This re-conception of legal education has proven to be the enduring key to our success and has carried our Faculty to pre-eminence among law schools in Canada and into the ranks of the very best law schools in the world.
This year, we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the modern Faculty of Law and its founding vision of academic legal education. We celebrate a distinctive scholarly ethos and approach to legal education, fuelled by rigorous, analytical, critical, cross-category and cross-disciplinary thinking, undergirded by a strong sense of community.
We kicked off our celebratory year with a gala event on Saturday, September 14, 2024:
Inspired by the "Law Follies" tradition — poking fun at the quirks of law school and the legal profession — students, alumni, professors and former deans took to the stage, in what proved to be a night of uproarious laughter and nostalgic reflection. A special thanks to the night's master of ceremonies, Bob Rae (LLB 1977), Canada's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN.
Truly a unique celebration and an unforgettable homage to the past, present and future of U of T Law!
Cecil A. Wright Dean’s Key reunion
Co-hosted by University of Toronto President Meric Gertler and Faculty of Law Dean Jutta Brunnée, past recipients of the Cecil A. Wright Dean’s Key were invited to reunite and reminisce this week on January 21, as part of ongoing Law 75 celebrations.
Named after the legendary Cecil (“Caesar”) Wright, who served as the second Dean of U of T's Faculty of Law from 1949-1965, this special accolade is awarded on a yearly basis to graduating students who demonstrate great interest in extracurricular work of an academic nature.
Past winners of the Dean’s Key have gone on to become highly respected lawyers and leaders, serving as shining examples of excellence in our alumni community. They remain supportive, involved U of T alumni who have often played an integral role in the law school today.
Nearly 100 recipients have received this prestigious recognition since the founding of the modern law school.
Empowering the future: 75 barrier breaking years of Women in Law
The Faculty of Law, led by Dean Jutta Brunnée, and the Women & The Law student group, were thrilled to host a distinguished panel of legal rock stars for an event in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the modern law school.
Empowering the Future: 75 Barrier Breaking Years of Women in Law brought together an extraordinary group of alumnae, including the Hon. Rosalie Silberman Abella (LLB 1970, Hon. LLD 1990),Dean Emerita Mayo Moran (SJD 1999), the Irving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice & Equality, Amma Anaman (JD/MBA 2012), Senior Executive, New York City, Atrisha Lewis (JD 2012), Partner, McCarthy Tétrault and surprise guest, the Hon. Anita Anand (LLM 1996). Expertly guiding the conversation was Professor Brenda Cossman (LLB 1986), Associate Dean, Research.
Perspectives from panelists covered the 1960’s to the 2010’s and highlighted how far women have come in the legal profession and how much more work needs to be done to break down barriers that still exist. Our multigenerational panelists had guests engaged with topics that still keep them up at night — and shared strategies for women to cope in challenging times. It was an extraordinary event with extraordinary women.
A special thank you to all of our attendees, Alexandra Beck (3L) from the Women & The Law group and Law Alumni Association (LAA) Council Member, Jennifer Orange (LLB 1998, SJD 2019) for saying a few words of wisdom and warmth in introduction and closing.
A recording of this special event can be viewed on our YouTube Channel.
Named Lectures
January 9, 2025 David B. Goodman Lecture Professor Michele Bratcher Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy, Georgetown Law
January 30, 2025 John A. Tory Lecture The Hon. Frank Iacobucci, Senior Counsel, Torys LLP Former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and Dean Emeritus of U of T Law
February 25, 2025 Morris A. Gross Memorial Lecture Kimberly Murray, Associate Professor, Queen’s National Scholar in Indigenous Legal Studies, Queen’s University Faculty of Law; Former Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools
March 18, 2025 Grafstein Lecture in Communications Professor Lisa Siraganian, J. R. Herbert Boone Chair in Humanities, Department of Comparative Thought and Literature Johns Hopkins University
April 2, 2025 Cecil A. Wright Memorial Lecture Professor Catherine Sharkey, Segal Family Professor of Regulatory Law and Policy, NYU School of Law
Conference
Our 75th anniversary year will culminate in our second Law in a Changing Worldconference, March 27-28, 2025.
Current Faculty members will engage the conference theme “looking forward by looking back,” reflecting on pivotal contributions to scholarship and legal development over the last seven decades by former faculty.
U of T Alumni Reunion
May 28 – June 1, 2025: Come back this spring for the alumni event of the year. From kids’ activities to free lectures to outdoor fests, there are so many ways to reunite. Update your email now. Never miss news about Reunion or other U of T events.
Grand Mooters Reunion We regret that plans for this event have been indefinitely postponed.
For alumni who wish to update their contact record, please complete the Address Update Form.
