Osgoode Graduate Student Awards

Some of the funding packages provided to Graduate students in the program consist of scholarship funding that is administered and awarded within York University.  The funding offer assumes that any and all graduate, research, teaching, internal and external scholarships will be counted towards meeting the York guarantee.  In a few instances, for example, York Scholarships. SSHRC and Ontario Graduate Scholarships, 50 per cent of the scholarship funding will go towards meeting the York guarantee, and the remaining 50 per cent is an additional source of funding for the award recipient.

Students are encouraged to apply for all scholarships that they are eligible for, including scholarships offered by York as well as Tri-Council, provinical and other external scholarships.

Students may be awarded entrance scholarships based on merit and financial need.  Some scholarships and bursaries may also be awarded to continuing students in the program.  Prospective students do not apply for entrance scholarships as they may be offered as part of the admissions package.  Throughout the academic year, calls will go out to enrolled students for Osgoode scholarship applications.

Arthur Brunskill Fund

This fund was established by the friends and colleagues of the late Arthur Brunskill, Registrar of the Ontario Labour Relations Board for more than 20 years, to encourage the study of Labour Relations Law. The annual income, of approximately $500, will provide a fellowship for a student enrolled in the Graduate Program at Osgoode Hall Law School who is pursuing research in Labour Relations Law.

Harley D. Hallett Graduate Scholarships

The Harley D. Hallett Graduate Scholarships were established by the estate of Elizabeth A. Hallett (1912-1993) in memory of her late husband, His Honour Judge Harley Donald Hallett (1912-1977), a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, class of 1939, who practised law (1939- 1946) and served with distinction as Magistrate and Provincial Court Judge (1946- 1977) in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Scholarships may be awarded to students engaged in full-time graduate studies leading to an LLM, DJur or equivalent degrees. Recipient selection is based on academic background, performance and potential for successful completion of graduate study with preference given to those applicants concentrating on business law or criminal law. Recipients should be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons, Ontario residents and have demonstrated financial need.

Harry W. Arthurs Fellowship

Harry W. Arthurs was Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School (1972-1977) and President of York University (1985-1992). He established these fellowships upon his retirement in 2005 and they were generously supported by many colleagues, students and friends. The fellowships will be awarded to highly qualified candidates with excellent academic records who propose to pursue doctoral degrees in the broad field of public law, with preference being given to candidates proposing to undertake interdisciplinary work. All entering and continuing doctoral candidates are eligible. At the discretion of the Director of the Graduate Program in Law, recipients may be considered for a second or subsequent award. Recipients demonstrate financial need.

Helena Orton Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship honours the life and work of Helena Orton, a lawyer with a special commitment to pursuing equality for women, whose tragic death in 1997 cut short her career and her life’s work.

Students in full-time or part-time thesis graduate studies, either at Osgoode Hall Law School or the Graduate Program in Women’s Studies at York University, are eligible.  The scholarship is designed to further Helena Orton’s work, and is thus available for graduate work that explores “relationships between law and social equality.”  Both men and women students are entitled to apply, and some preference will be given to students whose work focuses on workplace issues of benefit to women. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of academic achievement and a demonstrated commitment to equality issues. A call for applications goes out in the spring term with the application deadline generally in early March of each year.

John W. Graham Fellowship

The John W. Graham Fellowship was established by Edward S. Rogers in honour of John W. Graham, Q.C., Class of 1936, noted for his distinguished contributions to the development of broadcasting in Canada. The fellowship will be awarded annually to an outstanding student in the Graduate Program in Law who is undertaking research in the field of administrative law with preference given to students who focused any area of regulatory law that relates to communications for example telecommunications, media, privacy or digital governance.

Joyce and Fred Zemans Scholarship

The Joyce and Fred Zemans Scholarship at York University will be awarded to one graduate student from each of the following programs:  1. The Graduate Program in Art History, with preference given to students in Canadian Art and/or Curatorial Studies; 2. The Schulich School of Business’ MBA program, with preference given to students specializing in Arts and Media Administration; AND  3. The Osgoode Hall Law School’s Graduate Program in Law, with preference given to students whose research focuses on Alternative Dispute Resolution or Access to Justice.

J. S. D. Tory Research and Writing Awards

Torys LLP  established these awards to encourage and recognize student writing.   Full-time graduate or JD students registered in a degree program at Osgoode Hall Law School are eligible to apply and may submit a paper which has been written for a law school course, seminar or supervised research, or which has already been accepted for publication by a legal journal.  Normally four awards will be made each year. A student wishing to apply for an award may do so by submitting a copy of her/his essay to the Student Financial Services Office. A deadline will be established and advertised each year in the fall semester.

