Ultra Vires Volume 24, Issue 4 - January 2023

Ultra Vires

Should You Stay or Should You Go?

The pros and cons of studying abroad

SHAE ROTHERY (3L)

OF LAW

Faculty Council Talks Finance

The annual budget presentation, tuition debates, and catching up on meeting minutes

TAYLOR RODRIGUES (2L)

Dean Jutta Brunnée kicked off the January 11, 2023, Faculty Council Meeting after it reached quorum. As the first order of business, the minutes of the October 26 and November 16, 2022 Faculty Council meetings were approved. At the previous meeting, a quorum was not reached.

Students’ Law Society (SLS) President Meaza Damte (3L) then gave remarks calling for a pause to tuition raises. Damte noted that tuition was paused this academic year for in-province students but was raised three percent for domestic non-Ontario resident students (colloquially, out-of-province students). Damte said she was concerned that raising U of T Law tuition would decrease both the number and quality of applicants. She said some “top applicants” already do not apply to U of T Law because they are unsure if they can afford it, even with financial aid, and raising tuition will aggravate this problem. Damte also expressed concern that the “product of U of T Law does not match the price” and she cannot definitively recommend U of T Law to prospective students because of the high tuition.

Damte made three main asks: (1) greater transparency around U of T Law’s budget; (2) greater transparency around financial aid; and (3) greater value from U of T Law for students. Damte said financial aid cannot be a solution to high tuition because students have to decide whether to attend U of T Law before knowing what their net tuition (tuition minus financial aid) will be. U of T Law does provide a JD Financial Aid Calculator, but it only provides an estimate, not a guarantee.

To provide greater value to students, Damte suggested that the Faculty provide a larger variety of courses, guarantee students receive personal feedback on all written work, and expand the Career Development Office’s support for public-interest careers. Damte said Career Development Counsellor Rachel Weiner has been a valuable resource for students pursuing public-interest careers, but more support is needed. Ultra Vires previously reported the diversity of courses has declined from 131 in 2013–14 to 76 in 2022–23.

A few weeks ago, U of T Law’s first batch of outgoing exchange students since the beginning of the pandemic returned to a grey and gloomy Toronto and found themselves back wandering the corridors of Jackman Hall. As in previous years, Ultra Vires (UV) reached out to the returning exchange students to hear about the pros and cons of their host universities and their experiences in general. In response, UV received feedback from students who studied abroad at the Centre for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS), the National University of Singapore (NUS), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and the University of Copenhagen (KU).

Overall, students seem pleased with their decision to trade studying in the Bora Laskin Law Library for more exotic locales. Unsurprisingly, and in keeping with previous years’ feedback, the most commonly raised concern about studying abroad was the price tag. Don’t let the price alone dissuade you though—students recommend putting the cost of exchange on a line of credit or applying for a grant from the Centre for International Experience. Plus, if you’re already paying to live in Canada’s most expensive city, you might even be able to cut down on your expenses and save money by living in a different part of the world for a few months.

The Graduate Law Students’ Association (GLSA) President, Jasween Singh Gujral (GPLLM), then gave remarks. Gurjal touted the creation of a central GLSA email and website to improve continuity. Gujral said he plans to reduce bank fees for the GLSA’s bank account, re-establish graduate law students’ eligibility for the Rotman@Law Certificate, and hold a networking event for graduate law students to connect with each other and law firms.

Gujral made three asks: (1) shorten the waitlist for the University’s graduate student housing; (2) offer students the opportunity to provide feedback on courses earlier in the semester; and (3) for grades to be provided to students earlier and more consistently. He said it was unfair that some students might have their grades to share with potential employers while others might not because they took different courses.

Lastly, Vice-President, Operations and Real Es-

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Ultra Vires is the independent student newspaper of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. We provide a forum for diverse viewpoints on topics of interest to our readers. We aim to foster dialogue on academic and social issues between students, the faculty, and the broader legal community in Toronto, Ontario, and Canada. Our content does not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board. We print six issues per year. Ultra Vires is printed by Master Web Inc.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Harry Myles and Shae Rothery

BUSINESS MANAGER

Griffin Murphy

ASSOCIATE BUSINESS MANAGER

Ashley Chana

NEWS EDITORS

Thomas Russell and Nicolas Williams

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR S

Yashleen Jhand and Amanda Oprisan

FEATURES EDITORS

Angela Feng and Hye-seon Jung

ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITORS

Julia Allen and Erin Lee

OPINIONS EDITORS

Stephen Mapplebeck and Rebecca Rosenberg

ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITORS

Manreet Brar and Abhirami Sasitharan

DIVERSIONS EDITORS

Amy Kwong and Fievel Lim

RECRUIT EDITOR

Hussein Fawzy

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Vivienne Stern

ONLINE EDITOR

Alyssa Wong

STAFF WRITERS

Claire Bettio, Natasha Burman, Luka Knezevic, and Taylor Rodrigues

RECRUIT REPORTERS

Janice Fung and Jeffrey Liu

VISUAL COORDINATOR

Jennifer Sun

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Thomas Alexander and Ian T. D. Thomson

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS

Kaitlyn Nelson and Jasveen Singh

LAYOUT EDITOR

Alexandra Fox

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UV INDEX

NEWS

Faculty Council Talks Finance 1

City Proposes Budget Increase for the Toronto Police Service 3

The Racist Dimensions of Family Policing and Child Protection Law: A Case for Abolition? 3

Law Games 2023: We Came, We Saw, We Tried… Really Hard 4

The Future of Law School Admissions: LSAT Not Required? 5

Making Sense of the American Law School Ranking Controversy 5

OPINIONS

School on January 2nd? A 2nd Rate Decision! 6

What to Do When You “Fail” the 1L Recruit 6 Finding Love in Law School…? 7

Ultra Vires Presents: Rom-Coms That We Love 8 Palentine’s Day 8

FEATURES

Should You Stay or Should You Go? 1

Toronto’s Community Legal Clinics: How Can Law Students Get Involved? 9

Six Things That Will Still Be Illegal After British Columbia “Decriminalizes” Drugs 9

Welcoming Sara Gold 10 Wines to Get You Through Grade Release 11

Exhibition Review: Kent Monkman’s Being Legendary 14

EDITORS' NOTE

Dear Readers,

Welcome back, folks! We hope you all had a restful break and managed to recover from New Year’s Eve in time to start school on January 2 (see Luka’s article for further thoughts on this). It is the start of a new year and a brand new term, so we have some New Year’s resolutions for you courtesy of Alyssa and a definitive ranking of law school study spaces you can try out this semester. Given that Valentine’s Day is in a couple of weeks, this issue features some ~lovey-dovey~ content with pieces on finding romance in law school, embracing friends with “Palentine’s Day,” and, of course, a playlist to set the mood.

Also, in this issue, Rights Review is back with an overview of their working groups this term and an interview with the new IHRP director.

Finally, we want to welcome back everyone who studied abroad last term. Those stuck in Toronto lived vicariously through your Instagram stories and BeReals for four months, and we graciously thank you for the opportunity. Flip through to the colour pages and check out our exchange recap on some of the adventures!

Hang in there this winter—before you know it, the sun will shine, and another school year will be behind us! As always, if you have any comments or want to get involved with UV, you can reach us at editor@ultravires.ca.

xoxo,

Harry Myles & Shae Rothery Co-Editors-in-Chief, Ultra Vires Vol. 24

FEATURES, CONT.

