institution relishes its small size. With only 80 first year students, a close-knit community forms among the students and professors/instructors.
In 1892 the King's College Law School was established in Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
in the Provincial Building at the instersection of Princess Street and Canterbury Street in the city's central business district. This building hosted the offices of various Government of New Brunswick civil servants as well as the Saint John Law Society. The parent institution of the King's College Law School was King's College
University of King's College
The University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
which was located at that time in Windsor, Nova Scotia
Windsor, Nova Scotia
Windsor is a town located in Hants County, Mainland Nova Scotia at the junction of the Avon and St. Croix Rivers. It is the largest community in western Hants County with a 2001 population of 3,779 and was at one time the shire town of the county. The region encompassing present day Windsor was...
; Windsor, being a port located on the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
developed strong commercial connections with Saint John during the 19th century.
Beginning in 1912, the King's College Law School entered into a partnership with the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
in Fredericton
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
whereby undergraduates in arts at UNB were permitted to take first-year law studies at the UNB campus in Fredericton.
A disastrous fire occurred on the King's College campus in Windsor on February 3, 1920, placing the future of the institution in doubt. An offer by the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation is an organization based in The Hague, Netherlands. It was founded in 1903 by Andrew Carnegie in order to manage his donation of US$1.5 million, which was used for the construction, management and maintenance of the Peace Palace...
to fund moving King's College from Windsor to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
where it would be located adjacent to and integrated with Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
was accepted in 1922; this resulted in King's College being renamed as the University of King's College
University of King's College
The University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
.
These events saw various suggestions made as to the future of the orphaned King's College Law School located in Saint John. One option was for the law school to continue to operate in New Brunswick either independently or as a school of the proposed new University of King's College. The latter option proved difficult, given the existence of the Dalhousie University Faculty of Law and the fact that the University of King's College was to have considerable integration with Dalhousie.
Instead, a third option was undertaken in 1923 where the King's College Law School became the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law. The integration into UNB saw the law school continue to operate in Saint John much as before. The earlier link made with UNB in 1912 for first year law students undertaking their studies in Fredericton also continued.
In 1948 the newly installed Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick, Lord Beaverbrook, who had registered at the King's College Law School in the 1890s but did not attend the institution, was shocked at the condition of the instructional space used by the law school in Saint John's Provincial Building. Lord Beavrbrook arranged to purchase two buildings on Germain Street to move the school into new facilities; he had also purchased the residence of the late F.P. Starr on Coburg Street with the intention of creating a joint-use reception centre for the law school and Saint John City Council, however, this plan was subsequently scrapped.
Prior to 1950 the UNB Faculty of Law only had one professor of law at its campus in downtown Saint John with the majority of instruction being provided by members of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick
Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick
The Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick is the superior court of the Canadian province of New Brunswick.- Structure :...
or practising barristers. In 1950 two professors of law were appointed. In 1953 the law school moved from the Provincial Building to Beaverbrook House on Carleton Street which also saw the creation of the faculty's dedicated law library; this year also saw the appointment of the first full-time dean of law. In 1956 an additional professor of law was appointed.
In 1959 the faculty moved from Saint John to Fredericton where it was located in Summerville House, the residence on Waterloo Row having been purchased in 1948 by Lord Beaverbrook as his Fredericton residence before donating it to UNB in the late 1950s. The UNB Faculty of Law remained at Summerville House for until the October 1968 opening of Ludlow Hall, located at the intersection of Dineen Drive and Kings College Road on the university's College Hill campus.
Loss for Saint John
According to the book "Quiet Campus" by Dr Peter McGahan of UNBSJ, the Saint John Law School moved from Saint John as a result of a report on the status of legal education in Canada by Professor Cohen from McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. In his report, he stated that the Saint John Law School was only "nominally a faculty of UNB". This prompted the two Saint John Law Professors, McAllister and Ryan to encourage Lord Beaverbrook (Max Atkin), as Chancellor, and UNB President Colin B McKay of Rothesay, NB, to permanently move the Saint John Law School to the UNB Fredericton campus, despite the Dean's objections.
The 1960s were a period of post-secondary education reform throughout New Brunswick and Saint John did not fare well, having lost all of its professional programs in a push to centralize them at UNB Fredericton, including the Teachers College, the Nursing School, as well as Engineering and Architecture classes. During this same period, the Irish Roman Catholic community in the town of Chatham
Chatham, New Brunswick
Chatham is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County along the south bank of the Miramichi River opposite Douglastown...
saw its Catholic liberal arts institution, St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)
St. Thomas University is jointly a public and Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers degrees exclusively at the undergraduate level for approximately 3,000 students in the liberal arts, humanities, journalism, education, and social work....
move to Fredericton under McKay's direction.
Alumni
Graduates include Provincial and Federal judges, members of the Supreme Court of CanadaSupreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
, members of the provincial and federal government, as well as business and industry leaders.
Buildings & Features
Located in Ludlow Hall, on the University of New BrunswickUniversity of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
's Fredericton campus, the Faculty is home to the Gerard V. La Forest
Gérard La Forest
Gérard Vincent La Forest, CC, QC, FRSC, LL.D was a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from January 16, 1985 to September 30, 1997....
Law Library and the UNB Law Journal.