More than 200 alumni who graduated in a year ending with a "4" or "9" returned to the law school in October 2004 for their Class Reunion. Pictured at a lively cocktail reception in the Rowell Room are from left, class of 1989 graduates Yao Yao Go, Georgina Carson, Chi Kun Shi, and Barbara Austin.

In This Issue:

• CLASS NOTES
  
  
• HEADLINE NEWS
  
  
• ALUMNI NEWS
  
  
• AROUND THE LAW SCHOOL
  
  
• HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENT EVENTS
  
  
• UPCOMING EVENTS

Please Send Us Your Class Notes DEADLINE: APRIL 15, 2005 Michael Zessner '75, his wife Deborah, and their children Sarah and Robert. It's time again to send us your "Class Notes" for the spring/summer issue of Nexus. Please send us 200 words or less about what you are doing in your personal and professional life. Whether it's an upcoming wedding, new baby, promotion, published book, career change or retirement adventures, please send us your news, including high resolution electronic photos, to classnotes.law@utoronto.ca. If you would prefer to send us a photo by mail, please include a self-addressed return envelope and send to the attention of Kathleen O'Brien, Communications Officer, External Relations, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, 78 Queen's Park, Room 328, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C5.

2005 is turning out to be an exceptional year for the Faculty's mooting program. U of T's competitive moot teams took home top honours at five of the country's most challenging moot competitions: the Jessup, Wilson, Gale, Callaghan and Securities moots. This winning streak makes it almost a clean sweep for U of T, which also took second place at the Laskin moot. And at the World University Debating Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, second year law student, Michael Kotrly, and teammate Joanna Nairn, a University of Ottawa political science student, grabbed international attention by winning a spot in the final round of four teams.

Over the weekend of February 11, Kotrly joined his fellow Jessup Moot teammates Nader Hasan (2006), Tamara Kagan (2006), and Agape Lim (2006) to win the 2005 Canadian National Championship in Victoria, BC. This is the third year in a row that U of T has won. The team's memorials came in third overall. The team will advance to the finals in Washington, DC.

On February 17-19 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, the Laskin Moot team of Gabrielle Larocque (2005), Duncan McPherson (2006), David Hughes (2005) and Aniz Alani (2006) won the award for the 2nd place factum.

Continuing the winning streak, U of T took the 2005 Wilson Moot for the second straight year at the Federal Court of Appeal in downtown Toronto over the weekend of February 18-20. The team includes students Rahool Agarwal (2006), Larissa Ruderman (2005), Paul Iskander (2006) and Nathaniel Lipkus (2006). Agarwal was the moot's top oralist, and Ruderman was named second oralist.

Over the last weekend of February, Amy Salyzyn (2005), John Adair (2005), Yousuf Aftab (2006), and Mark Elton (2006) grabbed top honours at the 32nd Annual Gale Cup Moot. The competitive moot was held at the Federal Court of Appeal in downtown Toronto on February 25 and 26. The team will go on to represent Canada at the Commonwealth Mooting competition to be held this September in London, England.

U of T mooters were also successful at the 2005 Honourable Frank W. Callaghan Memorial Moot held at the Ontario Court of Appeal in Toronto on March 4-5, 2005. The 2005 Top Oralist Prizes went to Leslie Church (2006), Tyler Dellow (2006), and Aaron Rousseau (2006). The 2005 Top Team Prizes went to Leslie Church & Jean Thomas (2006) and Christine Shalaby (2006) & Candice Suter (2006). The 2005 Best Appellant's Factum was written by Tina Kim (2006) and Aaron Rousseau. The 2005 Best Respondent's Factum was written by Christine Shalaby and Candice Suter.

The last mooting event of the year was held over the same weekend of March 4-5 at the Federal Courts in downtown Toronto. Once again, U of T won a mooting competition by placing first in the Securities Moot. Proud teammates included Catherine Powell (2006), Evan Thomas (2006), Brendan Brammell (2006) and Ryan Asmead (2005). Powell also took first place honours as the competition's top oralist.