Film Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) 14

Living Through Grief in All Its Forms 15

RIGHTS REVIEW

Interview with Sandra Wisner, the IHRP's New Director 16

Working Group: The Venezuela Accountability Project 16

Working Group: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 17

Working Group: Women’s Human Rights Resources Database 17

Working Group: Advancing Global Health and Human Rights 17

Working Group: Cameroon Anglophone Crisis Database of Atrocities 18

DIVERSIONS

Intra Vires 19

Local Student’s U of T Account, Unprotected by Duo, Hacked 19 2023 New Year’s Resolutions 19

How to Plan a Valentine’s Day Date 20

The Ultra Vires Cartoon Caption Contest 20

Historical Grade Release Dates and Times 21

Point/Counterpoint 21

The Definitive Assessment of Law School Study Spaces 22

The Sorting Hat Comes to the Faculty of Law 23 Ultra Vires Presents: Blush 23

The Ultra Vires Crossword 24

Faculty Council Talks Finance

TAYLOR RODRIGUES (2L)

tate Partnerships & Vice-Provost, Academic Operations, Scott Mabury gave a presentation on the University’s budget, and Assistant, Vice-President, Planning & Budget, Jeff Lennon gave a presentation on U of T Law’s budget. Neither budget is under the Faculty Council’s jurisdiction and the presentation was purely informative. The Faculty Council has historically requested an annual budget presentation.

For 2022–23, the University’s $3.23 billion in revenue is expected to come from tuition and fees (68 percent), operating grants (20 percent) and other revenue (12 percent). Operating grants from the Government of Ontario have been frozen in nominal terms for years. Tuition from international students has increased from seven percent of revenue in 2006–07 to 43 percent in 2022–23, driven by an in-

crease in the number of international students and their tuition. The provincial tuition-fee framework cut tuition by 10 percent in 2019–20 for all publicly funded programs and froze tuition for 2020–21 and 2022–23 for all in-province students. Mabury estimates that the tuition freeze caused $167 million in lost revenue for the University in 2022–23.

He said the University’s projected expenses for 2022–23 are faculty and staff compensation (58 percent), other expenses (14 percent), student aid (10 percent), occupancy costs (eight percent), capital and equipment (seven percent), and pension contingency (three percent).

For 2022–23, U of T Law’s $47 million in revenue is expected to come from tuition (50 percent), operating grants (11 percent), university transfers (18 percent), recoveries (nine percent), endowments

(nine percent), and other revenue (three percent). Lennon said the university transfers are tuition monies collected from arts, science, and engineering students that are used to subsidize U of T Law tuition. Lennon highlighted that from 2014–15 to 2021–22, JD tuition rose 1.3 percent a year on average but the financial aid budget grew 6.6 percent a year on average. The average net tuition of a JD student who qualifies for financial aid has declined from $21,021 in 2014–15 to $15,475 in 2021–22. Average tuition for students who do not qualify for financial aid has increased from $30,230 to $33,040 over this same period.

Lennon and Dean Brunnée noted that the only practical way to decrease JD tuition is to decrease the number of faculty members and staff compensation. However, U of T Law deliberately duplicates some

University-wide services (e.g., a dedicated U of T Law Mental Health Counsellor) to provide better services to U of T Law students. Decreasing the number of faculty would likely decrease the diversity of courses and increase course sizes. Faculty said they have repeatedly asked the Government of Ontario to unfreeze operating grants, but they have not been sympathetic.

Dean Brunnée said she was disappointed that SLS President Damte commented on the lack of transparency surrounding the budget and financial aid given the Faculty provides annual budget presentations and had a Tuition Roundtable last academic year. The Tuition Roundtable is scheduled to reconvene in 2023–24.

The next Faculty Council Meeting is scheduled for February 8, 2023.

City Proposes Budget Increase for the Toronto Police Service

Community groups and members of the public express their disagreement

FATIMA AAMIR (2L)

On January 3, Toronto mayor John Tory proposed a $48.3 million budget increase for the Toronto Police Service. This would bring the service's 2023 budget to about $1.166 billion and see over 200 new police officers join the force.

Tory's announcement comes on the heels of a number of high-profile crimes that have occurred around Toronto this winter, including violent incidents on the TTC. In an address to the public, he framed the budget increase as a response to these incidents, stating, "We must do everything we can to address crime and to keep people safe and have them feel safe in our city."

Tory recognizes correctly that Torontonians desire a safer city. However, many have responded to his announcement with concerns about the short-sightedness

of this enforcement-based solution to crime. Instead, other city councillors, community organizations, and members of the public are calling for redirection of police funding towards social services to better address the roots of crime.

On January 9, a group of seven newly-elected city counsellors, Amber Morley, Chris Moise, Lily Cheng, Alejandra Bravo, Ausma Malik, Jamaal Myers, and Dianne Saxe, released a statement in response to the City's budget, writing that, "Governments have prioritized enforcement over addressing the root causes of crime and violence: poverty, discrimination, lack of opportunities, underinvestment, and inequality. Decades of research and evidence has shown that increasing police spending without simultaneous investments in

social and community infrastructure does not make our communities safer." The statement calls for investment in community-led crisis response programs like the Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) created in 2022 which aims to respond to individuals in crisis without police intervention.

The proposed policing budget increase includes an additional $2 million for youth and families allocated to anti-violence programming. Additionally, the overall 2023 budget includes an additional $17 million for crisis supports, including the TCCS. Nonetheless, these numbers pale in comparison to the overall budget of the Toronto Police Service, demonstrating that policing remains the City's knee-jerk response to crime at the expense of other crucial services.

The little social support the City does offer is insufficient to offset the harm that years of austerity measures continue to cause. A recent report by City of Toronto staff acknowledges there is high demand for shelter space as Toronto becomes a more expensive and unlivable city, with the City's shelter system at capacity most nights. Despite this, in 2022 the City closed three temporary shelter sites, and in 2023, it is likely to close an additional five. Community groups such as the Shelter Housing and Justice Network and Health Providers Against Poverty have called for the City to open more spaces in its warming centres this winter, a call that was also made to the Toronto Board of Health. City Councillor Alejandra Bravo points out that the cost of policing homelessness in the city amounts to about $100 million per year. She questions the City's choice to prioritize policing over the provision of supportive housing, which, for $108 million, could reach a total of 45,000 people and effectively end chronic homelessness in Toronto.

Krisna Saravanamuttu, a community organizer, writer, and criminal defence lawyer at Rudnicki and

Company, writes similarly that we can choose "life-affirming policy decisions that boost food and housing security, public health care, and decent work protections," but we nonetheless "remain tethered to policing, despite its futility." Saravanamuttu points out that, more than just siphoning money from crucial social services, policing actively harms low-income, racialized communities through heightened surveillance, harassment, and police brutality.

His comments challenge Tory's assertion that policing keeps people safe, begging the question: who exactly feels safer from increased police presence? Saravanamuttu grew up around gun violence, in a community housing project consisting mostly of Black and Brown people. He writes as someone whose community was deeply affected by Toronto's "Summer of the Gun" in 2005, which saw 52 homicides in one of the City’s deadliest seasons ever. He concludes that, "Study after study has left one conclusion unequivocal…violence is a public health concern born from the suffering created by income inequality and racism."

On January 17 and 18, the City's Budget Committee held public consultations. In preparation, organizations such as Progress Toronto held free trainings to inform members of the public about the consequences of the budget and to teach them how to prepare deputations for the consultations. However, many members of the public left these consultations feeling rather disheartened. Despite hearing many concerns, Councillor Gary Crawford, Chair of the Budget Committee, appears unwilling to budge. "I recognize the concerns that people have," he stated following a January 17 meeting in Toronto, "but I do stand by the support we have given the Toronto Police in this budget of the 4.3 percent increase, and I respect the opinions of people, but I still stand by the increases."

