Fellowship Courses

Registration Status

Registration: NOW OPEN

REGISTER NOW

Torts & Contracts Fellowship Course

Tort and contract law influence many of the legal matters encountered by law clerks, from civil litigation and commercial disputes to employment, insurance, and family law matters. Understanding these legal principles is essential for identifying issues, supporting litigation strategies, and managing files effectively. This interactive Fellowship course offers a practical and engaging examination of both foundational and emerging tort and contract law concepts. Using case studies, discussion, and real-world examples, participants will explore how legal principles are applied in practice and gain valuable insights that can be used immediately in the workplace. Topics will include personal and business torts, contractual rights and obligations, the emerging tort of intimate partner violence, and the impact of important legislation such as the Sale of Goods Act, Consumer Protection Act, Employment Standards Act, and Insurance Act.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand key tort and contract law principles and their practical application.

• Identify common causes of action and legal issues arising from factual scenarios.

• Analyze how statutes affect contractual rights, obligations, and remedies.

• Apply legal reasoning and case law analysis to support litigation files.

• Better assess liability, damages, and potential legal outcomes.

Benefits to Your Daily Practice

This course will help law clerks:

• Review files more effectively and identify relevant legal issues.

• Conduct more focused legal research.

• Assist with the preparation of pleadings, correspondence, and litigation documents.

• Better understand claims, defenses, damages, and remedies.

• Communicate more confidently with lawyers, clients, and other legal professionals.

• Strengthen their overall litigation knowledge and analytical skills.

Course Instructor: Farah Jamal Karmali, Deputy Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice 

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Classes will not be recorded. Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis.

Exam Date: May 8, 2027 (online)

There is no post-exam review and appeal process for exams.

Course Fee: Members: $1,200.00 +HST Non-Members: $1,400.00 +HST

Course Registration Deadline: January 4, 2027

The Torts & Contracts Fellowship course runs for 14 weeks and starts Saturday January 9, 2027 - May 1, 2027 from 9:30am to 12:30pm EST. PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO CLASS ON: February 27, March 13, and March 20.


Instructor Biography

Farah Jamal Karmali is an accomplished lawyer, Deputy Judge, author, and educator whose career spans legal practice, judicial service, and academia.

Called to the Ontario Bar in 1996, Farah practiced corporate and commercial law at prominent Bay Street law firms before transitioning into legal education. She is the author of Corporate Law for Ontario Businesses, 3rd Edition (Thomson Reuters, 2022) and has been a full-time professor since 2006, teaching in legal and business programs at Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber.

Farah currently serves as a Deputy Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Small Claims Court) and has presided over business and corporate law matters since 2017. She has also held leadership roles as Director of the Advanced Business Law Program at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and Assistant Director of the Professional Development Program at Osgoode Hall Law School.

With her extensive experience as a lawyer, judge, author, and educator, Farah brings a practical, case-based approach that helps students connect legal principles to real-world legal practice.

Gain practical knowledge, sharpen your legal analysis, and learn from one of Ontario's most respected legal educators and judicial officers.

 

 

Estate Litigation Fellowship Course

Registration: CLOSED

This course is designed for law clerks and experienced legal assistants who play an integral role in estate litigation matters. We will explore topics including the requirements for obtaining unique orders in probate application matters, the complexities in passing of accounts, contested probate matters/will challenges and disputes involving estate trustees (as well as attorneys and guardians), focusing on the law clerk’s role in the preparation of necessary pleadings and affidavits, compiling application and motion records and the procedural requirements for submitting documents to the Court.

 

Course Instructor: Clare Aikins, Estates Law Clerk

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Classes will not be recorded. Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis.

Exam Date: December 9, 2026 (online)

Course Fee: Members: $895.00+HST Non-Members: $1,145.00 +HST

There is no post-exam review and appeal process for exams.

The Estate Litigation Fellowship course runs for 9 weeks and starts Wednesday October 7, 2026 - December 2, 2026 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm EST.


Instructor Biography

Clare’s career as an Estates Law Clerk spans more than 35+ years in the demanding practice area, where she has worked in both mid-sized and boutique law firms. For the past 11 years, Clare has provided law clerk support at a well-known boutique firm specializing in Estate Litigation, where she has worked on everything from the straight-forward probate application to challenges of the conduct of estate trustees, attorneys and guardians of property, including complex passing of accounts matters and Will challenges. Clare has also previously taught the Institute of Law Clerk’s Associate Program for Estate Law.