From the Spring 2000 issue of Nexus.
When campaign co-chair Brian Levitt mentioned to Jack Petch '63, Jeannie Fraser '75 and Clay Horner '85 that the Faculty had aspirations to train a new generation of leaders in the area of law and technology, the three Oslers alumni proposed the creation of a new partnership between the law school and the firm - the establishment of a chair in law and technology in Oslers' name.
The first chair established at the Faculty in the area of law and technology, the Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt Chair will support the study of the ways in which law and the legal profession can effectively respond to new trends in technological development. In addition to contributing to contemporary debates on the effects of technological advancement on the law, the chair holder will bring their expertise into the classroom to teach students about this emerging area of practice.
"The scale and rapid pace of technological innovation are exerting a profound effect on law and legal institutions in a wide range of doctrinal areas," Dean Ron Daniels said in commenting on the new chair. "The Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt Chair will enable the law school to prepare students for the challenges of practice in the 'hi-tech' world. It will also make the law school a leading body on scholarly research in law and technology in Canada, if not the world."
The establishment of this chair is just one of many law school initiatives supported by Oslers over the years. One of Canada's leading law firms, Oslers has recruited graduates of the Faculty for decades. While Oslers has long served as a professional home to our graduates, it has also encouraged alumni to participate in the intellectual life of the Faculty by sharing their skills and talents with several generations of students.
The establishment of this chair owes much to the three graduates whose personal dedication to the law school and this project provided the crucial connection between the Faculty and the firm. The gold medalist in his class, Jack Petch, Q.C., is a partner and vice-chair of Oslers. Since graduating from the Faculty over thirty years ago, he has remained very active in the life of the law school, serving as president of the Law Alumni Association and sitting on the law school's Strategic Development Board. For his many contributions to the Faculty, Jack was awarded a U of T Arbor Award in 1990. Jeannie Fraser is a managing partner of Oslers and a partner in the firm's Business Law Department. Over the years, she has also shown a strong commitment to the law school, participating in the Dean's Leadership Luncheon series and occupying a seat on the Strategic Development Board. Similarly, Clay Horner, a partner of Oslers and chair of the firm's Business Law Department, has been active at the Faculty, joining the Law Alumni Association Council in 1995 and holding the position of LAA Treasurer since 1998. He is also a member of the Faculty's Strategic Development Board and was awarded an Arbor Award in 1998 for his commitment to the law school.
