Supporting Post-Graduate Studies in Common Law

In 1943, R.B. Bennett, a lawyer with the Law Society of Alberta, made a generous donation to the Law Society to create a scholarship fund which today is known as the Viscount Bennett Scholarship Fund. The Right Honourable Viscount Bennett, KC, LLD, DCL, sought to encourage a high standard of legal education, training and excellence. Successful applicants receive up to $20,000 towards post-graduate studies.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Must be a law graduate, articling student or a lawyer with the Law Society of Alberta.
• Must be ordinarily resident in the province of Alberta.
• If not presently resident in Alberta, must have an express intention to return to the province.

The Viscount Bennett Scholarship Selection Committee determines the annual recipients. Applications should be provided to the Dean of Law at the University of Alberta and must be postmarked no later than May 1 for the year of the scholarship. Find out more information about the scholarship and application process in this guide we created or on the University of Alberta website.

Scholarship Recipients

Supporting Excellence

In honour of Peter Freeman, QC, and his many contributions to the legal profession in Alberta and his lifelong dedication to legal education, the Law Society of Alberta has established the Peter Freeman, QC, Bursary for Indigenous Students in Law.

The bursary is an endowment that will fund an annual award to an indigenous student, based on academic standing and financial need, at each of the Alberta law faculties.

This award was created in 2001 by the Law Society of Alberta to honour Peter Freeman, QC, who served as the Law Society’s Executive Director from 1989 until his retirement in 2001.

Applications should be provided to the Student Awards Office, Faculty of Law at either the University of Calgary by May 1.

Scholarship Recipients

Supporting Third Year Law Students

The W. Bernie Kelly, QC, Memorial Prize is awarded annually to a student completing third year who is of good academic standing and who has performed with distinction in a skills training, or professional responsibility course and ethics course or program in a faculty of law. Two prizes of $1,000 are awarded annually at each of the Alberta law faculties.

The late William Bernie Kelly, QC served the Law Society of Alberta as Deputy Secretary (1966 – 1969), Secretary Treasurer (1969 – 1987) and Secretary (1987-1988). During this time he was a pioneer in the establishment of the Federation of Law Societies in Canada. The creation of this award was intended to recognize his contribution to the Law Society of Alberta and his interest in encouraging a high level of legal education and practice in Alberta.

Applications should be provided to the Student Awards Office, Faculty of Law at either the University of Calgary or the University of Alberta by May 1 for the year of the scholarship. The award selection is determined by the university.

Scholarship Recipients

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies annually awards two scholarships for the LLM degree at the University of Cambridge, England. The Right Honourable Paul Martin Sr. Scholarships cover full tuition at the University of Cambridge, a monthly living allowance, the Immigration Health Surcharge, and one return airfare, subject to any other awards received by the successful candidate.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who have been awarded a law degree from a three or four-year program at a faculty of law in a Canadian university in the four years before the candidate will commence his or her studies at the University of Cambridge are eligible for these scholarships.

An applicant must be accepted into the University of Cambridge and a Cambridge College for the LLM in order to receive this scholarship, although such acceptance need not be confirmed at the time of the application for the scholarship nor at the
time that the Institute provides the candidate with notice that he or she has been selected to receive the scholarship.

Find out more information and how to apply.

French version

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies’ French Language Scholarship ordinarily covers the full amount of the tuition fees payable by the recipient to a French-language European university and includes an allowance to cover a portion of living expenses and reasonable travel expenses to and from the European university, subject to any other awards received by the successful candidate.

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies shall determine each year the maximum amount of the scholarship, up to an amount of $20,000 for the 2021-2022 academic year, and in so doing will take into account the tuition fees as well as the anticipated living expenses and travel expenses of the successful candidate.

Eligibility Criteria

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies annually awards a scholarship for graduate studies in law toward a second cycle or third cycle diploma (the equivalent of a Master’s or Doctoral degree from a Canadian university), at a European university for a program of study that is conducted principally in the French language, to a person who has, in the four years before the candidate will commence the proposed studies been awarded a bachelor’s degree in law from a Canadian university.

An applicant must be accepted into a French-language European university for graduate studies in law in order to receive this Scholarship, although such acceptance need not be confirmed at the time of the application for the Scholarship or at the time that the Institute provides the candidate with notice that he or she has been selected to receive the Scholarship.

Find out more information and how to apply.

French version