Champion student debater, Michael Kotrly

At the World University Debating Championships, Michael Kotrly and Joanna Nairn beat out more than 300 teams from universities all over the world to get to the final four teams. The debates, held from December 26 to January 4, started with nine rounds that whittled the competition down to 32 teams, who then went through elimination rounds to pick the final four. Kotrly and Nairn put in an excellent showing, but another Canadian team from the University of Ottawa grabbed the championship.

Prof. Sujit Choudhry

Prof. Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens

In January, an open letter written by Professors Sujit Choudhry and Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens to the Hon. Stephen Harper made front-page news in the Globe and Mail. Urging Harper to be "completely honest" on same sex marriage, the letter was signed by more than 130 law professors across the country, including four law deans.

The group of law professors urged Opposition leader Stephen Harper to invoke the notwithstanding clause if he wants to preserve the traditional legal definition of marriage. In the letter, prominent academics in law schools across the country asked Harper to be "completely honest with Canadians about the unconstitutionality of your proposal, which will only guarantee that same sex marriage ends up back before the courts as opposed to being resolved by Parliament." Choudhry and Gaudreault-DesBiens drafted the letter following the Supreme Court of Canada's response to Ottawa's questions surrounding the constitutionality of allowing same-sex marriage. The letter was circulated to members of parliament and senators in late January. The Liberal government introduced the same-sex marriage bill in Parliament on February 1.

Former Capital Markets Professor Douglas Harris has taken on a new role at the TSX in Market Regulation Services Inc. (RS). He was named the new Director of Policy, Research and Strategy in the Market Policy and General Counsel's Office in December 2004 but will continue to teach securities regulation at the law school.

Harris will help shape the strategic direction of the rules and policies that govern equities trading in Canada. RS is responsible for administering and interpreting the Universal Market Integrity Rules as the independent regulator of equities trading. Harris has been an Assistant Professor at U of T and Associate Director of the Capital Markets Institute for the past three years. He was most recently the Research Director for the Wise Persons' Committee that reviewed the structure of securities regulation in Canada. The committee released its report It's Time in December 2003, recommending that Canada create a single national securities regulator.

Thanks to software created by 2002 law alumni Keith Bradbury and Dave Moon, employees can now convert PDF documents into Excel or Word documents.

During their years in the Law/MBA program, Bradbury and Moon started Investintech, an Internet-based software company that specializes in the conversion of formatted PDF documents. Recently, the duo left their Bay Street law firms to work full-time for the company. Clients use the software to convert PDF documents into formatted Excel spreadsheets, which is especially useful for financial models, or from PDF into Word documents, which is valuable for revising/creating legal contracts/precedents. Bradbury and Moon took their first product to market in December 2003, and have been experiencing surging growth in their company ever since. The duo has sold licenses to corporations in 39 different countries. "We really want to share our story with past and present members of the U of T law community. Our message is that working for yourself is challenging, but both Keith and I have used this opportunity to apply the variety of legal and business skills we developed at U of T," says Moon. For more information, please visit www.investintech.com.

(L-R): David Spiro and David Stockwood (front row) pose with Jeffrey Miller, President, Irwin Law Inc., at the Journal launch celebration.

Fellow alumni, David Stockwood, Q.C. '66, and David E. Spiro '87, have co-edited a volume of essays celebrating the last 22 years of The Advocates' Society Journal. Stockwood, who has edited the Journal since 1991, says Spiro came up with the idea for a special collection, which is dedicated to the late David Sgayias, Q.C., former Chief General Counsel of the Federal Department of Justice.

"Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: The Best of The Advocates' Society Journal 1982 - 2004" features 24 articles written by past and present justices of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal, as well as several eminent trial lawyers. The Journal covers all aspects of the art of written and oral advocacy in both criminal and civil trials. For more than 20 years, the Journal has been bringing together the ideas of leading legal minds to provide experienced and insightful views on both advocacy and advocates. For more information or to obtain a copy, please visit http://www.irwinlaw.com/.

