Renewable Upper-Year Scholarships
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Awards
Among the most prestigious at the Law School, the Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Awards were established in 1999 through the generosity of the partners of the firm. Blakes’ Scholars (as the recipients are known) are selected on the basis of academic achievement and financial need. Additional selection criteria may include membership in a disadvantaged group as outlined by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, or whether individuals have multiple responsibilities and limited support.
Each year, approximately three students who achieve a minimum A standing at the completion of first year and who demonstrate financial need will be eligible to receive an award in their second year of studies. Recipients who maintain a B+ average and continue to demonstrate financial need will receive a further award in their third year of the program. One of the three awards in each year may be granted to a student in the combined JD/MBA Program who has completed his or her first year of the JD program at Osgoode. The recipient will also be eligible for an award in the subsequent year of studies provided that the student meets the renewable conditions of the award. The funds for this award were matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly are available only to Canadian citizens/permanent residents who reside in Ontario.
Bertrand Gerstein Scholarship
A York University scholarship, the Bertrand Gerstein Scholarship has the possibility of renewal for two years. The scholarship is awarded to a disadvantaged or mature student in financial need who is enrolled in Administrative Studies, Environmental Studies, Osgoode Hall Law School or Fine Arts.
Annual Upper Year Scholarships
Earl Cherniak, Q.C. Award
This award will be given annually to a student in the JD program who has demonstrated an interest in advocacy through courses or activities such as mooting or other initiatives. The recipient must be a Canadian citizen/ permanent resident/ protected person, Ontario resident and have financial need. This award was established by Lerners LLP to honour its senior partner, Earl Cherniak, on the 50th anniversary of his Call to the Bar. Earl is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading litigators and has played a major role in many important judicial decisions. He has received numerous awards for his contributions and achievements, including the Law Society Medal, The Advocates’ Society Medal and the Osgoode Alumni Gold Key for Achievement.
Goodmans LLP Award
These awards have been established by the law firm of Goodmans LLP. Up to ten awards are available annually. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in the JD Program, or a joint program with the JD, demonstrate financial need, academic excellence (B+ average or higher), and a commitment to the academic life of the Law School through participation in extra-curricular programs, committees and organizations. The funds supporting this award were matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly are available only to Ontario residents as defined by the OSOTF guidelines.
Harris Awards for Indigenous Law Students
Milton E. Harris, Chairman and CEO of Harris Steel Group Inc. generously donated these awards to support Indigenous students registered at Osgoode Hall Law School. It is his intent that the funds will provide students with the resources necessary to complete a legal education, which will enable them to benefit their communities. The awards will be given to Indigenous students who have been admitted or are currently registered in the JD Program who have financial need and good academic standing.
Mary L. MacGregor Memorial Award
Mary graduated from law school at the University of Saskatchewan in 1972 and moved to Toronto to complete her legal articling. She practiced Trust and Estate Law for 42 years, first at Crown Trust, then Blaney McMurtry Stapells, and eventually at a small and unique law firm which would come to be known as Dickson MacGregor Appell.
Mary lectured in estate and succession law at Osgoode Hall and taught the estate planning and administration section of the Ontario Bar Admission Course for the Law Society. She was a member and past president of the Estate Planning Council of Toronto, an editor of O’Brien’s Encyclopedia of Forms, Wills and Trusts Division V, and the author of Preparation of Wills and Powers of Attorney: First Interview to Final Report, Third Edition (Canada Law Book). She was a co-founder of the Center for Estate Mediation and was awarded the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Trusts and Estates in 2011.
Mary was widely known for the generosity with which she shared her knowledge of Trust and Estate Law, especially amongst those whom she taught and mentored, as well as by the kindness and consideration which she showed to her clients and colleagues. The Mary L. MacGregor Memorial Award will be given to a JD student who has achieved high academic standing in the second or third year of the program, shows an interest in Estate Law, is active in the community at Osgoode, and demonstrates financial need.
Alexander David McKenzie Scholarship
This scholarship was established by the Will of the late Esme McKenzie in memory of her husband, Alexander David McKenzie, gold medallist of the Osgoode Hall Law School Class of 1917, to honour the outstanding contribution he made to the legal profession and to the public welfare and political life of Canada and Ontario. The scholarship is awarded to the student in the graduating class who best combines an outstanding academic record with a demonstrated interest in the public life of the Province of Ontario through participation in its political life. To qualify to receive the scholarship, a student must have maintained a cumulative academic standing in the top ten per cent of the class (at least an A- average).
McCarthy Tétrault LLP National Award
The Osgoode alumni of McCarthy Tétrault have generously established this award for students pursuing an JD degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. Three awards will be given annually to students who have demonstrated good academic standing and financial need. The funds supporting this award were matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly are available only to Ontario residents as defined by the OSOTF guidelines.
