Our students tell us they decided to go to law school because they want to do something important in their careers and become leaders in their chosen fields.
Thriving and succeeding in the legal profession requires more than academic strength alone. Legal employers from across the profession tell us they are looking for students who are not only smart but can also effectively communicate ideas, collaborate with a diverse team, build a professional network, and manage conflict in a fast-paced, complex professional environment. This is true regardless of whether you want to work in the field with the UN, start your own company, manage a not-for-profit organization, be a government lawyer, work in-house or become a partner at a big downtown firm.
The Faculty of Law’s Leadership Skills Program offers a series of innovative workshops to help you develop the key leadership skills required for professional success. Facilitated by industry experts, and developed in consultation with students, alumni and numerous members of the legal profession, the Leadership Skills Program will prepare you to transition from a stellar law student to a highly-regarded and successful summer student, articling student and lawyer.
Leadership Skills Program
Our students tell us they decided to go to law school because they want to do something important in their careers and become leaders in their chosen fields.
Thriving and succeeding in the legal profession requires more than academic strength alone. Legal employers from across the profession tell us they are looking for students who are not only smart but can also effectively communicate ideas, collaborate with a diverse team, build a professional network, and manage conflict in a fast-paced, complex professional environment. This is true regardless of whether you want to work in the field with the UN, start your own company, manage a not-for-profit organization, be a government lawyer, work in-house or become a partner at a big downtown firm.
The Faculty of Law’s Leadership Skills Program offers a series of innovative workshops to help you develop the key leadership skills required for professional success. Facilitated by industry experts, and developed in consultation with students, alumni and numerous members of the legal profession, the Leadership Skills Program will prepare you to transition from a stellar law student to a highly-regarded and successful summer student, articling student and lawyer.
Upcoming Sessions:
“The Business of Law” with Gowlings WLG - REGISTER HERE
Tuesday, November 22nd from 12:30pm-2:00pm in Room P105
On Tuesday, November 22nd, lawyers from Gowlings WLG will visit the University of Toronto Faculty of Law to impart their perspectives on “The Business of Law”. While law is a vocation built on ethics, integrity, professionalism, and tradition, we often forget that it is also a business venture. This Leadership Skills session is designed to help law students understand the intricacies of the law firm business model and to put them in a position to seamlessly transition into summer and articling positions.
Topics of discussion will include:
- An overview of who law firm clients may be
- Examining how law firms generate income and the different fee models – billable hours, fixed fees, importance of billing
- Law firm structures – associate vs. partner, the importance of business services departments and support departments
- What does partnership mean?
- Types and strength of law firms
“Practical Tech Skills for Law School and Beyond” with Sean Dillman – REGISTER HERE
Thursday, January 19th from 12:30pm-2:00pm
Join us as we welcome back Sean Dillman for an all-new session designed to strengthen your practical IT skills and equip you with real-life precedents. Using a half-lecture/ half-tutorial style, this 2-hour hybrid workshop covers 8 important technology-based skills, including mail merges, automating repetitive tasks, and drafting document templates.
Based on real-life experience, this session pairs learning with doing to sharpen your IT skills and strengthen your hands-on abilities. The focus is on key tasks and concrete takeaways, including making real documents that you can use in the future. By learning these things before job interviews, you can be better prepared and have solid practices in place backed by real templates that you made yourself.
No matter if you are a 1L, 2L, 3L or grad student, this session has something for everyone and promises to provide training that you won't find anywhere else.
“Commercial Contracts 101” with 4L Academy – REGISTER HERE
Friday, February 10th from 1pm-3pm in Room P105
Most lawyers spend a lot of time looking at contracts. From drafting them to reviewing them to litigating them. Understanding contracts is a key part of your job. Unfortunately, there's nothing intuitive about understanding how contracts work. Very rarely is anyone fighting about whether there was sufficient consideration. In this 4L Academy Session, we'll tackle contract basics. All in a practical, interactive, and (dare we say) fun manner. This course will be taught by Aaron Baer, a Partner at Renno & Co and ex-Big Law Partner.
4L Academy provides practical, engaging, and modern training as a supplement to existing law school and law firm training. Taught by passionate lawyers and designed specifically for newer lawyers, they are building the training they wish they had so that others don’t have to feel the way they did.
“Lawyer as Your Client” with Gowlings WLG – REGISTER HERE
Friday, March 17TH from 1:00pm-3:00pm at the Gowlings Office
During this Leadership Skills session, we will again partner with Gowlings WLC to explore how young lawyers can better understand and manage their working relationships at a firm. Never underestimate the power of strong communication and interpersonal skills.
In “Lawyer as Your Client”, we’ll explore how to manage lawyer expectations, take ownership of your work product, learn how to moderate hours and prioritize competing demands, examine the importance of feedback, and list important sources of support.
This is an important session that will provide you with the tools to balance your mental and physical health, all while meeting exceptional performance standards.
Additional Online Resources
“The Leadership Skills program has been one of the most valuable elements of my U of T Law experience. The program is practical and has immediate applicability – I have successfully used techniques and strategies that I learned in these sessions during the Toronto and New York recruits, in student leadership roles, while networking, and at work. When prospective or lower-year students ask me for advice on navigating law school, I always emphasize the importance of attending the sessions; in a crowded legal market, soft skills help us stand out.”
Josh Lokko, JD/MBA 2020