Mary Jane Mossman Graduate Scholarship

This scholarship was established in the 1990s, as part of the settlement of a human rights complaint, to recognize the contribution made by Mary Jane Mossman to legal scholarship and legal education. The scholarship is intended to assist graduate students whose work focuses on legal or socio-legal issues relating to feminism, gender, or the rights of women.

The scholarship is intended to provide financial support as an entrance scholarship for the thesis-based (research stream) LLM or the doctoral program in the Graduate Program in Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. It is awarded to one or more students at the discretion of the Director of the Graduate Program in Law. The scholarship is to be awarded to a student (or students) whose application demonstrates: excellence in relation to legal or socio-legal issues relating to feminism, gender, or the rights of women; and excellence in academic achievement; and/or excellence in relevant activities relating to the scholarship.

In the event that there is no appropriate applicant among incoming students in any year, the scholarship may be awarded to one or more in-progress students on the basis of a call for applications. The recipient will be selected by the Director of the Graduate Program in Law.

Nathanson Graduate Fellowships

The Jack & Mae Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security awards several Nathanson Graduate Fellowships to meritorious graduate students whose thesis or dissertation work is closely tied to the research themes of the Centre. Students must be enrolled full-time in the Osgoode Hall Law School Research LLM (thesis-based or MRP) or PhD programme, or in a York University masters or doctoral programme. Previous recipients of Nathanson Fellowships are eligible, but preference will be given to first-time applicants. Recipients must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons, and must be Ontario residents.

Nicol Kingsmill Fellowship

This fellowship was established by the friends of the late Nicol Kingsmill, Q.C. It will be awarded to a graduate student enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School who is pursuing research in Administrative Law.

Newton W. Rowell Graduate Scholarship in Law

Newton Wesley Rowell (1867-1941) graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1891. He went on to a distinguished career as a Canadian jurist and statesman. He was elected to the Ontario legislature in 1911 and then served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917-1921. In 1936 he became Chief Justice of Ontario, and in 1937 he was appointed by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to head the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations. His grandson, the Honourable Henry N.R. Jackman, has endowed this scholarship to honour Newton Rowell’s memory and contribution to Canada. This honour can be awarded to students who receive an Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

This scholarship will be awarded annually to full-time students registered in the Graduate Program in Law who have demonstrated academic excellence. The investment income will support students who have been awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). Preference will be given to students pursuing studies in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). In any year that Osgoode does not have students who have received an OGS, the income from the endowment will be awarded to full-time graduate students at the discretion of the Director of the Graduate Program in Law. Again, preference will be given to students pursuing studies in ADR.

Peter W. Hogg Graduate Award

Peter W. Hogg began teaching at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1970 and served as the Dean from 1998 until 2003. His influence on legal scholarship and his outstanding ability as a teacher have earned him the respect of his colleagues and devotion of countless students. He has left a lasting impression on the Law School and this award has been established to honour his many contributions.

The purpose of the award is to provide financial assistance to students in the Osgoode Hall Law School Masters (full-time research) and doctoral programs. It will be awarded at the discretion of the Graduate Program Director on the combined basis of financial need and a strong academic record.

Sidney R. Peck Graduate Law Scholarship

Professor Sidney R. Peck established this scholarship in 2010 to make a contribution to Osgoode Hall Law School and to legal education.  He joined the Osgoode faculty in 1966 and has a particular interest in judicial decision making.  He retired in 1995 but continues to have an ongoing relationship with the Law School.  His donation for the endowment was matched by the York University Graduate Matching Program and the Ontario Trust for Student Support.

The Scholarship is available to students in the full-time Graduate Program in Law (LLM or PhD) at Osgoode Hall Law School.  Recipients must be Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents/Protected Persons, who are residents of Ontario, are in good academic standing and demonstrate financial need.

The Honourable Willard Z. Estey Graduate Fellowship

The Honourable Willard Z. Estey Graduate Fellowships in Law are supported by an endowment gift from the Honourable Willard Z. Estey as supplemented by Osgoode Hall Law School. The fellowships are awarded to outstanding law graduates who require financial assistance to pursue a graduate degree in law at the Masters or Doctoral level at Osgoode in preparation for careers in the legal profession, in the judiciary, or as law teachers and scholars, and who demonstrate aptitude for leadership and a commitment to use their knowledge and expertise for the greater good. The Estey Fellowship Fund supporting these fellowships was matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly these fellowships are available only to Ontario residents.

The Honorable Gerald Eric Le Dain Bursary

This bursary has been named as a tribute to The Honourable Gerald Eric Le Dain, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School from 1966 to 1972 and a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1984 to 1988. It will be awarded annually to a student registered in the Graduate Program in Law who is a Canadian citizen/permanent resident, Ontario resident and who has financial need.