McMillan LLP Awards
These awards have been established through the generosity of the law firm of McMillan LLP. Up to ten awards are available annually to entering students and/or students who have completed the first year of the JD program. Of the ten awards, at least two awards will be made available each year to students entering, and/or who have completed first year of the combined JD/MBA program. To be eligible, students must demonstrate academic excellence and financial need. The funds supporting the awards were matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly are available only to Ontario residents as defined by the OSOTF guidelines.
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP Award
This award has been established by the law firm of Norton Rose Fulbright. The award will be presented annually to a student entering the second year of the JD Program at Osgoode Hall Law School. The award will be given on the basis of academic excellence as well as a demonstrated commitment to teamwork, as evidenced by his/her participation in extra-curricular programs, committees and organizations.
Osgoode Hall Law School Upper Year Award of Excellence
This award has been established to recognize upper year students registered in the JD Program at Osgoode Hall Law School who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement (standing in the top 20% of their class). Recipients must also demonstrate financial need.
Stuart A. Roebuck Osgoode Undergraduate Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship has been established in memory of Stuart A. Roebuck by his family and his friends. Stuart Roebuck received a full scholarship from York University, graduating with his B.A. in 1982. He then enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School, graduating in the Class of 1985. In 1993, he became a partner with the law firm of Gowling Strathy & Henderson. His life ended in 1996 at the age of 34. The criteria for the award of this scholarship highlights some of the qualities Stuart possessed: academic excellence, an interest in the well-being of others and a fondness for athletic activities and the arts. In addition, the recipient of the award will have a minimum B+ average and be in financial need. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student entering the second or third year of the JD Program or the third or fourth year of an JD joint degree program. The fund supporting this scholarship was matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly is available only to Ontario residents as defined by the OSOTF guidelines.
Murray G. Ross Award
This award is presented annually to a graduating student at York University for scholarship and outstanding participation in undergraduate student life.
Russell Nelles Starr Q.C. Memorial Award
The Russell Nelles Starr, Q.C. Memorial Award was established in 2000 through the estate of his wife Catherine Margaret Starr. A graduate of Osgoode Hall in 1934, the late R. Nelles Starr, Q.C. was a vigorous and skilled lawyer. As a respected member of the legal profession, Starr was a pure litigator and also an iconoclast. He was an enthusiastic critic of the judiciary and other legal institutions. Through this generous benefaction, Starr’s contribution to the legal profession is honoured in perpetuity. The net income from this fund will be awarded annually to up to two students in first or second year who demonstrate financial need, with preference being given to physically disabled students or students achieving high academic standing in civil procedure, or both. The funds for this award were matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly are available only to Canadian citizens/permanent residents who reside in Ontario.
J. Edward (Ted) Thompson, Q.C. Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship has been established in memory of Ted Thompson by his family, friends and colleagues. Ted attended Osgoode Hall Law School, graduating in the Class of 1974. Following graduation, he had a long and distinguished career with the Department of Justice, initially as a criminal prosecutor and civil litigator, and ultimately as Assistant Deputy Minister, Business Law. Ted was deeply admired by his friends and colleagues, both for his outstanding legal skills, and for his kind and respectful approach towards others.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student entering the third year of the JD program who has attained the highest standing in the program of Litigation, Dispute Resolution and the Administration of Justice.
Charles Edward Woodrow Awards
The awards were donated by Isabel Clarke Dickson Woodrow in memory of her husband. Charles Woodrow was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1928. During his service in World War II, he attained the rank of colonel and was honoured as a member of the Order of the British Empire. Colonel Woodrow’s legal career was with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario until he retired in 1970. He was made a life member of The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1978. This award will be given to students at Osgoode Hall Law School who demonstrate academic achievement and financial need. The funds for this award were matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly are available only to Ontario residents as defined by the OSOTF guidelines.
John Yaremko, Q.C. Scholarship
This award has been established by John Yaremko, Q.C., Class of 1944. Mr. Yaremko served as a distinguished member of the Ontario Legislature for 25 years (1951-1975). His portfolio included appointments as Ontario’s first minister of Citizenship (1961) and as the province’s first Solicitor General (1972-1974). Mr. Yaremko credits the scholarship and prize support he received as a student with enabling him to have access to his legal education.
This scholarship will be awarded annually to a student entering the second or third year of the JD program who is in need of financial aid and who, in the course of her/his studies, has exhibited the highest degree of interest and academic excellence in the study of Human Rights, Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law. The fund supporting this scholarship was matched by the Ontario Government and accordingly is available only to Ontario residents as defined by the OSOTF guidelines.
YUFA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships
The interest in a fund established by the York University Faculty Association and an initial matching grant by the University, provides scholarships of substantial value to the top student in the faculties of Arts, Science, Fine Arts, Glendon, Osgoode, Atkinson, and Administrative Studies. The recipients will have completed 10 courses at York University, achieved the best cumulative grade point average in their faculty and will subsequently re-register at York to complete their undergraduate degree program. The scholarships may be held only once and will be payable at the time of the re-registration. The Selection Committee reserves the right not to make one or more of these awards in a given year should a suitable candidate not be available.