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Current Lawyer, brings a lot of good courtroom examples to class. A lot of discussion of reading material. All around informative class, be prepared to be specific.

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It's a great class! Having a current defence lawyer as a prof allows you to have such an updated view on the justice system. Instead of using all old cases, he brings current cases into the course as examples. A very helpful, easy going and funny professor. One of my favorites

Very good prof, would take any class he teaches. He is really tough but you learn lots and he knows what he is talking about.

Great prof - really clear and entertaining. Really just wants everyone to do well, and gives everyone many opportunities to get extra marks. I would definitely recommend taking his class!

Mike was a good prof, wouldn't go overboard and say amazing, but I did enjoy going to class every week. Cares about his students and gives lots of opportunity for extra marks, challenges the students to debate issues. Anything you're not happy with however he's happy to change, watch out for clarity on exam questions.

Smith is a very good prof, easy to understand and fair in marking. reading the text in the first semester is really important.

He's extremely clear of what he wants and even more, he is VERY fair. You need to know your stuff, but he makes it very easy to WANT to learn the material. What other Law prof would coach their class in what to do when you've got marijuana plants in the back seat during routine pullover?...AND he's so hot, front row never looked so good.

A great prof. Really teaches you to think like a lawyer and not an academic. Gives 'real-world experience' in criminal law. Focus is on case law and not academic writing.

Mike is a great teacher! Attendance is not mandatory but participation is a good chunk of the overall mark

Napoleonic complex but a great guy, haha. J/K Smitty. Don't mess with him or else he'll wrestle you back to the 98 Olympics in his adorable 2 piece Canadian track suit. BOOM goes the dynamite!

- Good Prof, - Unclear Reviews, - Muddled Expectations - Participation is 5-10% - Easy Summative (minimum B across the board)- Fun Class, Very Interesting - Doesn't go 3 Hours.."Need to get home to see Dexter"

Make sure you're not late for his class; dont try to be a smartmouth with him - makes class really interesting when he draws from personal experience - overall, best law course I've taken sofar @ CU

Smith might have some good stories to bring to the table but a good chunk of my class thought he was cocky and arrogant. midterm was failed by over half of class and was not bell-curved, he is a lawyer first and a proffesor second. NO TENURE.

Mike Smith is the consummate lawyer. If you are relatively interested in the law, you will look past his arrogantness, which is more of a peculiar humor. He thinks he is the best, most likely because he is. Fun, punctual and usually a decent lecture. Lecture is relatively textbook driven.

He likes to challenge students and encourages discussion in the classroom. Very intelligent, great term project and the class covers a lot of material but is reasonably easy as long as you keep up with going to class and doing the readings.

Mike is an actual defence lawyer and always had great stories to bring to the classroom. He never uses the full 3 hours and always makes class interesting. It is important to read the txt book has a lot of questions on the exam are from there.

POSITIVE notes: really interesting material, great communicator, excellent introspective to Criminal Law. Mike knows his stuff, utilizes the people he knows. Very engaging assignments. NEGATIVE notes: Exams are very difficult, he provides zero direction, you could study for months and still receive a poor mark - too much info and no direction

Mike Smith is by far the best prof i have had so far at carleton, his classes are very interesting as well as his assignment. He makes sure to engage everyone in the classroom. going to his lectures are crucial if you want to do well in the class, as well as reading the textbook overall if you try you will do very well in his class. GREAT PROF!!

Ive been told it is now 605 dont come late chill guy muddah

most amazing prof i've had at carleton so far. Knows exactly what he is talking about because he is a criminal lawyer. Attending class is essential because he doesn't post anything online nor does he have powerpoints. Exam's are straight forward. Never uses the full 3 hours, 2 hours at the most.

Great Professor!!!! Hilarious lectures and uses his personal knowledge to explain concepts. 10/10 would take again!!!!!!

Easily the coolest prof at Carleton. He is really relaxed, will meet outside of class, will answer emails within hours, always is willing to help, mean while he basically running the ottawa court house. Would recommend you learn so much, and he is a real pleasure to learn from. Makes you think really hard. Cool guy

Awesome prof, is a criminal defence lawyer so he is always relating class material to his real life cases which is always funny and helpful in understanding. Makes you think and reflect on cases. Overall fantastic prof. Don't be afraid to ask questions, he seems tough but he's actually a sweet heart.

When he assigns you to be the next reader for the following week, make sure you read that chapter - and you'll guarantee yourself the participation points. Best. Prof. Ever. The man really knows how to keep his class engaged with the subject - he has a very diversify background (if you're into wrestling, the guy was a wrestling olympian)

If you are considering law school, 100% take this prof. Absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable in his field and presents the information in a way that's easy to understand. Very straight forward on what he's looking for in assignments so if you follow his guidelines you are good to go.

Amazing prof! He is a criminal defence lawyer so brings real experience to the classroom. Don't be late for class or he will embarrass you. Honestly the best class I've taken at Carleton so far.

