McCarthy Tétrault LLP has reaffirmed its longstanding tradition of support for students of legal education at U of T with a generous donation of $500,000 to establish a global classroom at the Faculty. The gift, from the McCarthy Tétrault Foundation and numerous alumni of the law school who work throughout the firm, affords students the opportunity to learn in an international setting, with technologically-enhanced multimedia capabilities never before offered at the Faculty. With its global telecommunications capacity, internet capabilities and laptop computer access, the McCarthy Tétrault Classroom allows for the exchange of ideas between our students and legal experts, faculty and students from around the world.
The classroom goes a long way towards supporting the Faculty's goal of graduating young lawyers who are knowledgeable about developments in national and international law, says Dean Ron Daniels. We are grateful to the McCarthy Tétrault Foundation and to our many alumni working at the firm for this generous and inspiring gift.
Located on the lower level of Flavelle House, the McCarthy Tétrault Classroom seats 50 students and has barrier-free access for persons with physical disabilities. Further renovations to the classroom include advanced acoustic, audio-visual and video-conferencing systems; an infrastructure network with internet connections and access ports for portable computers; CD-ROM and case presentation equipment; projection equipment; and ambient and task lighting.
McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a longtime supporter of U of T's Faculty of Law and has an impressive tradition of helping to advance legal education. Since 1998, the McCarthy Tétrault Foundation has furthered this commitment by providing money for educational support and development in all Ontario law schools. One of the Foundation's tenets is to support technological advancements which will provide students with new tools for learning to help them achieve maximum potential in the global era.
Ontario's law schools provide the legal community's most important investment talented young lawyers, says Niels Ortved, managing partner of McCarthy Tétrault LLP's Toronto office. It is essential that law firms like McCarthy Tétrault LLP promote the education of law students. The high-tech classroom complements a key focus of McCarthy Tétrault LLP which is technology law as well as the practice of law in the electronic age.
The McCarthy Tétrault Classroom was described in the article "Historic Building Houses High-Tech Classroom" in the University of Toronto Campaign Quarterly.
The Inauguration of the McCarthy Tétrault Classroom
