Jeffrey CohenThis donor profile is from the Fall-Winter 2012 issue of Nexus.

By Karen Gross and Lucianna Ciccocioppo / photography by Nigel Dickson

As a Toronto-based law firm with just a single office, Torkin Manes takes pride in the city’s legal community, and its own prominent niche within that sphere. Supporting the community as a whole, and the law schools within it, is something the firm takes very seriously.

“Toronto is a large legal centre and I think its prominence is enhanced by having good law schools in the city,” says Jeffrey Cohen, the firm’s managing partner. “Our lawyers can continue their own education; they can teach, sharpen their skills and interact with students on a regular basis.”

Almost a fifth of the lawyers at Torkin Manes are graduates of the Faculty of Law. A number of them teach at the school, and law students cycle through the firm on a regular basis.

“We’re very impressed with the U of T graduates,” Cohen says. “They get a great education, from some of the best academic legal minds and from top-notch working lawyers.”

The new building, he says, is the obvious next step.

“Every institution, if it’s to continue and grow and recruit top candidates, needs to have good physical premises,” Cohen says. “A new building will allow the law school to refresh itself, update its technology, and continue to attract great minds.”