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Programs

Specialize in maritime law or environmental law... or both!

A global centre of excellence for research, education and outreach in oceans and environment law and policy, the Marine & Environmental Law Institute, and the Marine & Environmental Law Program (MELP) offer some of the world's most extensive course offerings in marine and environmental law taught by faculty whose leading-edge research and scholarship are widely cited internationally.

Marine & Environmental Law Program (MELP)

JD MELP certificate program

WithÌý17 full and part-time faculty members currently teaching in the program, students have a unique opportunity to learn about public and private law practice in marine (including shipping) and environmental law taught from domestic and international perspectives.ÌýStudents wishing to specialize in these fields have the option of obtaining a certificate of specialization in either Marine LawÌýor Environmental Law or both, while completing the three-yearÌýJD degree.

Specialization course & program requirements

JD students may specialize in Marine Law and/or Environmental Law and the specialization will be recognized on their transcript.

  • It is the students' responsibility to ensure that they complete all the requirements of the specialization they enroll in.
  • Students wishing to complete the requirements of both certificates are not permitted to count a course towards more than one certificate.
  • All classes counted toward satisfaction of the Marine Law or Environmental Law certificate must be completed with no grade below C and a weighted average grade of B (70).
  • Students are not permitted to count a course towards more than one certificate within the Law School.
  • If a student is participating in an exchange program, s/he can request that one course from that exchange be credited towards the specialization. The course, if approved, can serve as one of the electives in the specialization; it cannot replace a required course in the specialization. The course cannot duplicate a course that the student has taken at the Schulich School of Law. If the course is approved, the student will not be subsequently permitted to receive credit for a course at Schulich which, in the opinion of the Director, has undue overlap with the course taken on exchange. The burden is on the student to demonstrate that the substance and quality of the course fits within the parameters of the specialization, for example, by providing the course description, syllabus, etc. The student must have the course approved by the Director of the specialization prior to taking the course. The Director of the specialization has the final authority to approve the request.

Marine Law Specialization

Required classes

Elective classes

Environmental Law Specialization

Required classes

Elective classes

In order to obtain either an Environmental or Marine specialization certificate, a student must take a minimum of two required courses and two elective courses from the courses listed above.

For more information on these courses, please check out the

Relevant courses

Students may apply to the MELP Director to have a paper, that will be written in another relevant course, approved for the purpose of one of the electives in a MELP certificate.

Note: not all electives are offered each year

How to register for the MELP certificate

We encourage you to submit the MELP Certificate registration form early in the year to ensure you are added to our email list. The email list is used throughout the year to send information on upcoming lectures, events, summer jobs, internships and opportunities related to marine and environmental fields.

Either complete the form  or print on letter size paper and submit a hard copy. When completed, forms can be returned to room 413 or by email melp@dal.ca.

Environmental Law Placement

LAWS 2225.03   Environmental Law Placement
CREDIT HOURS: 3


The Environmental Law Placement provides students with the opportunity to work with environmental law practitioners in Halifax during the winter term. Students will take part in the work of their host organization assisting with research and other tasks as requested, on a specific pre-selected project. Students will be required to spend nine hours a week on placement work. Placement can either be directly with the East Coast Environmental Law Association (ECEL), or, on request, with another suitable host organization, including with government, with non-governmental organizations or with in-house council in the private sector. Students will be evaluated based on performance in the placement including assessment of memoranda written for the placement supervisor as well as the major paper to be written on a related topic. Students will be assigned a project that is suitable as a major paper topic and are encouraged to write a major paper that is closely related to the placement project. While the overall evaluation of the placement will be conducted by the faculty supervisor; the placement supervisor will be consulted with respect to the student's performance in the placement as appropriate. This course fulfils the major paper requirement. Students will be selected by the Director of the Marine & Environmental Law Program (MELP) (in consultation with ECEL when the placement will be carried out with ECEL) based on academic standing, demonstrated interest in the field of environmental law and policy, and supervisor availability. Applicants who have already secured a placement with an external host organization will be required to submit a statement outlining the host’s capacity to supervise the placement (contact MELP for additional information). Only students who have taken Environmental Law I before the start of the placement will be considered. Interested students should apply in writing to the Marine & Environmental Law Program at melp@dal.ca in the academic year prior to the year in which they wish to participate in the placement program. Applications shall consist of a written statement confirming the student's experience and/or interest in environmental law, and a copy of law school grades to date. Enrollment: Limited to 3 students.

CALENDAR NOTES: Faculty Supervisor: MELP Director; Placement supervisor: Executive Director or supervisor, host organization. 
PREREQUISITES: Environmental Law I
ASSESSMENT METHOD: Major Paper 60%; Placement feedback 40%

Environmental Law Placement Host Forms

Host Organizations are required to complete this Environmental Law Placement Host  [275 KB] and return to the MELP office at melp@dal.ca.

To view the Major Paper Guidelines click  [234 KB]

 

 

Exchange opportunities

Study abroad in 2nd or 3rd year

There are a number of opportunities for our JD students to study abroad during one of the terms in second or third year. We have exchange programs with universities around the world. For more information, visit the Schulich School of Law International Exchanges page.

Here are a few institutions that may be of particular interest to marine and environmental law students, as these Universities have strong programs in this area:

New Zealand

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Australia

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Singapore

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Mooting opportunities


LAWS 2250:
 Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot (3 credits)

LAWS 2250 - Canada's first and only national moot court competition devoted to environmental law. This moot is held biennially

The competition takes the form of an appeal before a Canadian court of last resort. Each team files a factum for one party. At the oral hearing, teams argue one side of the appeal in their first match and the other side in their second.

This moot is open to 2nd and 3rd year students in recognition of the fact that this moot is offered biennially. The moot counts as a major paper course.  Academic credit is given at the end of the winter term.

Learn more about this opportunity.

How to apply

Students interested in being considered for this moot are requested to write a letter (hardcopy or email) addressed to Associate Director by second last Monday in March, indicating:

  • year of studies (second or third year);
  • statement of interest and commitment to doing the moot during the fall and winter terms;
  • completion or enrolment in Environmental Law I (NB: this is a pre/co-requisite);
  • whether there is intention to complete the environmental law certificate; and
  • mooting and debating experience (including summary of academic feedback received).

The letter should be accompanied by a short cv and law school transcript. An interview may also be required. The selection committee will be composed of the coach and MELP faculty. Applicants will be informed of the selection by 31 March.

 

 

Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot
March 7, 2015

Professor Aldo Chircop (coach); students, Aaron Lemkow and Kristen Vandenberg (Distinguished Oralist)

 

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Graduate programs

LLM program

The Master's degree allows students to pursue research in marine and environmental law by course work and thesis, or by coursework alone. The LLM program ordinarily takes a year of full-time study but it may also be completed on a part-time basis.

PhD program

The primary requirement for the Doctoral degree, aside from one year of residency, is the completion of a substantial dissertation in marine or environmental law. Opportunities for teaching and research may also be available.

Learn more aboutÌýgraduate admissions and scholarshipsÌýat the Schulich School of Law.