From outstanding students to alumni achievements and new faculty, here are the stories that made you click in 2017.
10 (tie). Understanding reconciliation with the Blanket Exercise
On an early spring day, dozens of students, faculty and other members of the University of Toronto law school community who have gathered in Rowell Room in Flavelle House listen quietly as they are warned that what they are about to experience will not be easy. They have come to participate in the Blanket Exercise, a step on the path to a reconciliation that has been hundreds of years in the making. Along the way, they hope to learn about and engage with an often tragic history, one that will give them a better understanding of the issues many Indigenous people face today.
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10 (tie). Welcome to new faculty, Professors Adriana Robertson and Margaret Jane Radin
The Faculty of Law welcomes two new scholars to its ranks: Professor Adriana Robertson and Professor Margaret Jane Radin.
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9. Moot results: Another stellar year for our teams
As always, U of T Law is proud of the accomplishments of its talented student mooters, and its negotiation and arbitration competition teams. Read on for the results of the 2017 moots and negotiation and arbitration competitions.
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8. Fulbright Fellow J. R. Rothstein to be a Visiting Scholar for 2017-18
Fulbright Fellow J.R. Rothstein of Manhattan, New York will be a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law this year to engage in a comparative law analysis regarding the role of Jewish, Islamic and secular law in the context of real estate transactions. Over his eight months of study, Rothstein will also be affiliated with the Beis Din Vaad Harabonim of Toronto and the Islamic Medina Seminary of Toronto, both of which will facilitate his research.
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7. Full coverage of the Class of 2017 Convocation Day
The remarkably accomplished group that makes up Faculty of Law alumni now has more than 200 new members, as the Class of 2017 officially graduated on Convocation Day, June 9, and celebrated with their family and friends. (Includes a photogallery and the videos of the convocation speech by honorary Doctor of Laws recipient Phil Fontaine, and the valedictory speech by Kartiga Thavaraj).
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6. Alumni appointments to the judiciary in June by the Government of Canada
Several Faculty of Law alumni have received appointments in June 2017 from the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, under the new Government of Canada judicial application process.
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5. Geoff Taber: 1960-2016, Class of 1985
Geoffrey Kenneth Taber, LLB 1985, his wife Jacquie, and sons Scott and Andrew, all of Toronto, perished tragically in a cottage fire on December 24, 2016. Geoff was a generous, vibrant and wonderful person, a talented lawyer and a great friend. A beloved member of his class, Geoff graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1985 and went on to article at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where he practised law in a career spanning 30 years.
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4. Class of 2017 is ready to celebrate
It’s Convocation time at the University of Toronto, and the white tent and blue banners have gone up around King’s College Circle in preparation for the graduation season. The Class of 2017 is looking forward to celebrating, after three or four long years at the Faculty of Law.
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3. Nine Faculty of Law alumni named to Canadian Lawyer's Top 25 Most Influential list for 2017
Nine Faculty of Law alumni have been named to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential List for 2017, selected from among 168 candidates and polled online by the readers.
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2. Message from Dean Ed Iacobucci on recent events in the United States and Quebec
President Meric Gertler issued a statement yesterday expressing dismay at recent events in the United States. He spoke on behalf of all of us when he said that discrimination on the basis of nationality or birthplace is antithetical to the University of Toronto’s, and indeed Canada’s values. At the Faculty of Law, we have a special responsibility to champion the rule of law. This week’s seemingly cavalier dismissals of international norms and shared legal understandings by the U.S. President are especially troubling for our community. Our thoughts are also with the Muslim community and Quebecers over the recent murders in Quebec.
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And the No. 1 online story for 2017 is:
1. From music to magic, meet some of our incoming first year students
When the Moscow Ballet came to Saskatoon’s largest concert hall in November 2015, some 2,000 spectators listened to William Boan’s solo violin accompany the first dancer. It was among the biggest crowds he had ever entertained, but he wasn’t fazed—he had already played in that venue 50 times or so. He was only 20 years old at the time, but he had already been assistant concert master for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra for years, and practicing his craft since the age of two. The CBC called him a “wunderkind.”
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