Incredible prof. This is not an easy A class, if you are taking it for that reason. But let me be honest with you, if you show up, pay attention in class and do what is asked of you, trust me you'll be 100% successful. Mike Smith cares about his subject and his students, which I really admire of him. I truly looked forward to going to lecture.

This professor puts his job as a teacher before his lawyering at his firm. He is extremely nice and self not absorbed. He is smart but when it comes to having a career as a professor he is quite the best. He cancels classes never, he sometimes even has an associate of his come in and teach the class for him as a special treat.

Very smart and engaging. He will thoroughly explain concepts and ensure you understand why they are how they are. Need to pay attention and show up prepared and willing to participate in discussions. Textbook is required and used for every class. By far one of my favourite profs and made criminal law enjoyable.

One of the best profs I have ever had at Carleton. Super intelligent, great lecturer and very clear when teaching. Participation is key. Super funny guy and very approachable as well.

Mike makes class v interesting. The material is repetitive, easy to remember trends. However, tests heavily upon specific sections in YCJA and CCC - memorize them for the midterm & final. The court observation paper is easy, go to court enough & make sure you follow Legal Citation Style (table of contents, sub-titles, etc) & have a clear opinion.

Mike is awesome, he repeats important information and his exams were moderately easy. The court assignment is kind of a pain but everyone ends up doing well, if you go to court once it is an easy A. Super accessible and approachable outside of class. Would for sure take the class again.

Smith does not post any notes/lecture slides so you gotta go to class. The court assignment is easy, and the midterm is fair and no surprises. the exam was also fair and straightforward. Only thing is he barely responds to emails, so it is hard to get outside of class help. His lectures are interesting and only for an hour so you will not get bored

Michael Smith was a good prof. I had him online and the lectures were easy to follow, he reviewed over cases very well and all the content was taken from the textbook. He does not post lectures or slides so you must go the lectures or you won't do well. The lectures are short so it is easy to sit through. Overall, good prof! Tests are easy.

Professor Smith is a really good prof. Unlike all the other profs at Carleton, he doesn't just read off the slides. Instead, he talks very conversationally with the students which makes for a really good learning environment. The assignment was a bit tough but quizzes and exam were easy. Overall, amazing professor!

These reviews don't do Prof. Smith justice. He's an amazing prof and I appreciated his oldschool approach to teaching. He's a lawyer before he's a prof. Show up to class, DON'T BE LATE (trust me), do your readings and I promise you will excel. It's really that easy. Ask your questions in class. He is more responsive via his work email vs school.

This prof was honestly really amazing, he lectures incredibly and has an awesome presence in class. He doesn't use powerpoint, but you'll find you won't need them since he repeats himself often and is very fluid when he lectures. Overall really great guy! Just don't come late to class!!

Mike does not use powerpoints, expects you to read the textbook and come prepared and on time to class. Great guy, likes to use his own cases to connect to concepts.

Great prof! His lectures are very thorough and easy to understand. There are no lecture slides so it's more interactive, but if you go to class prepared and pay attention, you will understand the material. Make sure to be on time, especially on the first day.

Mike is the best professor i have had at Carleton and it's not even close. His lectures are extremely entertaining, engaging, and easy to follow. As long as you stay engaged in the class discussion during the lecture and do your readings, you will do well. I cannot recommend this prof enough.

One of the best Law professors I've had. No slides yet, no problem. The lectures were engaging, and he often would try to keep everyone involved through case studies. Quizzes and the exam were not tricky if you listened in class and had good notes. I'd totally recommend that any law student wanting to learn to take his class.

slow marker... but his lectures are engaging and the exam is a piece of cake. It is open book, pretty much impossible to do bad. Assingment is cool as you get to go to the court house. Keep in mind that you must go to class as their is no slides, but Smith is very entertaining. He has no favorite students and is very down to earth.

Best law prof I have had so far. Does not use slides yet he does not need them to make the class entertaining and informative which makes it easy to come back each week. Knows his stuff and speaks about what it is really like to work in the field of criminal law. The assignment was the most engaging one I have done so far. 100% recommend.

Lectures are AMAZING, entertaining, great. He engages with the class, debates, makes it fun. Textbook is very useful; he follows it for lectures. You won't get grades back fast tho + always check assignments, quizzes dates on brightspace bc the syllabus isn't clear on due dates, like weekly questions. But for the prof, the issues are worth it

Professor Smith is by far the best teacher I have had in my life. His lectures are amazing to be in, he engages students and does not use slides which makes the students actually pay attention. He makes sure people respect him which is rare nowadays and his assignment is the most engaging and interesting thing I have ever done in university.

If you didn't like Mike Smith just means you weren't prepared. You must do the readings to be able to understand because he uses no lecture slides but that's what I think makes him so great compared to other profs. He genuinely teaches law and everything about criminal defences. The class assignment to the court house is also amazing.

Amazing prof, his lectures are very entertaining, engaging, and he knows how to teach the information in a way that's easy to understand and remember. Quizzes and assignment were easy if you pay attention in class, and Mike makes it hard not to. Wish we got some of the marks back sooner but 10/10 recommend