When I arrived at Osgoode, I must say I had some difficulties when it came to describing myself. Obviously, I was a new one in the place, but not a 1L. In fact, I was beginning the last year of my law degree, while knowing I would not complete it here—so not a transfer.
“Technically, I am an exchange student,” I had to say.
The thing is, the term “exchange” sort of underlies exoticism. People get super excited to know from which trendy foreign place you are and are not really expecting you to reply “Montréal.”
What a boring exchange! When there’s a world to discover, why choosing your own country? One might ask.
Of course, in an information meeting next to people leaving for Barcelona, Sydney, Seoul or South Africa, it sounds pretty lame. However, when you set aside the administrative calling “exchange,” I believed—and I still do—that this is an incredibly helpful experience for a Canadian law student. Here’s why:
- Different law system
Hopefully, you won’t learn from me that Quebec has a civil law system. When you’re planning to work in your province, it doesn’t seem so important to learn other law regimes. In fact, if you’re planning to work on Bay Street (apparently, this is the American dream down here), having some knowledge about your neighbour’s law is a practical tool for commercial deals. Also, it can be handy for comparative law and can help to build arguments. Finally, not only is the law different, but most importantly, the philosophy is as well. Common lawyers have a way to approach law issues and to consider the law that is completely different from civil lawyers. This can’t be taught from outside. I’ve had a common law class in Montréal, where we basically (tried to) learn the difference between contracts and obligations, torts and responsabilité extracontractuelle. It opens minds, it is interesting, but at the same time, you are not there. For example, professors here ask you what you think of the law, on how it should be. I thought I was mistakenly attending either a political or a philosophy class. What do we care about the appropriateness of the law; we’re not legislators! Oops, civil lawyer’s thought.
- Different languages
I can’t count how many students here I have talked with who told me after I told them where I was from (the exoticism false hope passed) that their French was bad and they would like to improve it. Facts are, when you’re only able to speak one out of two official national languages, you’re going to face losses of client opportunities. Additionally, because of constitutional imperatives, most laws are legally binding in both French and English. You want to be able to see if the disposition you are using has different meanings to have another argument in your back pocket. Nonetheless, bilingualism in an asset that will distinguish you from others in the employment market and I think this is especially true for Ontario. There is no better way than immersion to learn or improve a language. I must say I am really thankful for the patience of my fellow comrades especially at the beginning of the term. Google translate becomes your best friend, but its use does not really flow in a conversation.
- You don’t have to compromise on your studies
Law school will teach you the very basics of the law and afterward, how to learn the law. I agree with this statement. However, as a typical insecure law student, I remained worried about missing stuff. Truth is, if you’re not seeking an international law career, chances are everything you will learn in detail in a foreign country will not be useful. Abilities are nice to get, but it is a little discouraging in an exam period to study for something you will be able to throw away right after the exam. Studying within Canada allows you to seek for a couple of federal jurisdiction law courses so you don’t feel behind.
Of course not everything in the exchange revolves around studies. You meet amazing people, you discover a new place, you party, you try new stuff. Personally it allowed me to have some distance from my loaded routine and take some time to think about who I am and what I want to do. All your classes are pass/fail, so your results don’t affect your average. Thus, you can take a break from stress and focus on what matters to you.
Beyond any doubt, I would strongly recommend going on exchange, if you can, outside Canada or not. You still have until mid-January to apply!
Now that the semester is coming to an end, nostalgia is kicking in. I want to thank everyone that I’ve met here for being so nice to me. Despite for the exoticism, I’ve had the chance to live an extraordinary experience that taught me more than I thought, not only about the law, but also about myself. Meet you soon in some Canadian court or at a negotiation table. We’ll have proper poutine and beer then.