VOLUNTEER TO BE A JD STUDENT AMBASSADOR

 The UofT Law JD Admissions Office is seeking JD students in all years to volunteer as JD Ambassadors.

Under the direction of the Senior Recruitment, Admissions & Diversity Outreach Officer, JD Ambassadors will engage with prospective students, applicants and newly admitted students to motivate them to enrol in the Faculty.

Ambassadors will provide the student perspective and insight into the JD experience by portraying the vibrancy and depth of the academic, co-curricular, extra-curricular, professional development and student service opportunities offered by or available through the Faculty and University. 
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* BE VALUED & MAKE A DIFFERENCE *
We encourage you to use this opportunity to have a direct impact on the composition of future classes. Incoming students who have interacted with current JD students and alumni consistently rave about the value of their engagement. 
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* EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE*
We seek a mix of Ambassadors in order to support the wide range of educational backgrounds, life experiences and demographics of our prospective students and applicants. The greater the mix of ambassadors, the better support we can provide.
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* REASONABLE TIME COMMITMENT *
The commitment is light enough not to be a strain with other commitments. Ambassadors should allot 6-10 hours per term (typically an average of 1 hr /forthnight) to volunteer.
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* MAIN DUTIES *

1. LAW SCHOOL TOURS [80%]
Conducting tours of the Faculty that highlight key services, facilities and personnel, and how they relate positively to the student experience, as well as communicating the history, academic and career strengths, and activities that occur among the student body and faculty. Tour groups range from 1 - 8 people comprising primarily of prospective students, applicants and their relatives/families. Tours are normally 45 min in length, and during the Fall &Winter terms they are scheduled within the 12:30-2:00 pm period on weekdays.

2. INFORMATION EVENTS [10%]
Assisting with the coordination and implementation of functions on-campus and off-campus, such as Welcome Day (winter term), open houses, JD admission information sessions and education/career fairs. Ambassadors may staff the event registration desks, serve as information resources via one-on-one/group interaction, panels, presentations, video streams, and assist with other logistics. The majority of events are on weekdays, with possibly 3-5 events held on a weekend day (usually Saturday).

3. E-ENGAGEMENT [10%]
Corresponding with prospective and incoming students via social media, email and live online chats, to assist them in understanding what it's like to be a JD student in the Faculty and the University.
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* QUALIFICATIONS *

Candidates must be:
- in ANY JD year of study, from1L to 4L(for combined programs)
- in pursuit of any legal area of interest
- in good academic standing at the Faculty 
- willing and able to be a positive and responsible representative of the Faculty and University

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* SIGN-UP TODAY ONLINE *

Complete and submit the online application asap at https://goo.gl/forms/kOBipxRcgjKscryV2

The first round of selections will be made from the applications received by September 20

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* HELP *

Jerome Poon-Ting
Senior Recruitment, Admissions & Diversity Outreach Officer
JD Admissions Office
Student Services Hub

jerome.poon.ting@utoronto.ca
tel: 416-978-6630

Writing shortly after the Brexit vote, Kenneth Rogoff decried the use of referenda in modern constitutional democracy: “This isn’t democracy; it is Russian roulette for republics.” Beyond Brexit, many recent majoritarian decisions have concerned matters of real constitutional importance, in Colombia, Hungary, Italy, Crimea, Turkey and Thailand, for example. Referenda are sometimes exalted as the closest we can come to the exercise of popular sovereignty, but few of the world’s most influential constitutions have been ratified by a referendum. On the other hand, some of the referenda we have witnessed recently have not sought to change the formal or written constitution, but nevertheless engage questions of fundamental constitutional significance and national identity. A number of questions follow for scholars and students of public law:

• Has the referendum emerged as a mechanism for effecting change to the fundamental structure of a political community without amending the constitution? 
• What is it about the referendum that explains why some notable constitution-making processes and the constitutional amendment procedures of influential constitutions avoid it, while change-makers at this sub-constitutional level embrace it?
• Do referenda raise different questions in constitution-making versus constitution-changing or fundamental political change? 
• Under which conditions should referenda be used in making and changing constitutions? 
• Are referenda most appropriate for largely homogenous jurisdictions, and to be avoided in heterogeneous ones; or does the promise of referenda lie in their capacity to bridge and indeed to transcend differences, be they ethnic, ideological, geographic or otherwise?

This symposium seeks answers to these and related questions, bringing scholars from around the world to Toronto for two days of discussion, with proceedings to be published in a special issue of the University of Toronto Law Journal.

A limited number of seats are open to faculty and graduate students with research interests on the subject of the symposium.

Find out more

Attention all 2Ls, 3Ls, and 4Ls: Welcome to the 2017-2018 mooting season! The Moot Court Committee invites all upper-years to experience competitive mooting at U of T Law. With the new school year approaching, we wanted to tell you about some exciting opportunities coming your way:

Information Session (Tues., Sept. 5, 12:30-2:00pm – First day of class)

The MCC will be holding a lunchtime information session about upper-year competitive moot tryouts on Tuesday, Sept. 5 in J250 (Abella Moot Court Room). Everyone is welcome! We will be talking about the tryout process and what it’s like to compete in a moot. We will also provide you with information on the particular moots that U of T will be competing in this year. 

Even if you’re not sure whether mooting is for you, please come and find out more. Many students who never thought of themselves as strong public speakers have gone on to become champion mooters.

Pre-Tryout Practice for Those with Little to No Experience (Sun., Sept. 10)

The MCC will be providing students with an opportunity to experience mooting prior to the competitive moot tryouts. Join us in the Jackman Law Building on Sunday, Sept. 10 to practice giving submissions and answering questions. Each student will be given a one-on-one practice session, followed by constructive feedback on mooting style.

Please note: These sessions will not provide substantive information/feedback about the moot problem itself, just feedback on mooting style. We anticipate having space for all who register; however, if space becomes limited, students who have not previously participated in an upper-year competitive moot or the Baby Gale will receive priority.

Upper-Year Competitive Moot Tryouts (Mon., Sept. 11-Wed., Sept. 13)

Tryouts for this year’s competitive moots will take place in two rounds. First-round tryouts will be held on Sept. 11 and 12. Students who progress to the second round will moot again on Sept. 13. In both rounds, you will make submissions for seven minutes before a panel of three judges.

Registration for the Pre-Tryout Practice Sessions and the Competitive Moot Tryouts will open at 5:00pm on Tues., Sept. 5 and close at 5:00pm on Thurs., Sept. 7. We guarantee that everyone who signs up will receive a first-round tryout.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email the MCC (utlawmoot@gmail.com). Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@utlawmoot) for updates!