Students at McGill University's faculty of law could soon be facing a steep hike in tuition fees if the current faculty dean has his way.

Peter Leuprecht says faculty members will be asked at a retreat this month to consider privatizing the law program in an effort to boost revenues.

Privatization would allow the law school to raise tuition beyond the levels regulated by the provincial government which has frozen fees at less than $2,000 since 1994.

A spokesperson for Quebec's education department told Canadian Press last month that McGill's privatization plan would never be approved by a Parti Quebecois government.

"According to the Universities Act, this faculty would have to obtain permission from the (education department) to privatize itself," said Nicolas Girard. "If such a request was made to us, we would never authorize it."

McGill's law faculty is also considering a "social contract" with its graduates, whereby former students would be asked to donate up to 5 per cent of their salary per year upon graduation.

McGill's plan to restructure its law program marks the latest in a series of changes at Canada's law schools.

In Ontario, where professional school fees are not regulated, the University of Toronto recently announced it was raising fees to $22,000 within the next four years. And Dalhousie University hiked its law school tuition by 24 per cent this year.

Critics worry that the rapid rises in tuition means it will be harder to find legal aid and family lawyers in the future.

At a rally protesting fee hikes at Dalhousie law school last month, students expressed concern that high debt loads upon graduation will force them to give up on less lucrative fields.

"I would like to pursue a career in legal aid and poverty law, but I am worried that I won't be able to afford to," first year student Laura Boswall told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald.

The skyrocketing cost of a law degree has drawn the attention of the Canadian Bar Association which, at its annual general meeting this year, passed a resolution condemning the recent fee increases.