On February 14, the budget will be voted on.

The Racist Dimensions of Family Policing and Child Protection Law: A Case for Abolition?

A Recap of the 2023 John LL. J. Edwards Memorial Lecture

NIK KHAKHAR (3L), EDITOR AT THE CRIMINAL LAW STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Each year, U of T’s Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies hosts the John LL. J. Edwards Memorial Lecture in honour of the Centre’s founder. This year’s Lecture featured eminent American sociologist and lawyer Professor Dorothy Roberts. Professor Roberts is a social justice advocate focused on the racialized dimensions and structure of child protection agencies, the dispossession of families, and family separation. In her lecture, she reflected on the findings in her book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition

The Lecture

Professor Roberts traced the roots of the current U.S. foster care system to histories of slavery and discussed how the unjust structure of the child welfare system, or "family policing," devastatingly injures families. She also examined the racist origins of family policing and other forms of social and biopolitical control such as mass incarceration and criminal investigations. Her lecture highlighted that the principle of taking children away from their parents and relocating them is consistent with practices such as Black child apprentice-

ships and residential schools, which were predicated on racist assumptions about the capabilities of Black or Indigenous parents.

Professor Roberts also discussed the racial disparities in child protection law enforcement. For example, some doctors were more likely to suspect child abuse when Black parents brought a child to the ER for an injury. Likewise, child protection services are more likely to investigate the homes of Black families.

The intersection of race and class can lead to particularly damaging impacts. For instance, drug tests are more

commonly administered in impoverished communities, giving child protection agencies more grounds to conduct investigations. Rather than focusing resources on helping vulnerable parents—such as those experiencing substance abuse disorder—recover financially and medically, Professor Roberts found that jurisdictions in the United States have overwhelmingly invested resources into child protection investigations focused on monitoring and punishing low-income families of colour. A particularly con-

DEMONSTRATORS DEMAND A DEFUNDING OF THE TORONTO POLICE DURING THE SUMMER OF 2020.

CREDIT: EVAN MITSUI/CBC

The Racist Dimensions of Family Policing and Child Protection Law: A Case for Abolition?

cerning reality, as highlighted by Professor Roberts, is that 53 percent of Black children in the United States will experience a child protection investigation in their lifetime. Furthermore, Black children are four times more likely to be removed from their homes and placed into foster care than non-Black children. This disparity begs the question—abolition or reform of family policing?

Abolition or Reform?

Professor Roberts’ lecture was based on an experienced perspective in both the theory and practice at the intersections between family law and criminal justice. Among many of her notable accomplishments and experiences, she spent nine years serving on an expert task force to fix the problems of foster care in the state of Washington in response to a class action lawsuit by foster care children. While some improvements were made, such as increased training of foster parents, she concluded that many problems still exist. It is rare for a wealthy family to be involved in this system; more often than not, child protection enforcement disproportionately impacts impoverished and racialized areas.

Professor Roberts noted that the roots and trajectory of family policing, the way that the foster system has led to increased monitoring and criminalization of families of colour, and the violence inherent to its enforcement all call in favour of the overall abolition of the family policing structure. Fixing the system, as argued by Professor Roberts, only strengthens and legitimizes it.

What Law Students and Lawyers Can Do

For those thinking about a career in family law or criminal law, this sobering reality—and the verdict of abolition— may carry a sense of hopelessness. However, many members

of the Faculty teach in buildings on both sides of Hoskin Avenue, and the opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in course selections, socials, research talks, and public lectures are endless. This bifurcated approach to the law provides both attention to the intricacies of the administrative, family, and criminal law apparatuses cultivated through the law school, and the open-minded, barrierbashing creativity and skill of research methodology cultivated through academia.

As Professor Roberts noted, this approach is essential in representing clients whose children have been arbitrarily taken away from their care, their custody, and their home. In response to a question by Professor Brenda Cossman, Professor Roberts stated that lawyers can serve such clients best by being well-versed in a multitude of disciplines. This representation begins with attention to the racialized dynamics and permanently damaging consequences to families due to family policing. However, it also requires an interdisciplinary competence to get families their required services from grassroots organizations that can forestall child removal. For example, a parent whose children have been taken away because of their history of substance abuse would benefit significantly from a lawyer who can actively research culturally appropriate and realistic recovery programs, as well as organizations that fund their recovery and address factors that reduce the risk of relapse.

Events such as the Edwards Lecture are strong reminders of our obligation to our future clients, and the collaboration between law students and academics is an ongoing necessity to ensure that access to justice is more than just an idea.

Law Games 2023: We Came, We Saw, We Tried… Really Hard

ABBEY BUTLER (2L)

Between January 4–8, a team of delegates from U of T Law competed in Law Games, hosted by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) Faculty of Law. Law Games draws student teams from law faculties across the country to compete in an annual tournament of sports and legal competitions (alongside a healthy amount of partying). Law Games is the largest annual gathering of law students in Canada. This year, the event was attended by 13 teams of students representing 14 law faculties. Students stayed at the Delta Hotel in Ottawa City Centre, with sporting events held at the uOttawa campus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 was the first year that the event has run since 2020.

While some schools held competitive athletic try-

outs for students to earn a spot on their teams, U of T Law had limited student interest for Law Games. This was likely due, at least in part, to the fact that Law Games overlapped with both 1L classes and the January Intersession for upper-year intensive courses this year. Due to the small number of delegates, the Toronto students, rallied together by Hamza Naim (3L), merged with students from the University of Manitoba (UM) to form a team cleverly named “Moronto.” Team Moronto was comprised of 10 U of T students and 11 UM students. What appeared at first to be an unlikely pairing of schools soon turned out to be an excellent opportunity to meet and get to know fellow law students from our neighbouring Anglophone province. While Team Moronto did not take home any

trophies, they played their hardest at the sporting events. Moronto came in second place overall in dodgeball and made it to the quarterfinals in both volleyball and soccer.

L’Université de Sherbrooke took home the Sport Cup for the greatest achievement in sporting events. Attendees voted on the winner of the Spirit Cup (awarded to the team with the greatest enthusiasm and school spirit), which ultimately went to Dalhousie University. McGill University took home the Genius Cup for winning the Legal Quiz event. The University of British Columbia was awarded the Dirty Cup in recognition of their excellence in challenges such as shot-gunning a beer before 6am, finding the most original way to sneak alcohol into the activities, doing a dance battle with another team, and receiving no complaints from the hotel. Lastly, there were two mooting competitions (Team Moronto did not participate).

Some tactics by the host school, uOttawa, were perhaps questionable. Is it really fair to include a question in the Legal Quiz that asks what year uOttawa Law was founded? (Regardless, uOttawa answered this question incorrectly.) Furthermore, the Games were hosted by uOttawa’s Civil Law program. Depending on who you ask, the Common Law program either did not want to come or was not invited.

Some members of Team Moronto decided to have a bit of fun with the uOttawa students by holding their prized red plastic chicken, Junior, hostage for the weekend. This endeavour included airdropping a ransom video to all attendees at one of the club nights. Don’t worry—Junior, affectionately nicknamed Chickie, was shown a good time and was safely returned to the uOttawa students on the final day.

Law Games delegates bravely faced their competitors and the challenges of an Ottawa winter. All attendees were given transit passes for the duration of the Games to facilitate travel between activities. This would have been very convenient, if not for the partial subway closures that persisted throughout the event. Tragedy struck when freez-

ing rain caused the track for the Beer Mile to become completely iced over. There was no indoor backup track, so participants chose a stretch of road on which to run the event. Unfortunately, participants were not aware that this was a private road directly in front of a retirement home. Elderly residents of the home were not pleased and called security. We will have to wait until next year to crown the next Beer Mile champs.

