Year in Review 2022
Wishing our community health and happiness this season!
Dean's Message
What a year! We welcomed 2022 with a sense of optimism, succeeded in returning to in-person learning during the Winter term, and shared a sense of true joy in starting the new academic year with our classrooms – and indeed, the entire Jackman Law Building – buzzing with lively debate and chatter. It was a wonderful reminder of how special in-person teaching and learning really is.
The law school community continues to go from strength to strength. Our JD students continue to impress, with the current 1L class joining us from over 40 different undergraduate institutions and with a medium LSAT score in the 95th percentile. Our graduate students hail from more than 36 countries, including Armenia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Iran, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and others. It was also an exceptional year for our graduate students on the academic job market, with 10 of our doctoral candidates securing tenure-track faculty positions at universities in Ontario, Quebec, and elsewhere.
Mindful of our role as one of the world's top law schools, we continue to leverage opportunities to promote robust engagement in our city, across Canada and around the world. Our Faculty experts were on hand to offer insights into the legal dimensions of important current events. Through a series of online "snap panels" we reached audiences across Canada and beyond, discussing key issues raised by the convoy protest in Ottawa, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the notwithstanding clause. Based on the great success of these talks, we look forward to continuing our engagement with pivotal issues in the coming year.
Beyond signing up for one of our online events, I encourage you to stay connected and join us for the many events hosted each year by the Faculty, including the upcoming conference on Law in a Changing World: The Climate Crisis, on March 2-3, 2023. This event is designed to grapple with the fact that climate change is a phenomenon that impacts all areas of law, legal scholarship and legal practice – and all of us as lawyers – whether we think of ourselves as climate law experts or not.
At U of T Law we educate the leaders and legal experts that our changing world needs now. And we do the critical thinking societies need, collaborating across disciplines on ground-breaking research. We were thrilled to welcome three new faculty members this past year: Assistant Professor Abdi Aidid; Assistant Professor Jean-Christophe Bédard-Rubin; and Professor John Borrows who has returned to the Faculty as the inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law.
Our students, faculty, staff and alumni are all contributors to our wonderful community, who work together in the pursuit of academic and professional excellence. We hope you will take advantage of many opportunities to engage with us in 2023.
May this coming year bring personal fulfillment, enjoy and intellectual growth for you all.
Jutta Brunnée, FRSC
Dean, University Professor and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair
Associate Member, Institut de droit international
Top website news of 2022
From new faculty, alumni and staff appointments, to student fellowships and impactful giving to U of T Law, here are the top stories and announcements that piqued our community's interest in 2022.
Top Nexus stories of 2022
In the news: Opinions by our experts
Our scholars are thought leaders in academia, the legal profession and public policy. U of T Law professors, adjunct faculty, JD and graduate students share their commentaries and opinions across the Canadian media landscape and beyond.
Books published by our scholars and alumni
It was an exceptional year for newly published work by U of T Law faculty, graduate students and alumni. Each title contributes to the thought leadership of our Faculty in tackling complex real-world problems.
Honours & Awards
U of T Law is home to some of the world's top legal scholars, students, alumni and staff. We congratulate them on their award-winning accomplishments!
Events
Top in-person attendance
The Sept. 22 event at the Isabel Bader Theatre - Justice Beyond Borders: Justice Abella's Global Legacy - recognized retired Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella (BA 1967 UC, LLB 1970, Hon. LLD 1990) for her contributions to legal thought around the world. (Photo by Dave Chan)
The Oct. 19 seminar and reception celebrating former Dean and University Professor Emeritus Martin L. Friedland brought colleagues, friends, family and alumni back to U of T Law to celebrate Friedland's illustrious career and 90th birthday. (Photo by Dewey Chang)
Top online attendance
The faculty panel How Freedom Rules and the Rules of Freedom: Convoys and Legal Institutions, attracted over 600 registrants and more than 400 attendees during the live online event held in February. (Photo by Naomi McKinney via Unsplash)
CONNECT with your community
Our alumni know first-hand the intellectual rigour, curiosity, and work ethic that defines the U of T Law and we are bringing this remarkable community together, online. Sign-up is easy - use your current LinkedIn credentials or email.
Most watched on YouTube
An incredible 76,631 views (and counting)! The Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates: Why They May Cause More Harm than Good, part of the Health Law, Policy and Ethics Seminar Series led by Professor Trudo Lemmens.
Top news Tweet
We are pleased to welcome to #UofT three accomplished faculty members joining #UofTLaw (July 1, 2022): @AbdiAidid, Jean-Christophe @BedardRubin, and John Borrows! Read more about their research and teaching
Most liked post on Instagram
Congratulations to this year's #UofTLaw Moot Court Committee and Mooters for an excellent moot on the Freedom of Expression and the Regulation of Social Media! Were you there in-person or watching the livestream Sept. 29?
Most engaging LinkedIn post
Article from the Globe and Mail: "Chief Justice of Ontario George Strathy (LLB 1974) [now retired] is challenging what he sees as the destructive myth of the gladiator-litigator: fearless, razor sharp, always in control of their emotions, indefatigable, not breaking a sweat under pressure." (Photo Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)
Most engaging Facebook post
For JD class valedictorian, Ema Ibrakovic (JD 2022), mooting was the key to discovering her calling and honing her oral advocacy skills. "Mooting is fundamentally a scary thing because it puts you on your feet, in uncomfortable situations where you don't know what you're going to be asked or demanded of you," Ibrakovic says. "Learning to embrace discomfort - and get excited about it - is something that applies not just to mooting, but especially when you're beginning your professional career, and everything is new to you."
Top dog of Doggie Day
Lola
Pictured with her responsible companion Quinn Hartwig, 2L, Lola is a half-pug/cross whose nickname is "Chug".
Doggie Day is a twice-yearly event held in the spring and fall before exams as part of the Faculty's stress-busting programming led by the student health and wellness committee.