In January, Clay Horner was appointed co-chairman of Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He shares this leadership role with co-chairman Brian M. Levitt, also a U of T law alumnus (class of 1973).

Horner is nationally and internationally recognized as one of the leading mergers and acquisitions advisors in Canada. He practices in corporate and securities law, and is the immediate past Chair of the firm's National Business Law Department, which includes 250 lawyers. Horner is a long time volunteer at the U of T Faculty of Law. He is currently President of the Law Alumni Association Council, and is a former lecturer at the law school.

Richard Ivey was appointed Chairman of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research's (CIAR) Board of Directors on October 12, 2004.

Founded in 1982, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research provides funding to Canada's best researchers to tackle complex problems in the sciences and social sciences. Areas of research include any problem that challenges our understanding of the world, or that are of crucial importance to our future well-being as individuals or as a society. After graduating in 1975, Ivey practiced law at Torys LLP until 1982. He currently serves on the Boards of Canada Colors and Chemicals Limited, University Health Network and The Richard Ivey Foundation. Ivey is also Chairman of Ivest Properties Limited, a real estate development and management company. He has been a member of the Campaign Cabinet for United Way of Greater Toronto for the past three years, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Richard Ivey School of Business. Ivey formerly served as Chairman of Livingston Group Inc., and sat on the Boards of several other organizations, including Canada Trust and The University of Western Ontario.

On February 7, former Ontario Ombudsman Clare Lewis was named Complaints Resolution Commissioner for the Law Society of Upper Canada. He will begin his two-year term in April 2005.

Lewis will review complaint files in accordance with the Law Society Act, and provide alternative dispute-resolution services for the public and lawyers who are the subject of complaints. "Through his distinguished career in both the public and private sectors, Mr. Lewis brings a unique understanding of administrative fairness and a considerable knowledge of complaint systems," said Law Society treasurer Frank Marrocco (class of 1970) in a release. "His commitment to making inquiry and complaint mechanisms more fair, accessible and sensitive to the needs of the public has been unwavering." Lewis was formerly Ontario's Police Complaints Commissioner and chairman of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. He also practiced law and worked as a prosecutor prior to being appointed a Provincial Court Judge.

In November 2004, Alan Schwartz was named as Chair of the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Founded in 1989, the Institute of Contemporary Culture explores the meaning of our cultural forms and the forces that shape them such as technology, consumerism, social change and imagination. The ICC offers visitors at the Royal Ontario Museum a unique mix of programs and exhibitions created by scholars, artists and designers. Schwartz has extensive experience in the financial sector where, most recently, he was Vice-Chairman of Orion Financial. Prior to that he was Vice-Chairman of a money management firm and had a distinguished career as a senior partner in Toronto law firm, Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP, providing advice to both the public and private sectors. He has written numerous articles for the Canadian Tax Journal, CA Magazine, the Canadian Business Law Journal and the Financial Post. Schwartz has served on numerous non-profit boards including the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Alumnus Derek Watchorn was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Retirement Residences Real Estate Investment Trust in November 2004.

Watchorn assumes the role from Co-Chief Executive Officers Barry Reichmann and George Kuhl. In a joint statement, his predecessors said, "We are pleased that Derek has agreed to accept this position. Derek's involvement as a Trustee since 2001 will allow him to seamlessly transition to the CEO position." A member of Retirement Residences REIT's Board of Trustees for the past four years, Watchorn served most recently as Executive Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives for Canary Wharf Group plc in London, England. He has also worked in London, England as an Executive Director with developer TrizecHahn Europe plc, supervising the implementation of numerous projects in central and eastern Europe. He was a senior partner for almost 30 years with Toronto law firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and real estate development. Retirement Residences REIT is the largest provider of accommodation and care for seniors in Canada with more than 200 retirement and long term care facilities.

A new book co-edited by former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and Interim President of the University of Toronto, Frank Iacobucci ('89 LL.D.), includes papers from seven law faculty members and the Dean of the Law Faculty. Taking Public Universities Seriously was published in February as a response to the Rae review.

