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Law Student Publication Guide

About the Canadian Academic Law Journals List

The list of Canadian academic law journals below is compiled to provide a list of access points to Toronto Metropolitan University resources and a list of publication options for student and faculty at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. This list focuses on publications that are: scholarly journals; focused on law; English or bilingual works; published in Canada or in association with a Canadian institution; and, are current publications.

Closed publication journal 
A closed publication requires a subscription to access content. This includes journals with an embargo on recent issues, meaning that the most recent work is not available even if older work is available open access.

Open to student submissions
For this symbol to be used the journal has explicitly stated on their website that they welcome submissions from recent graduates or current students in undergraduate, graduate, or law programs.

For more information on Canadian law journals see the Canadian Academic Law Journals spreadsheet.
For information on how to assess a journal and prepare an article for submission see the Law Student Publication Guide.
For information on publications that have student writing contests see the Law Student Publication Opportunities and Writing Contests List.

Canadian Academic Law Journals

Focus: General topics and special issues

Journal Website 1955 to Present
HeinOnline1955 to Present
CanLII 1976 to Present
Lexis 1990 to Present
 
Focus: The topics of the papers published span the disciplines of law, criminal justice, criminology, constitutional theory, sociology of law, psychology of law, politics, culture and media analysis of justice, poverty and its intersection with justice issues, Indigenous issues of justice, law and justice and economic justice.

Journal Website 1923 to Present
CanLII 2012 to One Year Ago
 
Focus: Canadian and comparative law, legal scholarship in its political, philosophical, and social contexts

Journal Website 1995 to Present
CanLII 1995 - One Year from Present
Westlaw 2021 to Present
Lexis 1995 to 2022
 
Focus: Includes reviews and articles on developments in the areas of international trade, business, & economy. Note that this journal ceased publication in 2021 (vol. 21) and merged into Manitoba Law Journal in 2023 (vol 45:3).

Journal Website  2001 to 2021
CanLII 2001 to 2021
Westlaw 2001 to 2021
Lexis 2001 - 2020
 
Focus: Canada-US trade

Journal Website 1978 to Present
HeinOnline 1978 to Present
CanLII 1999 to Present
Westlaw 1983 to Present
Lexis 1994 - 2013
 
Focus: This is the bilingual peer-reviewed legal journal of the Canadian Bar Association, publishing scholarship relevant to theory and practice.

Journal Website  1923 to Present
HeinOnline 1923 to Present
Lexis 2016 to Present
 
Focus: Current issues in business law, encompassing a broad range of subjects: banking, consumer law, products liability, securities regulation, taxation, real estate and trade regulations, as well as current legislation, case law and policy developments.

Journal Website  Indexing Only
HeinOnline 1975-2019
Westlaw 1976 to Present
 
Focus: Comparative law from Canada and other common law jurisdictions, with a different theme each year

Journal Website  2015 to Present
CanLII 2015 to Present
 
Focus: Interdisciplinary family law issues

Journal Website 1978 to Present
CanLII 2011 to Present
Westlaw 1991 to Present
Lexis 1987 - 2020
 
Focus: Human rights and humanitarian law and policy relevant to Canadian society

Journal Website  2012 to Present
CanLII 2012 to Present
 
Focus: This journal publishes articles that address the nature of law, that engage in philosophical analysis or criticism of legal doctrine, that examine the form and nature of legal or judicial reasoning, that investigate issues concerning the ethical aspects of legal practice, and that study (from a philosophical perspective) concrete legal issues facing contemporary society.

Journal Website  Scope note only
HeinOnline1988 to Two Years Ago
Westlaw  1994 to Present
Lexis  1992 - 2020
Cambridge University Press 2013 to Present
 
Focus: Innovative research in the broad field of law and society scholarship. Rooted in the distinctive Canadian Law and Society movement, CJLS features international scholarship concerning the intersection of law and sociology, cultural studies, literature, political science, criminology, history, human rights, gender studies and political economy.

Journal Website (Cambridge)  2011 to Present
Westlaw 1993 to Present
Project Muse 2005 to Present
 
Focus: Legal issues relating to law and technology from both Canadian and international perspectives

Journal Website  2002 to Present
Westlaw 2009 to Present
 
Focus: The impact of law on women’s social, economic and legal status, and on the general conditions of their lives. The Journal promotes the expansion of women’s legal scholarship into new areas of research and study, and it aims to increase the volume and improve the accessibility of legal scholarship by Canadian women, on specifically Canadian topics.

Journal Website 2009 to Present, Abstracts Only
HeinOnline1985 to Present
Project Muse 2005 to Present
 
Focus: Labour and employment law

Journal Website  Index Only
HeinOnline 1992 to Present
CanLII  1993 to 2016
Lexis 2000 - 2015
 
Focus: Interdisciplinary debate and dialogue on constitutional issues. Articles are generally short and provide insightful commentary on current topics of Canadian and international constitutional importance

Journal Website  1989 to Present
HeinOnline 1989 to Present
CanLII 1989 to Present
 
Focus: Critical Analysis of Law: An International & Interdisciplinary Law Review aims to serve as an international forum for cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in and on law, by scholars from law and other disciplines.

Journal Website  2014 to Present
HeinOnline 2014 to 1 year ago
Scholar’s Portal  2014 to Present
 
Focus: General, contemporary issues

Journal Website  1992 to Present
CanLII 1992 to Present
 
Focus: General, focus on evidence-informed, policy-relevant contributions

Journal Website  1973 to Present
HeinOnline 1973 to Present
CanLII 2003 to Present
Westlaw 2021 to Present
Lexis 1998 to Present
 
Focus: Issues at the intersection of law and society, particularly as they impact low income individuals and disadvantaged communities. In addition to issues relating to housing and shelter, income maintenance, social assistance, human rights, health, employment, education, immigration and refugee law, mental health law, criminal and family law, the Journal is also interested in a range of questions about lawyering and social change, including the exploration of non-traditional legal strategies such as community organizing.