Each night of the Games featured a party with a different theme. The themes this year were Moonlight (glow-in-the-dark), Tomorrow Land (festival/Coachella vibes), and Retro (‘80sthemed). The parties were held at clubs in downtown Ottawa. The clubs were the perfect venues for those who enjoy sticky floors and flooded washrooms. The final night featured a formal Closing Gala hosted at the hotel. The Gala was a fantastic event, nearly on-par with last year’s Law Ball. It featured a four-course meal, an awards ceremony, a photo booth, and a DJ.

In all seriousness, uOttawa were gracious hosts and the volunteers did a great job in working to make the events run as smoothly as possible, in spite of weather-related delays and the difficulties of communicating with hundreds of not-exactlysober law students.

Hopefully, this article has sparked your interest in attending Law Games 2024. Many lawyers will tell you that Law Games was a highlight, if not the highlight, of their law school experience. Whether you’re a competitive athlete excited to play against a rival school, a social butterfly looking to expand your law student network, or just interested in partying and general antics, Law Games is the place for you. Please consider coming out next year; while there was universal agreement that the Toronto-Manitoba team mashup was a blast, it would be nice to have a better cheer than “Toronto, Manitoba, we couldn’t make our quota!”

Editor’s Note: If you are interested in becoming a member of the Law Games organizing committee or being a Team Captain at Law Games 2024, please contact Abbey Butler (2L) or Hamza Naim (3L).

U of T sends delegates to compete in Ottawa against law students from across the country

THE TEAM SHOWING OFF THEIR CUSTOM MORONTO JERSEYS. CREDIT: THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

PROFESSOR DOROTHY E. ROBERTS. CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

NIK KHAKHAR (3L), EDITOR AT THE CRIMINAL LAW STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

The Future of Law School Admissions: LSAT

Not Required?

The American Bar Association votes to end the LSAT requirement as of Fall 2025

NATASHA BURMAN (3L)

At the end of last year, the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted to end the standardized testing requirement for law school admission. This change is set to take effect in the fall of 2025. In February of this year, the ABA’s House of Delegates will have the opportunity to reject this change before it is finalized.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been an integral part of assessing law school candidates for admission in the United States and Canada for the past 75 years; the first LSAT was administered in February of 1948. Although Canadian law schools have yet to take a stance on this decision, the ABA’s move sheds light on what law school admissions could look like in the future.

Some argue that removing the LSAT requirement would negatively impact diversity; law schools would have to place greater emphasis on candidates’ undergraduate grade-point averages, recommendations, the reputation of undergraduate institutions, and extra-curricular experiences, among other metrics. Law school candidates who have had to work during their undergraduate studies to pay for their educa -

tion or to care for their family may be at a disadvantage without the ability to show a high LSAT score. However, other commentators point to previous testing score data, which contradicts the assertion that the LSAT creates more diversity in law schools. The debate about whether the LSAT requirement should be abolished remains a contested issue in the legal community.

Making Sense of the American Law School Ranking Controversy

Two theories behind the sudden decision of many top law schools to withdraw from participating in the annual U.S. News ranking

GORDON LEE (3L)

On November 16, 2022, Yale Law School announced that it would no longer participate in U.S. News & World Report ’s (U.S. News) annual law school ranking. A few hours later, Harvard Law School followed suit. In the following days, multiple prestigious law schools like Columbia and Stanford also withdrew their participation from the annual ranking. By mid-December, only two of the top 14 ranked law schools, the University of Chicago and Cornell, said they would continue to participate in the annual rankings.

Two major theories have been advanced to explain the sudden decision of so many top U.S. schools to withdraw from the annual ranking. The first theory, shared by the law schools themselves, states that the ranking formula disincentivizes schools from furthering diversity and public interest careers. The second theory has to do with affirmative action, anti-Asian discrimination, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

The first theory casts the decision to withdraw due to a disagreement between U.S. News and the schools. For example, Dean Heather Gerken of Yale Law School stated that “the U.S. News rankings are profoundly flawed—they disincentivize programs that support public interest careers, champion need-based aid, and welcome working-class students into the profession.”

Likewise, Dean John Manning of Harvard Law School expressed his disagreement with U.S. News’ heavy weighting of LSAT and GPA scores, stating that “the U.S. News rankings have over the years created incentives for law schools to

direct more financial aid toward applicants based on their LSAT scores and college GPAs without regard to their financial need.”

In response, U.S. News announced in early January 2023 that it would change its ranking formula. Going forward, assessment surveys from academics, lawyers, and judges would carry less weight, whereas bar exam passage, employment, and school-funded fellowships, which often serve as a launchpad for students seeking public interest careers, would be assigned more weight. Nevertheless, these changes have not convinced schools like Harvard and Yale to participate in the rankings again.

However, the reasons given by the law schools for withdrawing from the U.S. News ranking have left many unconvinced, particularly because these schools have a long history of participating in, and even boasting about, their high rankings. Additionally, nothing new has occurred with respect to the ranking formula that would trigger such a dramatic and speedy withdrawal of so many schools. Instead, multiple commentators have proposed a second theory that is very different from the law schools’ stated reasons, and instead involves two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

These two cases involve Asian American plaintiffs who are suing Harvard and the University of North Carolina for racial discrimination in admissions. They point to examples like Harvard’s own data showing that “Asian American applicants earned consistently lower ‘personal’ ratings from Harvard admissions officers

than did applicants of other races despite earning consistently higher rankings for their academic records and tests scores.”

Indeed, anti-Asian discrimination in American university admissions has become so widespread that many admissions advisors, including large companies like the Princeton Review, tell Asian American students to actively downplay their heritage to increase their chances of admission.

If the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Asian American plaintiffs later this year, as many expect, Harvard, Yale, and most of the law schools which have withdrawn from participating in the ranking will no longer be allowed to allegedly discriminate against Asian American applicants in their admissions processes. This would likely result in an increase in Asian American enrollment at America’s top law schools, as Asian Americans, on average, have higher LSAT scores than other minority testtakers. If these schools want to continue to admit an artificially low number of Asian American students, the schools will likely have to lower their LSAT and GPA standards, and instead place much greater emphasis on subjective criteria like personal statements. For any law school, implementing these changes would almost certainly cause that school’s rating to drop significantly.

Thus, as Professor Dan Epps from Washington University in St. Louis hypothesized, “Yale is planning to significantly change its admissions strategy in the wake of the expected [U.S. Supreme Court] affirmative action decisions,

and they are doing this proactively rather than dealing with any rankings implications later.”

Similarly, Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle wrote that while “[t]he schools cite only the highest motives…it’s impossible not to notice the timing,” referring to the court cases.

Vivek Ramaswamy, an alumnus of Yale Law School, also wrote of his “strong suspicion that the factors behind it, and especially the curious timing of these decisions, is driven by preparation for the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action.”

As McArdle suggests, “[o]ne way to keep from being held accountable for discriminating against Asian students, or in favor of underrepresented minorities, is to down-weight or eliminate objective metrics such as test scores in favor of harder-to-compare criteria such as essays, interviews and recommendations. Since doing so would cause the schools to suffer in the U.S. News rankings, perhaps they’re preemptively taking their ball and going home.”

Ultimately, the way these law schools respond to the U.S. Supreme Court could prove which theory is correct. If the schools do not change their admissions policies, the first theory, advanced by the schools themselves, will more likely have been correct. However, if the Court rules as expected—banning racial discrimination in university admissions—and these law schools respond by finding new ways to allegedly discriminate against Asian Americans in their admissions processes, proponents of the second theory will have a much stronger case.