In 2004, former premier, Bob Rae, was commissioned by the Government of Ontario to chair a comprehensive review of the design and funding of the province's post-secondary education system. Prior to the release of his report on February 7, the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law hosted a conference, Taking Public Universities Seriously, in December 2004. Academics from universities around the world including Oxford, Maryland, and Melbourne, discussed the evolving role of the public university in industrialized democracies and the implications of this role for creating government policy. The conference's papers were collected in a book, Taking Public Universities Seriously, which includes an introduction by Iacobucci, and Carolyn Tuohy, Vice-President, Government and Institutional Relations, U of T. Topics include the rationale for funding public universities, the role of the public university, the proper role of tuition in the funding of higher education, and the models for student assistance if tuition fees increase. For more information, please visit http://www.utppublishing.com/. To order a copy, please visit www.uoftbookstore.com or call 1-800-565-9523.

Professor Colleen Flood has been appointed an editor of Healthcare Policy, a new quarterly journal expected to have its first edition ready by late summer or early Fall 2005.

The new bilingual journal will publish original scholarly and research papers that support Canadian health policy development and decision making in spheres ranging from governance, organization and service delivery to funding and resource allocation. It is intended for health system managers, practitioners, researchers, policy makers, educators and academics. "Professor Flood was a natural for the role as she has distinguished herself through her consulting work in health policy and governance issues in Canada. We are delighted to have her on our editorial team," says the journal's Editor-in-Chief, Brian Hutchison, of McMaster University. Flood is an Associate Professor at the U of T Faculty of Law and Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, as well as Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy. Healthcare Policy is being published by Longwoods Publishing, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, and the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR). Read the full story.

Sean Keating

Juda Strawczynski

Third-year law students, Sean Keating and Juda Strawczynski, were chosen as finalists in the "As Prime Minister Awards" contest for 2004. Established by Magna International Inc., the contest encourages students to express their solutions for building a better Canada.

In his fourth year of a combined JD/MBA program, Newfoundland born Keating said that Canada's identity has become too attached to its institutions. In his winning essay, "A second Canadian beef crisis: ridding Canada of its sacred cows," he says that being too attached makes reform difficult because reforming institutions strikes at our national identity. An Ottawa native, Strawczynski's essay "Trail-Blazing Towards a Better Canada" offered a backpacker's guide to governing Canada. He outlined how the federal government can work in partnership with the provinces, territories and civil society to protect the environment, promote higher education and improve our national health care systems. As finalists, the duo each won $10,000 and an offer of a four-month internship with Magna International Inc. In November 2004, finalists traveled to Ottawa and among other activities, formally presented their essays to the government and Prime Minister of Canada at Parliament Hill. This program, supported by the Magna for Canada Scholarship Fund, invites Canadian students to submit a 2,500 word essay on what they'd do as Prime Minister. Ashleigh Androsoff, a U of T grad, won the contest. To read their winning essays, please visit www.asprimeminister.com.

Ravi Malhotra

Shalin Sugunasiri

Two law students recently accepted tenure track positions at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law.

Ravi Malhotra, a third year doctoral student, will begin his new role on July 1, 2006, allowing time for him to complete his doctorate. First year doctoral candidate, Shalin Sugunasiri, will begin his new position on July 1, 2005. His general teaching areas will be in constitutional law, legal theory, criminal law and procedure, evidence, and public law. For more information on these and other doctoral students, please visit the "Alumni and Friends" section of www.law.utoronto.ca, and click on "Graduate Alumni Newsletter" in "News and Events."

Pro Bono Students Canada has assembled a top-notch team of students to help run the national program. PBSC has also awarded ten U of T law students Donner and Callwood Fellowships this summer. For the first time, Donner Fellows will be working in the provinces of Alberta and Quebec.