Journal Website  1985 to Present
 
Focus: Democracy, governance, and public policy

Journal Website  2008 to Present: Index Only
Westlaw 2008 to Present
 
Focus: General topics and special issues

Journal Website  2015 to Present
CanLII 2015 to Present
 
Focus: This Journal has seven dimensions, each with its own regular special issues.
The Current Legal Landscape: developments in courts and tribunals;
Underneath the Golden Boy: developments in legislation and on parliamentary and democratic reform;
Criminal Law and Practice, and the social dimensions of criminal law;
The Legal Profession, including histories of major developments and figures in Manitoba law, and the rapid evolution of legal practice;
Indigenous Law.
Desautel Review: developments in business and private enterprise law;
Asper Review: developments in international and trade law

Journal Website  1962 to Present
HeinOnline 1966 to Present
CanLII 1965 to Present
Westlaw 2022 to Present
Lexis 1992 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: Scholarship in the fields of arbitration, mediation, facilitation, negotiation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution

Journal Website  2014 to Present
CanLII 2014 to Present
Lexis 2014 to Two Years from Present
 
Focus: Legal pluralism, international law, and a forum for debate.

Journal Website  2018 to Present
 
Focus: Medical practice and technology, intellectual property and medical ethics, health policy or bioethics; interdisciplinary and transsystemic framework of legal scholarship

Journal Website  2007 to Present
CanLII 2007 to Present
Westlaw 2007 to Present
Lexis 2007 to Two Years from Present
 
Focus: Intersection between law, development, the environment, economics, and society. Sustainability and human rights.

Journal Website  2005 to Present
CanLII 2005 to One Year from Present
Lexis 2005 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: General topics and special issues

Journal Website  1952 to One Year from Present
HeinOnline  1952 to One Year from Present
CanLII 1952 to One Year from Present
Westlaw 1993 to Present
Lexis 1992 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: Articles on issues and prospects, ocean governance, living resources of the ocean, non-living ocean resources, transportation and communications, environment and coastal management, maritime security, military activities, regional developments, training and education and ocean polar issues

HeinOnline 1978 to 3 years ago
 
Focus: Focus: New theoretical generalizations, empirical findings, or the impact of legal developments on issues of social, political, or economic importance from a wide array of disciplinary and ideological perspectives. In addition to notable Canadian scholarship, the Journal publishes submissions from authors around the world who offer international or comparative perspectives.

Journal Website  1958 to Present
HeinOnline  1958 to Present
CanLII 2014 to Present
Westlaw 2000 to Present
Lexis 1994 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: General

HeinOnline  1966 to Present
CanLII  1974 to Present
Westlaw 2005 to Present
Lexis 1990 to Present
 
Focus: General, international

Journal Website  2011 to Two Years from Present
HeinOnline  1971 to Present
CanLII 2011 to Two Years from Present
Westlaw 1996 to Present
Lexis 1995 to Present
 
Focus: General

HeinOnline  1936 to Present
CanLII 2013 to Present
Westlaw 1993 to Present
Lexis 1991 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: Expert commentary and analysis of the Supreme Court of Canada's constitutional jurisprudence for the preceding calendar year. Addresses the Court’s decisions on federalism and constitutional rights, including aboriginal rights, as well as offer broader perspectives on constitutional theory and interpretation

Journal Website  2001 to Present
CanLII 2001 to Present
Lexis 2000 to Present
 
Focus: International journal focusing on wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice. A law review, it welcomes submissions from other disciplines (e.g. criminology, sociology, psychology, criminal justice etc.). It publishes original, empirical and theoretical research.

Journal Website  2020 to Present
HeinOnline 2020 to Present
 
Focus: General but especially interested in scholarly and creative work that engages with questions and issues relating to:
Social and racial justice
Access to justice and justice reform
Municipal governance and city building
Corporate law and accountability
Legal education and pedagogy
Developments in legal practice and the legal profession
Technology and innovation
Indigenous legal orders and decolonization

Journal Website  2023 to Present
 
Focus: General, contemporary law

HeinOnline 1959 to Present
Lexis 1990 to Two Years from Present
 
Focus: General

HeinOnline  1947 to Present
CanLII 2012 to Present
Westlaw 1993 to Present
Lexis 2010 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: General

HeinOnline 1942 to Present
Westlaw 2001 to Present
Lexis 1996 - 2020
 
Focus: Indigenous legal issues

Journal Website  2002 to Present
 
Focus: Interdisciplinary issues, equality and the legal system, and issues of social, political, or economic equality

Journal Website  2014 to Present
HeinOnline 2002 to Present
 
Focus: General, but also a broad range of disciplines relating to law, such as economics, political science, philosophy, sociology, and history.

Journal Website (Project Muse)  2004 to Present
HeinOnline 1935 to Three Years Ago
Westlaw 1996 to Present
Lexis 1997 to Present
 
Focus: General Canadian and international law

Journal Website  2012 to Present
CanLII 2012 to Present
 
Focus: The law as a vehicle for social change with interdiciplinary perspectives

Journal Website  2017 to Present
HeinOnline  1989 to Present
CanLII 2015 to Present
Westlaw 2004 to Present
Lexis 1997 to One Year from Present
 
Focus: The trans-cultural and international study of individuals and groups excluded from the protections of the domestic or international legal orders. Interdisiplinary.

Journal Website  2017 to Present
HeinOnline  1981 to Present
CanLII 2001 to Present
Westlaw 1993 to Present
Lexis 1998 - 2020