School on January 2nd? A 2nd Rate Decision!

Starting classes so early undermines the school’s efforts regarding student wellness

LUKA KNEZEVIC (2L)

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are two of the most widely celebrated days in Canada. For many, they offer an opportunity to celebrate and party with friends in a secular, inclusive, and celebratory way. In acknowledging the importance of the new year, the federal government has made New Year’s Day (January 1) a statutory holiday. The standard practice in Canada for statutory holidays of this importance is that when they fall on the weekend, they are celebrated the following Monday. This means that for this year, as January 1, 2023 fell on a Sunday, the statutory holiday corresponded to Monday, January 2, 2023. It is therefore interesting that the

Faculty of Law chose to commence second semester classes for the 1L cohort, along with upper-year intensive courses, on Monday, January 2, 2023; not even acknowledging this important holiday.

For many, this seemingly minor change had the impact of depriving them of spending one of their favourite days with friends and family. For instance, Calgary-native Josh Crawford (2L) was quoted saying, “I had to come to Toronto much earlier than I would’ve liked because coming on January 1 was not really possible.” Fair enough—we can only imagine how unreliable the YYC airport can be in -40°C weather. Crawford went on to say “I

came back to Toronto on December 28 to ensure I had all the logistics taken care of before school started because I knew I couldn’t get my groceries etc. if I stayed in Calgary for New Year’s.” Crawford’s situation is not unique as many out-of-province students were left in the lurch yet again, forced to come back earlier than they would have liked. This is not to say that the decision to come back on January 2 was acceptable for Ontario-based students either. Indeed many law students acknowledged that starting school so soon impacted their ability to relax and have fun on New Year’s Eve. This stress was compounded by professors sending out reading

that was supposed to be done in advance of the first class.

As it pertains to the intensive courses, I can sympathize with the administration to a certain extent. There are obviously going to be challenges with timing in trying to schedule visiting professors, and it seems plausible that the intersession (i.e., the time between semesters) is the best time for some of these professors to come to the Faculty of Law. However, a quick solution would have been to have two classes on one of the subsequent days and keep the Monday free. Many students are accustomed to having two or three classes on one day, and so this would not have been extremely overwhelming. Another more effective solution is to also offer intensive courses in the week before the fall semester begins. The building is already in use due to Legal Methods and Orientation so it does not seem particularly arduous to facilitate. This would also provide students more flexibility in determining their schedules (i.e., when best to schedule the intensive), and would avoid the logistical nightmare of having to arrive multiple days before New Year’s Eve. Lastly, the Faculty could offer at least one virtual intensive which would help give another option to students, and potentially get an even wider array of visiting professors.

However, the decision to begin 1L classes on January 2 is inexcusable. It is a particularly baffling decision given that for upperyear students, second semester classes began on January 9. Firstly, although the foundational classes are very important, I am not convinced that they require more time than upper-year classes. Secondly, even if that were the case, why not merely start first-year exams later? The exam period in first semester lasted eight days for 1Ls and this semester it is 17 days long. Before someone points out that this time around 1Ls have a third exam, it is important to note that the first 1L exam only takes place on April 14—the fourth day after exams commence, and their last exam takes place on April 21, so it is not as though this extra time is used to space out their exams particularly effectively. As myself and many others can attest, 1L is a very stressful year and I think most students would have appreciated a greater reprieve in the form of a longer winter break to rest and recover.

What to Do When You “Fail” the 1L Recruit

Odds are, you probably will

SABRINA MACKLAI (3L JD/MI)

The Toronto Summer 2023 1L recruit is in full swing with applications due just a little over a week ago; students now anxiously wait for call day in early February. For those that submitted applications, congrats on getting your materials in! Having your resume updated and a cover letter template created will be very useful for future recruit cycles. But, unfortunately, the majority of you will not get an offer on February 23. And that’s completely okay.

According to Ultra Vires ’ Toronto Summer 2022 1L recruitment results, only approximately 13 percent of U of T Law students secured positions through the recruit. Al -

though not all students participated, this still demonstrates the vast majority (188 students!) from the Faculty did not find summer work through the recruit. The 2022 recruit was also a bit of an anomaly; in previous years, firms hired significantly fewer students overall.

I don’t mean to scare you or dissuade you from trying. But I think it’s important to set reasonable expectations so that you aren’t (totally) disappointed by the results. So, what do you do if you don’t receive an offer (or even an interview) this recruit cycle?

First, don’t panic. Every upper year will tell you that it all works out in the end. This

seems like an empty platitude. It’s not. 87 percent of students did not secure a 1L position through the Toronto Summer 2022 1L recruit, yet over 40 percent of the same class secured positions from the subsequent Toronto Summer 2023 2L recruit. These students also secured positions in New York, in other Canadian cities, like Calgary and Vancouver, and in Toronto outside of the formal recruits. Striking out on the 1L recruit has no bearing on your future career success.

Once you let yourself feel the disappointment (I suggest getting ice cream with your bestie), it’s time to explore alternatives. The Faculty-run Law School Summer Employ -

ment Program (LSSEP) is a good place to start. Applications for the LSSEP are due shortly after "call day," on Monday, February 6 at noon. With over 90 paid positions available, spanning from legal clinics to public interest fellowships, there is likely something that piques your interest.

Research positions are also generally available outside of the LSSEP. If you’re interested in a particular practice area or faculty member’s work, it doesn’t hurt to reach out and see if they’re taking students for the summer. Chances are, even if they can’t offer you full-time work, there will be some oppor

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR, U OF T LAW-STYLE. CREDIT: IAN T. D. THOMSON

What to Do When You “Fail” the 1L Recruit

SABRINA MACKLAI (3L JD/MI)

tunity available. While spending your summer researching at Bora Laskin might not seem like the most glamorous thing, the positions are generally more relaxed than their firm counterparts, so you can, you know, actually enjoy your summer. Research positions are also valuable if you’re interested in clerking or another position that requires a reference letter from a professor.

One thing I wish I knew earlier as a 1L student was that you shouldn’t limit yourself to what the Faculty offers. Don’t get me wrong; the Faculty does a great job creating positions specifically for 1L students. The Career Development Office (CDO) is also great at finding and compiling various job postings on UTLC, including those from outside the Faculty. But even still, I encourage you to do your own research. There are positions the CDO may miss or that might not be a traditional “legal” position but nonetheless matches your skillset. LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and even Twitter are filled with opportunities for law students.

You can even make positions for yourself! Only very few firms participate in the 1L recruit. Many smaller or boutique firms may still be willing to hire a 1L student even if they haven’t posted it. Through networking, you could see if there are any opportunities available for 1Ls. At the least, you’ll make a good connection that can come in handy during future recruit cycles. Another thing that you can do, and which has worked out well for me, is ask to apply to positions for which you don’t fit the full criteria. As long as you have the necessary skill set, you can sometimes convince the hiring manager to at least consider your application. For example, if you’re interested in a position hosted by a different law school, reach out and see if they would be willing to take a U of T Law student.

I know this can seem overwhelming. You don’t have to do all—or any—of this. The biggest takeaway from this article is not to worry. Things can and will fall into place. Even if you don’t act immediately, there will

be many job postings leading up to and after exams. If you want a job for your 1L summer, there will be plenty of opportunities outside of the 1L recruit.

This article might seem a little premature considering that "call day" hasn’t even happened. Obviously you should work hard and try your best if you get interviews. You could very well be part of that lucky 13 percent. But for those of you who are waiting at 9am on February 3 for a call that never comes, know that you are definitely not alone. For better or worse, there are many more recruitment cycles during your law school tenure. You will have a good 1L summer no matter what you do. Just take it one step at a time.