PBSC Student Leaders 2005-06

• National Coordinators: Anat Gur, TJ Riddell and Amy Grenon
• U of T Coordinators: Patricia Ricci and Amy Grenon (Amy is splitting her time)

Donner Fellows 2005

• Emily Rix - Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver
• Claire Young - CERA-SRAC, Huntsville/Toronto
• Polly Dondy-Kaplan - LEAF, Toronto
• Afsoon Houshidari - Social Justice Committee, Montreal
• Leslie Newman - Lake Ontario Waterkeepers, Toronto
• Lee-Ann Siu - METRAC, Toronto
• Sarah Hudson - Parks Canada, Victoria (& Queen Charlotte Islands etc.)
• Sunita Chowdhury - Elizabeth Fry, Edmonton

Callwood Fellows 2005

• Tiffany Murray - Aboriginal Legal Services
• Jessica Wolfe - Chiefs of Ontario

Downtown Legal Services has the highest level of student involvement in its 20-year history, with approximately 195 students volunteering their time over the school year to service Toronto's less fortunate. The enhanced interest, says DLS Acting Director Mary Misener, is largely attributable to the new building that houses the clinic, which was made possible by a generous gift from the law firm Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP.

The building at 655 Spadina Avenue has a large client reception and interview area, spacious staff and student offices and a boardroom for clinic meetings. Students can now interview their clients in a separate client area on the first floor of the building and work with the review lawyers in private offices on the second and third floors. There are also 17 computer work stations available for the students to complete their case preparation. "The generosity of Faskens is making this kind of expansion possible. The added meeting and office space can hold more students than ever. The facilities are spacious and professionally appointed. It is a wonderful place to work," says Mary Misener, DLS Acting Director. The immigration and criminal divisions at the clinic are extremely busy and the new family law division is starting to take on cases. Find out more about DLS.

This year's 2005 Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award recipients include third year students Oren Bick, Miranda Gass-Donnelly, James McClary, Tariq Remtulla, and Amy Salyzyn.

The Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Awards recognize students for outstanding extra-curricular contributions to their college, faculty, school or department, or to the university as a whole. The awards were established in 1994 by the University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA) and the Division of University Advancement. The UTAA named the awards after Gordon Cressy, former vice-president of development and university relations, University of Toronto. Cressy showed commitment to higher education and leadership in fundraising and community service. The Awards will be presented at a ceremony hosted by Interim President Frank Iacobucci on Thursday, March 31, 2005. For more information on the awards please visit http://www.alumni.utoronto.ca/events/awards/cressy.htm

Morning Star River drummers and traditional food catered by a native chief added a sense of tradition and spirit into the launch of The Indigenous Law Journal's Volume 3 on January 12. The event was also honoured by the presence of Native Center's Elder in Residence, Lillian McGregor.

Faculty, students, and community members gathered to celebrate ILJ's goals and vision. ILJ editor Heather Frederick says the articles, written by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, take interdisciplinary, comparative and Indigenous approaches. "The articles interrogate the status quo and provide innovative proposals to improve the relationships between Indigenous peoples and nation-states on a variety of issues." This volume continues the vision that underpins the ILJ, she says, but pushes the boundaries of current legal scholarship with both the substance and form of the articles. In particular, Frederick says the articles fill gaps in existing legal scholarship on issues facing Indigenous peoples. The article content and contributors span various countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For more information or to get involved, please contact indiglaw.journal@utoronto.ca.

- reported by law student Heather Frederick (2005)

Quebec's Minister of Health and Social Services, the Hon. Philippe Couillard, says there is no substitute for rapid change in the health care system. The Hon. Couillard's comments were part of a conference held in Toronto on November 30, 2004. The conference showcased research from "Defining the Medicare Basket", a project in which Professor Colleen Flood is a principal investigator.

As keynote speaker at "Careful Consideration: Decision-Making in the Health Care System," the Hon. Couillard stated that any necessary changes to the health care system could be done within the current boundaries of the Canada Health Act, without altering it. "The status quo is not acceptable," he said. A mixture of policy makers, academics and health care professionals examined ways in which this reform might occur. The participants also discussed reviewing physician compensation models, defining the composition of the "basket" of publicly funded services, the effects of removing services from the Medicare Basket, the development of a principled framework for decision making, and the development of a taxonomy for health care decision making. There was consensus that the health care system needs reform, not only for its continued prosperity, but for its existence. The conference was hosted by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Conference presentations are available at www.law.utoronto.ca/healthlaw/basket/index.html.

