Friday, September 18, 2015

By Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Hundreds of students attended the law schools annual clubs fair, a highlight of law school orientation, looking for that something ‘extra’ – the extracurricular activities to help round out their law degree over the next few years. They had about 30 clubs, plus journals and clinics – enough to fill up the Great Hall in Hart House – from which to choose, ask questions and sign up.

Law students at the clubs fair

This year, there’s a new club on the block: the Fashion Law Society, which had numerous law students hooked, hoping to attend networking and panel events with law firms with this practice area.

“I’m ecstatic, really happy with the interest,” said 1L Tamie Dolny, one of two students at the FLS booth. “Fashion law is such a niche area; it’s so great to have such support from the study body.”

With more and more Canadian retail fashion merchants teetering between black and red ink, Amna Rehman says fashion law is a new and growing practice area.   

“I love fashion, and it’s a very interesting intersection to explore,” says Rehman. “Law schools around the world have courses in fashion law, but not here, so it’s a good introduction to the field.”

Both students explained this practice area includes corporate, labour, communications, IP, entertainment, and mergers and acquisitions issues.

For 1L Leslie Walker, she approached the club fair with an open mind to all that’s available at the law school. A Ryerson University journalism graduate, she said law school seemed like a “natural next step."

“I hope to use my law degree in conjunction with my undergraduate degree and go into media law,” says Walker.

Misha Boutilier, 1L, attended to find out more about the law journals, as well as clubs about international law and affairs, which he studied as a University of Toronto undergrad. “I’m still deciding about what law to practice, but I am interested in legal academia and also government and public sector work,” says Boutilier. “I like to have different options; hopefully the next three years will help clarify things for me.”

 

Photos by Lucianna Ciccocioppo and Sara-Marni Hubbard