Mental Health Resources:

• Supporting a student in distress: studentlife.utoronto.ca/service/facultysupport-for-responding-to-distressedstudents/

• U of T MySSP is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone, video, or chat in multiple languages

Students can contact:

• The Health and Wellness Centre (M–F, 9am to 4:30pm): 416-978-8030, or visit the Student Mental Health Portal online

• CAMH 24/7 Psychiatric Emergency Department: 1051 Queen St. W, or call 416-535-8501

• Talk Suicide Canada helpline: 1-833456-4566

• See also: ontario.cmha.ca/documents/are-you-in-crisis/; camh.ca/ en/suicide-prevention/get-help

Editor’s Note: Sabrina Macklai is a student who “failed” the Toronto Summer 2021 1L recruit. She ended up working for a clinic in an area of law she loved during her 1L summer and went on to work for a full-service New York firm during her 2L summer. It all works out.

Finding Love in Law School…?

Dating is hard enough without 100 percent exams, OCIs, and cold calling in the mix

REBECCA ROSENBERG (3L)

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, some might be feeling the heat, whether in a relationship or not. Now, let’s add midterms, student debt, and the overall pressures of law school to the mix. *queue that sad indie girl playlist*

Law students are known for being overworked and stressed, so the mere idea of dating might seem impossible to some. Is it easier to date other law students? Should you be looking outside the four walls of the Jackman Law Building, or should we just be hunkering down and focusing on our readings for the time being? Since February 14 might come with some social expectations to either be in love or be in pursuit of it, I thought I might get some law students’ opinions on finding love in law school.

Being Single in Law School

It might be common for many of us to put work before relationships. And that is totally fine! Our internal competition and drive to succeed are some of our best qualities (debatably), so it’s understandable for some law students to choose to remain single and focus on school. For others, it’s about striking the right balance between school and social life.

There is nothing wrong with being single in law school. Whether that’s a choice, you haven’t found “the one,” or you’re simply not interested in dating, going solo can be freeing, especially during these formative school years. There are lots of other things to worry about or focus your time on outside of dating apps or however else people meet these days.

If you’re single, you’re not alone. Society and even law school culture at times might make us feel as if finding a relationship is the last piece of the puzzle that we need to achieve before we graduate. People might say that you should find someone before you article, before life gets too crazy. That’s obviously BS. You can find someone at any point in your life, or you can get your fulfillment from family and friends. And if you choose to throw yourself into your career, then that’s perfectly okay.

Dating Within Law School

It might be appealing to date other law students—they’re easy to meet, they understand the highs and lows of U of T Law, and they likely have

many of the same interests. However, for many, the thought of dating within the law school isn’t ideal. One student says that while people can find very compatible partners in law school, that would not be their preferred situation. “I think law school is a tight-knit environment, and dating in school, especially dating a couple of people in school, can cause a lot of drama,” the student claimed. Another student said that they have seen more successful relationships outside of law school than within. While having a partner who is a fellow law student can bring comfort and relatability, others might seek relationships outside of the law school for a reprieve from the strain of studying law. “It’s nice to go home and talk to someone who doesn’t even know what “Bay Street” means.”

That is not to say that dating other law students can’t be great. Another student expressed gratitude that their partner can study with them and have a similar schedule to theirs. “I like having a partner in the same field because we fully understand what it means to be in law school and how hard it can be; we are a good support system for each other.” Sometimes, people outside of our little U of T Law bubble might not get why we’re sweating over the 2L or articling recruits, or what an HH means. “You can share the hate for the same classes and laugh at memes together,” one student pointed out. It can be nice to have someone who just gets it.

FEATURES

Maintaining Relationships Outside of the Law School

Many people in law school have partners outside of law, and this can be a great thing! One student mentioned that “having separate interests from my partner is what brings us together—we’re always learning something new from each other.”

It can definitely be nice to have a different perspective on things. When school or work gets intense, it can be refreshing to talk to someone who can show you that there is more to life than the law.

Clashing schedules or studying stress can get in the way of students’ relationships with others who might not understand the hectic world of law. Both parties might have to compromise to find the time to see each other while also supporting one another, even when the non-law student might appreciate or comprehend the worries of law school. The law student might also need extra support and

compassion when going through exam season or a round of in-firm interviews.

These concerns persist in any relationship, though, and there are many pros to sharing your life with someone who isn’t in your direct line of work. Whether it’s getting a break from talking about law at all, or fascinating your partner with new information about whatever legal field you’re into, there are always perks to dating outside the law school.

Final Thoughts

In an article written by Katherine Laidlaw called “Single in Law School? You’re Not Alone,” the author asks a recent law school graduate for

his opinion about dating in law school. Laidlaw puts great emphasis on how students may feel lonely in school and how to “make the most of singledom.” While I empathize with the subject of the article, I don’t necessarily agree with the premise. Yes, students may feel lonely, but I don’t think that’s solely because of their relationship statuses. And I definitely don’t agree that people have to “make the most” out of being single. A relationship (or lack thereof) is not a life sentence, and there are, or should be, many other things that school and life have to offer.

In conclusion, we already put enough pressure on ourselves as it is, so let’s not worry ourselves more.

CREDIT: JOHN FELISE VIA UNSPLASH

Ultra Vires Presents: Rom-Coms That We Love

Romantic comedies to get you through the winter blues

CLAIRE BETTIO (2L) AND HARRY MYLES (3L)

We are now deep into January and it feels like this winter has been especially bleak—I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt the sun. This, combined with cuffing season and Valentine’s Day makes right now the perfect time to pop on or pick up a romantic comedy. Yes, rom-coms are corny and yes, they are often rife with clichés, but there’s nothing wrong with some indulgent escapism every once in a while. Grab a blanket, make yourself some tea, and enjoy our fave picks below.

Harry’s Picks:

Palm Springs (2020)

by Vampire Weekend, Blood Orange, and Mitski to carry you through the emotional roller coaster.

Claire’s Picks:

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

by Alice Oseman

Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J. K. Simmons, Palm Springs (2020) does the time loop narrative right. Samberg and Milioti are seemingly mismatched romantic leads who find themselves reliving the same wedding over and over again. Throw in J. K. Simmons as a fellow time looper, and you have a wacky-but-charming romantic comedy-science fiction blend (it even features an actual physicist to explain the science of time loops!).

Someone Great (2019)

Someone Great (2019) begins with the breakup of Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) and Nate (LaKeith Stanfield). What ensues is Jenny’s “final adventure” with her best friends to both recover from the heartbreak and enjoy one last night before she moves to San Francisco. Someone Great includes the cheesy, lovedrenched scenes of any romantic comedy, but likewise considers the unfortunate reality that loving someone is not always enough to make a relationship last. The soundtrack features countless indie

Yes, a cliché pick, but Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Rob Reiner, and Nora Ephron collided in 1989 to produce one of the wittiest romantic comedies ever. While the film dances around the (outdated) trope that men and women can never be “just” friends, the script is razor-sharp and contains some of the most memorable scenes in comedy (Meg Ryan in a deli—need I say more). If anyone knows Sally, tell her to give me a call.

Honourable Mentions:

• Sleepless in Seattle (1993): Tom Hanks + Meg Ryan + Nora Ephron = the sappiest (yet most lovable) rom-com there is.

• Top Five (2014): worth the watch just to find out Jerry Seinfeld’s top five rappers. Moonstruck (1987): a young Nicolas Cage and a young Cher fall in love at the opera.