- reported by law student Shaunik Katyal (2006)

(L - R): Guest litigators Douglas Elliot, David A. Brown and Martha McCarthy.

In 2004, two upper year law students founded a new club, The Advocates' Circle, to bring some of Canada's most experienced litigators to the law school to share their experiences with interested law students.

The first event was held in November 2004, and featured three litigators - David A. Brown, R. Douglas Elliott, and Martha McCarthy - who had participated in last year's same-sex marriage reference at the Supreme Court of Canada. "The panelists provided us with an in-depth off-the-record discussion about how they saw their case as advocates," says Usman Sheikh, the Advocates' Circle Co-Chair. A second event was held in February 2005 and featured a general discussion about what trends in the profession are affecting the kind of experience aspiring litigators can expect. The panel included the Hon. Justice Colin L. Campbell of the Superior Court of Justice, Sarah M. Chesworth of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Ronald G. Slaght, Q.C., of Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP, and Sandra Nishikawa of the Department of Justice. Elder Marques, who co-founded the group with Sheikh, says that the group's success says a lot about the profession: "We're really pleased that practitioners embraced the opportunity to help future litigators start to think about how they need to develop advocacy and client management skills and not just understand the law," he says. The third event on class action litigation will be held on March 15. Events are sponsored by the Students' Law Society and McCarthy Tétrault LLP. For more information, please email elder.marques@utoronto.ca or u.sheikh@utoronto.ca.

- reported by law students Elder Marques (2005) and Usman Sheikh (2005)

Distinguished Alumni Return to Law School to Talk to Students

On November 30, 2004, students lunched with one of the law school's most well traveled alumni, Sidney Robinson (class of 1966). Robinson was teaching philosophy at U of T when he was invited to study at the law school. In his third year, he and his brother-in-law George Butterfield decided his classmates needed a vacation so they organized a trip. This interest was the start of Robinson's love of travel, and his eventual role as founding partner in an international travel company. Today, Butterfield & Robinson is one of the premier luxury adventure travel companies in the world. Although Robinson has seen the world, he still practices law. After law school, he joined Torys LLP as a commercial lawyer and was a key player in many major deals, eventually rising to partner. His advice to students: "pick an environment where you can admire and respect your peers."

- reported by law student Ted Chiasson (2007)

The Dean's Luncheon series continued on January 13, 2005 with alumnus Jennifer Warren (class of 1989) of Rogers Communications Inc. Warren has built a tremendous career practicing as a corporate, commercial and entertainment lawyer. She began her career as an associate practicing corporate securities and commercial law with the law firm, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP in Calgary, and later in their Toronto office. Warren told students that her extensive training and experience as a lawyer prepared her to take a position at Rogers, where she is now Vice-President and General Counsel. Warren describes her career choices and reasons for pursuing an in-house position with Rogers as the opportunity to have hands-on business experience in a dynamic, growth-oriented technology and entertainment company. Warren ended the luncheon by praising the quality of the law school's graduates and advised students to focus on being "the best" in the industry.

- reported by law student Jeff Novak (2005)

Students were fortunate to meet Julia West (class of 1976) as the Dean's Leadership Luncheon speaker on January 20. Since leaving law school, West has had a rich and varied life, having worked for a law firm, run her own private practice, enjoyed success as a well respected interior designer, and set up a unique independent school. West admits that while in law school, she had "no ambition to practice law." However, after being introduced to litigation, she was "completely hooked." She worked for seven years at McMillan Binch LLP. But after her first baby was born, West decided to set up her own private practice specializing in litigation. A few years later, she wanted to do something incorporating her life-long love of design, so she started "Julia West Home." JWH specializes in custom designed furniture and textiles for the home, and is one of the leading design retailers in Toronto.

