The U of T Law Union (UTLU)

The U of T Law Union (UTLU) is a student chapter of the Law Union of Ontario. By using our legal education to counter the perpetuation of oppression through the law, we work towards social, political, and economic justice for all. We advocate alongside–not over–grassroots activists and community organizers. The UTLU is committed to a decolonial, anti-ableist, abolitionist, anti-imperialist, feminist, and anti-racist politics. 

If you are interested in using your legal education to agitate and organize, join the UTLU. 

Activities

  1. Movement Support: The UTLU works alongside the Law Union of Ontario’s Movement Defence Committee to support grassroots movements in the struggle for justice. UTLU members attend legal observer training to obtain the necessary skills to support protestors, community organizers, and activists involved in legal incidents. In addition, the UTLU seeks to practice non-optical allyship to movements--such as Black Lives Matter, Keep Your Rent, and the labour movement--by organizing, attending actions, and facilitating community legal education.
  2. Campus Life and Action:  The UTLU is a home for left-wing and progressive students at U of T. Joining the UTLU allows progressive students to support each other in thinking critically about the substance and methodology of legal education. Moreover, through progressive advocacy and direct action, the UTLU works to advocate for social justice issues within the law school and to hold the Faculty of Law accountable to furthering those objectives. In addition, UTLU members produce and distribute publications on community lawyering, activism, and progressive issues to the law school and broader community. 
  3. Un-professional Development and Political Education: The UTLU arranges discussions with organizers, activists, and, occasionally, the lawyers who support them. By engaging with the Law Union of Ontario’s broader community, the UTLU facilitates law students’ access to an alternative bar for progressive lawyers, permitting law students to learn about movement lawyering. Finally, we organize trips to progressive legal conferences, such as the Rebellious Lawyering Conference at Yale University's law school.

Contact Information

You can express interest in joining the UTLU by emailing utlawunion@gmail.com. You can also reach us and see our latest work by visiting our website (https://utlawunion.wordpress.com/) and socials (https://linktr.ee/utlawunion).