• His Girl Friday (1940): Cary Grant plays the fastest-talking newspaperman in cinema history.

• But I’m a Cheerleader (1999): Natasha Lyonne is sent to a conversion therapy camp run by RuPaul.

• Watermelon Woman (1996): screened at TIFF and a milestone of New Queer cinema as the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian.

Palentine’s Day

I truly believe that Emily Henry is the queen of the friends-to-lovers romance trope—no one does it as well as she does. This book follows Poppy and Alex, complete opposites, but best friends since college. For most of the year, they live far apart, but every summer, for a decade, they’ve taken a weeklong vacation together. That is, until two years ago when they ruined everything. The reader follows Poppy and Alex’s will they/won't they relationship through flashbacks to previous summers’ vacations, contrasted with the present-day state of their relationship. I think this book is so funny, I hope you do too!

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

This book is chaos. I give it 40 percent rom, 40 percent com, 20 percent accidental murder, and 100 percent fun. Meddi Chan and her family run a full-service wedding business and have recently booked the biggest job of their careers. Things are running smoothly—that is, until Meddi accidentally kills her blind date the night before the event. Meddi calls her meddlesome mother for help, who calls her even more meddlesome aunties. However, as they try to remedy the situation, they realize that disposing of a body may be more complicated than they anticipated. This pick is for anyone in the mood for second-chance romance and hilarious family antics.

Whether friend or foe, you can have a good time!

VIVIENNE STERN (2L)

Okay so hear me out, Valentine’s Day is easy. Pass/Fail. You grab a bouquet of roses, a bottle of nice wine (check out In Vino Veritas for recommendations) and you are in the clear. Palentine’s Day, which is celebrated on January 13—well, this is where your work is cut out for you. So to (hopefully) save you from a last-minute Palentine’s Day fiasco brought on by the amount of work you were doing for 1L recruit or Upper Year Moot, here are some ideas for what you and your best buds (or significant other—cause we know all you couples are having a hard time out there too) can get up to this February.

1. Ice Skating It’s a classic but a surefire win! Ice skat -

ing is the perfect easy date. We all know of the skating rink at Nathan Phillips Square, where you can rent skates, eat a questionable hotdog, and sip some hot chocolate. But in case you want a few other options that will (fingers crossed) be less crowded, I have a few recommendations. If you are willing to head towards the west end of Toronto, Dufferin Grove Park has a very wholesome community-based ice skating rink where they sell mini-pizzas, a host of warm drinks, and delicious cookies to get you through your winter slump. If you are looking for somewhere closer to home, College Park has a nice little skate trail just south of the Farmboy (also known as the Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail), which is always a hit. Either way, an almost guaran -

teed Palentine’s Day success.

2. Board Games

A board game night, whether it takes place at home or at Snakes and Lattés, is an underrated friend date at any given time of year. It is a go-to for my friend group when we want a low-stakes, fun evening where people can kick back and relax with a cold beer and a bowl of popcorn while yelling at each other at the top of our lungs. If you want to know what caused people to become so escalated, I recommend buying The Revolution—just make sure you have a strong relational foundation before you start!

3. Pizza Night

Whether you’re ordering in and setting

This pick is a little less on the com, but is the ultimate wholesome rom. It was initially written as a graphic novel series by Alice Oseman and was recently adapted into a television series by Netlfix. This is the classic story of boy meets boy. Charlie, a kind, openly gay overthinker meets Nick, a cheerful, laid-back rugby player. They quickly become friends, but could there be something more? This book is like a big, beautiful, cozy, gay hug. My recommendation? Read volumes one and two of the graphic novel series and then follow it up with season one from Netflix. This will allow you to avoid any spoilers and appreciate how perfect the casting for Nick and Charlie is in the show.

Honourable Mentions: How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003): a true classic, starring Cameron Diaz and Matthew McConaughey.

• Love, Rosie (2014): you had me at Lily Collins and Sam Claflin. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: curious about what happens when the Prince of England falls in love with the First Son of the United States?

• I Want You Back (2022): a new release about newly dumped thirty-somethings trying to sabotage their exes’ new relationships.

• The Proposal (2009): the scene with Sandra Bullock and the dog lives rent-free in my mind.

up a cute picnic in the middle of your living room or making pizza from scratch into heart-shaped, tasty concoctions, pizza is always a winner. Got some dietary restrictions? Lactose-free cheese is a game changer, and vegan cheese has honestly gotten better in the past couple of years, so maybe it is time to try it again. I challenge you to try some new or funky toppings on your pizza if you want to spice things up.

A general reminder: Palentine’s Day— and Valentine’s Day—are just about showing the people you care about that you are thinking of them. Yes, there’s build-up, but there doesn’t need to be! Just remember, Palentine’s Day is every day, so show support to your Pals whenever possible (trust me, we all need it!).

classics

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Heartstopper

Toronto’s Community Legal Clinics: How Can Law Students Get Involved?

U of T students discuss their experiences in community legal clinics and where to find opportunities

NATASHA BURMAN (3L)

Looking to get involved with a legal clinic this year? There are many opportunities for law students to engage in meaningful client-facing work and advocacy outside of Downtown Legal Services, U of T Law’s community legal clinic. Three upper-year students at U of T Law talk about how they got involved in Toronto’s community legal clinics and how you can too.

Matthew Tran (3L) has worked with the FCJ Refugee Centre (FCJ), Willowdale Community Legal Services (Willowdale) in North York, and Advocates for Injured Workers (AIW).

FCJ advises, counsels, supports, and advocates for refugees and others at risk due to their immigration status, addressing systemic issues that newly arrived refugee claimants face in Canada. FCJ is not funded by Legal Aid Ontario. Tran began working at FCJ during his first year at law school in September 2020 and is currently with FCJ in his second semester of 3L. Tran describes FCJ as a unique institution deeply rooted in the migrant community that provides all sorts of services to refugees and folks who are marginalized and exposed to risks because of their immigration status. Traditional “legal work,” such as immigration support work, is not the main focus of the organization. Instead, legal work is just one service the group provides to support the migrant community from further state violence,” explained Tran.

Tran’s role at FCJ has been as an executive member of The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) at U of T Law, alongside Martin Heslop (3L), Nikou Salamat (2L), and Cassandra Griffin (2L). The executive members, alongside other student volunteers, primarily support the organization by helping with the drafting and review of individuals’ humanitarian and compassionate applications. To get involved with FCJ, you can reach out to CARL U of T at utoronto.carl@gmail.com.

Tran also works with Willowdale, a position he has held since beginning law school. Although the clinic provides services for a wide range of legal issues, most of Tran’s work at Willowdale has been in the support of the clinic’s lawyers in the areas of immigration law and social assistance. He has “assisted clients with their citizenship, permanent residency and family

sponsorship applications, drafted legal research memos, and has led an appeal on the denial of Ontario Disability Support Program benefits at the Social Benefits Tribunal.”

Tran’s work at Willowdale has taken him into the broader community; “as public places have begun opening up again, I and a fellow law student, Fatima Aamir (2L), have led public legal education workshops at shelter hotels in the Willowdale region as many immigrants and refugees reside in these hotels.” Students interested in participating in a fellowship with Willowdale are encouraged to reach out to Tran directly.

AIW represents clients in their claims and appeals with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT). Supervised by staff lawyers at the Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario, U of T Law students have the opportunity to gain experience with casework during the summer in paid positions, or during the school year in an externship for academic credit. Students who volunteer with the clinic can apply to work at AIW full-time during the summer.