- reported by law student Keir Wilmut (2006)

On February 1, the law school welcomed back alumnus Kirby Chown (class of '79), who is the Ontario Regional Managing Partner for McCarthy Tetrault LLP. Chown has built an accomplished legal career focusing on civil litigation, including medical malpractice and family law. Some highlights of her career include acting as co-counsel to the Commission of Inquiry into the Use of Drugs and Other Banned Substances in Sport ("the Dubin Commission") and serving as counsel to the physicians before the Grange Commission. In addition, Chown has lectured on a variety of health law issues to physicians and nurses throughout Ontario. At the Dean's luncheon, Chown spoke about her experiences both at law school and at a law firm. In particular, she described both the benefits and challenges of entering law school as a mature student. She spoke about ways in which one can balance a successful legal career with family commitments, and urged students to set limits for themselves rather than feeling that they live to work.

- reported by law student Leila Wright (2007)

On March 3, the law school was pleased to welcome back Madame Justice Bonnie Croll, who was Assistant Dean, Students, and Director of Admissions at the Faculty from 1996 to 2000. In that role, she initiated many projects such as developing a comprehensive financial aid scheme, creating a Career Development Office, and establishing a national pro bono program and Public Interest Advocacy Summer Fellowship Program. Justice Croll spoke fondly of her time at the law school, joking that her role helped prepare her for a career on the bench. In 2000, she was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. At the beginning of her career, she struggled with the demands of work and family, choosing to work part-time - a choice that was, she says, unheard of in the 1980s. Justice Croll's private practice included working for Fraser & Beatty (now Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP) and Fasken Campbell Godfrey (now Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP). When asked how things have changed for women in the legal profession, Justice Croll said that things are better. However, she stressed that female lawyers still face challenges in balancing a legal career and a family, and encouraged all students to continue to work for improvements in this area.

- reported by law student Sarah Rogers (2006)

Professor David Dyzenhaus chats with alumni Patrick Boyer, QC, '75 and Jim Spence '66 (right), a Superior Court of Justice judge, at a January 11th Law & Literature Book Club discussion.

An animated Professor Ernie Weinrib discusses selected passages of "The Talmud" on February 23 as part of the book club series.

Alumni, staff and students have been enjoying book readings led by various faculty members who discuss legal themes emerging from some of the world's great literature. The series, "Literature Through the Lens of Law," began in the fall 2004 and continues this term.

The Faculty's inaugural book club event was held on December 1, 2004 and featured Professors Mayo Moran, Angela Fernandez and Lorne Sossin who read from The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Alumnus Chuck Schwartz (class of 1967) says it was "a stimulating evening, exploring the novel from interesting and diverse viewpoints." On January 11, 2005, Professor David Dyzenhaus discussed Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee. Although he was "disturbed" by the novel, Dyzenhaus says the landscape is not devoid of hope. The third event, on February 23, featured Professor Ernest Weinrib who discussed and aptly explained selected passages from The Talmud. The series continues on April 5 with Professor Ed Morgan on Ulysses by James Joyce.

Interim President, U of T, Frank Iacobucci

Prof. Kent Roach

Prof. Hamish Stewart

One of the main goals of the Law Alumni Association (LAA) is to encourage alumni keep in contact with one another and the law school through events such as the Breakfast Speakers' Series. On November 26, the LAA welcomed Frank Iacobucci as the guest speaker, on February 16, Professors Hamish Stewart and Kent Roach spoke to alumni, and on March 4th Professor Darlene Johnston and Noah Novogrodsky spoke.

At Bennett Jones LLP on November 26, Iacobucci discussed his retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada and his return to the University as Interim President. The next breakfast, on February 16, was held at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and featured Professors Hamish Stewart and Kent Roach. Professor Stewart discussed the legality of arbitrary detentions and Professor Roach discussed the three-year review of the anti-terrorism legislation.

