The University of Toronto Faculty of Law is committed to supporting Juris Doctor (JD) students in pursuing dynamic and rewarding experiences that compliment their studies.
Donors generously supplement the faculty’s commitment to establish and support meaningful experiential learning opportunities, including paid internships, or fellowships, research positions, and unique partnerships with other faculties and organizations. These practical experiences reinforce a student’s academics, ignite their passion for future studies and nurtures professional growth and development.
“My fellowship placement has provided my ideal summer experience: something that balances challenging work with the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to my community,” says 2023 R. Douglas Elliott Fellow, Jarren Fefer (JD 2025).
Established by the LGBT Purge Fund in 2021 and named in honour of Faculty of Law alumnus R. Douglas Elliott (LLB 1982), lead counsel for the LGBT Purge Class Action, the R. Douglas Elliott Fellowship supports a JD or graduate student’s work with public interest-oriented LGBTQ+ organizations, or research on antidiscrimination class actions more broadly.
Fefer is working this summer with Egale, Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI people and issues. Fefer says he hopes to use the skills he's developed over the course of his fellowship to continue fostering inclusive spaces in legal practice.
“I have had the chance to conduct research, assist in drafting facta, and develop litigation strategies. I've also been able to attend proceedings in Divisional Court and assist on Egale’s matters at the Supreme Court of Canada,” says Fefer, who is notably proud of the work he's been able to accomplish to date.
“I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue engaging with the law academically through a thorough review of the legal treatment of queer people across Canada’s 14 jurisdictions. Above all, I am most grateful for the opportunity to see first-hand how public interest litigation concretely impacts the experiences of Canada's most vulnerable communities.”
Fefer says a surging wave of hate directed at the 2SLGBTQ+ community threatens the decades of progress achieved so far.
“Lawyers have both the opportunity and duty to defend hard-won rights in creative and precedent-setting ways. Being involved in that process is humbling; it serves as a reminder of the real-world consequences that follow legal practice.”
“I'm fortunate to follow the footsteps of the likes of Mr. Elliott, but that privilege comes with the responsibility of ensuring that those who follow me have access to the same degree of equality that I have enjoyed.”
Read: Ben Kitching, 2L named inaugural R. Douglas Elliott Fellow
