Osgoode Hall Law School at York University has been named the best law school in Ontario and second overall in Canada in a survey of recent graduates released yesterday by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Osgoode's ranking soared by 10 places over last year's listing.
The survey results gave Osgoode highest marks for its curriculum and faculty. The accompanying article also praised Osgoode for its research centres, extensive library holdings and "impressive" use of technology.
Right: Patrick Monahan, dean of Osgoode Hall Law School
"Osgoode's ranking is a reflection of the investment we have made in facility renewal and information technology in recent years, as well as the dedication of our faculty and staff in improving student satisfaction with our curriculum and overall program," said Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Patrick Monahan.
The magazine’s editors noted that improvements to Osgoode’s facilities allowed its steadily growing reputation for excellence in other areas to be reflected in the 10-place improvement in its ranking over 2003, putting York’s law school ahead of all other Ontario universities. Nationally, it placed second to the University of Calgary and ahead of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, which ranked third, as it did last year. McGill University's Faculty of Law was fourth.
Osgoode received top marks for its diverse student body, range and depth of courses offered and its proximity to articling jobs. 
Canadian Lawyer Magazine also noted that Osgoode’s 450,000-volume library is "the largest in the Commonwealth with extensive holdings in both primary and secondary sources in the legal literature of Canada, Great Britain and other common law countries." Osgoode, it added, is home to three centres of research: The Jack and Mae Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption, the Institute for Feminist Legal Studies and the Centre for Public Law and Public Policy.
The full text of the article on this year’s rankings can be viewed at: http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/Media/Law_Schools_Report_Card_2004.pdf.