Noah Novogrodsky

Prof. Darlene Johnston

Prof. David Schneiderman

On March 4, at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Professor Johnston and Noah Novogrodsky, Executive Director, International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC), discussed the groundbreaking work they are doing in Belize representing Maya communities. The next LAA Breakfast is scheduled for April 8. Professor David Schneiderman will discuss "Judging the Media: Media Reporting and the Supreme Court of Canada". For upcoming lectures, please visit the "Alumni and Friends" section of the web site at www.law.utoronto.ca.

Dr. Gerry Caplan and Noah Novogrodsky, Executive Director of the International Human Rights program.

Recent attention has been focused on the 1994 genocide and conflict between two ethnic groups in Rwanda. At the law school on January 13, Dr. Gerry Caplan and Noah Novogrodsky, Executive Director of the International Human Rights program, co-hosted an International Human Rights Program Seminar to discuss "Rwanda: Ten Years After the Genocide."

Dr. Caplan, an expert in African studies and initiator of the "Remember Rwanda" project, talked about the role of the international community before, during and after the genocide. He said a UN Security Council decision in the early days of the conflict determined that no resources would be dispatched to Rwanda. To their dismay, the UN Mission was decimated once the genocide began. Ten years later, Dr. Caplan says the recognition of the international community's small role in this tragedy is 'still weak'. But he says the mistakes of Rwanda can teach the international community that with advance warning of genocide, the international community can and must take action.

- reported by law student Stephanie Pearce (2006)

Second year student, David MacFarlane (left), and alumni mentor, Neil Guthrie , Stikeman Elliott (right), and had a good laugh when they showed up in identical tweed sports coats at the Alumni-Student Mentor Program Reception on January 18.

The Alumni-Student Mentor Program has reached a record high participant level of 67 students and 49 mentors, thanks to a new matching program. The more detailed surveys allowed pairings to reflect more of the participants' personal and career interests.

To honour the University of Toronto Law graduates who generously give their time and make the program a success, a reception was held on January 18. Student Audrey Ackah (2005) and alumnus Rita Maxwell (class of 2001), of McCarthy Tetrault LLP, spoke about their involvement in the program and the relationship it has fostered between them, a relationship that has extended throughout Ackah's three years at the law school. "Early in first year, it was tremendously helpful just to hear about someone else's experiences of law school. Later, during second year interviews, Rita was a great source of moral support and career advice," Ackah recounted. Maxwell similarly expressed how the alumni-student mentor program opened her up to new possibilities. "One of the things I want to give to the students I'm mentoring now is a sense that nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. Just go for it," she says. Another student in the program, David MacFarlane (2006), says his mentor, Neil Guthrie, taught him that it's not about networking or recruiting, but about giving back. "Neil drives home the pure generosity of the mentors' participation," MacFarlane says. Learn more about the mentor program.

- reported by law student David MacFarlane (2006)

Students at the law school turned their attention to the victims of the Asian tsunami as they returned to classes the first week of January. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of numerous student groups including SLS, SALSA and MAPIL, $2,700 was raised, which was matched by the Federal government.

Members of student groups came out in force to help raise money by hosting a weeklong fundraising drive culminating in a special event with guest speaker, Dr. Rudhramoorthy Cheran. In only five days, members of the Faculty of Law donated more than $2,700. The money was taken to the Canadian Red Cross on January 11, the last day of the Federal government's matching program, which doubled the donation. Dr. Cheran is a professor of sociology at York University and is affiliated with the University's Centre for Refugee Studies.

- reported by law student Caroline Wawzonek (2005)

April 5
Professor Ed Morgan will be discussing Ulysses, by James Joyce, at the Law and Literature Series: Literature Through the Lens of Law.

April 8
Professor David Schneiderman will discuss "Judging the Media: Media Reporting and the Supreme Court of Canada," as part of LAA Breakfast Speaker Series.

May 3 - NEW DATE
Professors Carol Rogerson and Brenda Cossman will discuss Adultery, by Richard B. Wright, at the Law and Literature Series: Literature Through the Lens of Law.