Tran began working with AIW in March 2021. After over a year of assisting the clinic, Tran recounts that one of the most important aspects of the clinic is its “strong belief that worker-led organizing can lead to transformative and material change.” At AIW, Tran engaged in a mix of direct client work and legal research, letter drafting, and factum drafting. Near the end of his time at AIW, Tran co-drafted and reviewed an appellate factum for an appeal at the WSIAT “regarding unfair administrative practices and policies that disproportionately harm repatriated injured migrant workers.”

Many of the individuals Tran assisted while at AIW were migrant injured workers, many from Canada’s seasonal agricultural program, who were forced to repatriate back to their country following injury here in Canada. “They were not given permanent status upon arrival to stay and…could not afford to stay here in Canada without [adequate] support. Canada’s seasonal agricultural program forces many injured workers deeper into poverty and defers all healthcare and worker compensation responsibility

onto the backs of people in the Global South.”

Tran calls attention to the clinic’s support of “Injured Workers Action 4 Justice,” a grassroots organization of injured workers and their families supporting each other and fighting against injustice.

Interested students can get involved by applying through the Law School Summer Employment Program to work with AIW during the summer.

There are also legal clinics that focus on providing legal services to ethnic communities in Toronto. Mika Choi (3L) started working at the Korean Legal Clinic (KLC) in the first semester of her 2L year and has continued ever since.

In Choi’s words, “KLC's mandate is to assist lowincome Korean-Canadians residing in Ontario who face economic, linguistic, and cultural barriers to accessing legal services. The clinic aims to achieve this objective by referring inquiries to Korean lawyers in the Greater Toronto Area and holding public legal education seminars on various topics, such as housing, immigration, labour and employment, and tax law. The clinic also compiles resources for the greater Korean community; the clinic is currently compiling a legal terms glossary in Korean and English.”

When asked about the type of work students can expect from volunteering with KLC, Choi noted that some understanding of the Korean language is preferred; “students frequently conduct legal research and translate the clinic’s seminar materials from English to Korean.” The legal terms glossary project is currently led by a law student. Law students at KLC work in a variety of areas, including social media management. “Law students also conduct the initial intake process for potential clients, determining the inquirer's needs and identifying potential next steps.”

The clinic welcomes student involvement; students can either find a placement with the clinic through Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) or by reaching out directly to admin@koreanlegalclinic.ca for further information.

There are other legal clinics in Toronto with a focus on specific communities, which interested law students can get involved with:

• Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS)

• Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC)

• The South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO)

• The Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic (CSALC)

• The Legal Clinic at the Centre for SpanishSpeaking Peoples

Looking for unique client-facing work in the field of environmental justice and health equity? Jane Fallis Cooper (3L) worked at the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) in 2021 during her 1L summer as a Lenczner Slaght Fellow. She is also working with CELA this semester through Osgoode Hall Law School’s Intensive Program in Indigenous Lands, Resources & Governments. CELA is Ontario’s only specialty environmental legal aid clinic, funded by Legal Aid Ontario.

When asked about the clinic’s work and mandate, Fallis Cooper noted that CELA operates in three spheres: legal/litigation services, public legal education, and policy advocacy. CELA’s staff include lawyers, researchers, and policy coordinators. The clinic is “specifically concerned with environmental justice and health equity work for low-income populations.”

This year, CELA is one of the organizations participating in the Donner Fellowship Placements with Public Interest Organizations by Direct Application program. There is one placement available; students at the Faculty can apply through the Donner program to work at the environmental clinic this summer without creating a personalized work/project plan. Students have also worked with CELA in the past through the clinical legal education externship on environmental law at the law school.

Legal Aid Ontario’s website contains a list of community legal clinics and specialty legal clinics like CELA. Interested students can search for a clinic that is the right fit for them.

Editor’s Note: This article does not intend to cover every community-based legal clinic in Toronto, but means to provide students with a starting point to search for client-facing opportunities.

Six Things That Will Still Be Illegal After British Columbia “Decriminalizes” Drugs

TAYLOR RODRIGUES (2L)

Starting January 31, 2023, it will be legal for individuals aged 18 years or older to cumulatively possess up to 2.5 grams of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, (3,4-Methyl enedioxy methamphetamine), and opioids for personal use in most of British Columbia (BC). In October 2021, the Government of BC submitted a section 56(1) request under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act ( CDSA ) to the federal Minister of Health to decriminalize the personal possession of small amounts of some “illegal substances'' in BC.

“Illegal substances” commonly refer to any drug that is criminalized under the CDSA , unless authorized. Some illegal substances, with authorization, can be used legally for medical or research purposes (e.g., morphine, fentanyl, ketamine).

In Canada, criminal law is under federal jurisdiction, and the federal government regulates drugs using its criminal law pow -

er. Generally, criminal law is consistent across Canada, although enforcement varies by province. Section 56(1) of the CDSA gives the Minister of Health broad power to exempt any persons or class of persons from any provision in the CDSA or its regulations if the Minister thinks the exemption is “necessary for a medical or scientific purpose or is otherwise in the public interest.”

Historically, the federal Minister of Health has issued exemptions to s. 4(1) of the CDSA (the offence commonly known as personal possession) for safe consumption sites, public drug-checking sites, research, and medical access. Some Canadians received personal possession exceptions to access cannabis for medical purposes before it was legalized medicinally. Since August 2020, Canadians have received exemptions to possess psilocybin mushrooms (“magic mushrooms”) for psilocybin-assist -

ed therapy.

The Government of BC’s s. 56(1) CDSA request asked for all individuals in BC 19 years or older to be exempt from the offence of personal possession if they cumulatively possessed up to 4.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, or methamphetamine. After months of negotiations between BC and the federal government, the federal Minister of Health issued a s. 56(1) exemption similar to British Columbia’s request effective January 31, 2023, to January 31, 2026.

The exemption applies to everyone aged 18 years or older in BC except for members of the Canadian Armed Forces, contrary to BC’s request to cover everyone aged 19 years or older. The age of majority in BC is 19. The exemption will cover all of BC except for K-12 schools, childcare facilities, airports, inside vehicles operated by minors, and inside Canadian Coast Guard vehicles, whereas BC requested it cover all

of BC. The exemption covers MDMA, which was not included in BC’s initial request. MDMA and methamphetamine are often mistaken for each other, as they are both stimulants.

The exemption has a cumulative threshold that is two grams lower than the requested 4.5 grams. The federal government was concerned that the higher threshold would make it too easy for drug dealers to masquerade as casual users. Drug policy advocates have criticized the threshold as too low and risking the criminalization of those who use drugs for personal use. For example, BC reported that the median individual who uses cocaine daily uses five grams every 10 days.

On May 28, 2021, the City of Vancouver submitted a s. 56(1) CDSA request asking to exempt everyone (including minors) in the

Possession of common “illegal drugs” will soon be legal for adults in most of British Columbia

Six Things That Will Still Be Illegal After British Columbia “Decriminalizes” Drugs

Continued from page 9

TAYLOR RODRIGUES (2L)

city from s. 4(1) if they possessed, for personal use, common opioids, stimulants and psychedelics below certain thresholds. Their request is generally broader in scope than BC’s, covering more illegal drugs and thresholds per type of drug instead of a cumulative threshold. Over a year later, the federal Minister of Health has yet to approve Vancouver’s request, and the Minister is not bound to a statutory deadline.

BC’s exemption is the broadest s. 56 CDSA exemption issued to date. It is part of a trend toward treating drug use as a public health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. The criminalization of activities surrounding illegal drugs (e.g., possession, manufacturing, and trafficking) has failed to decrease drug use or make illegal drugs less available. BC’s exemption has been widely misreported. Here are six things that will remain illegal after BC “decriminalizes drugs.”

1. Personal possession of drugs not covered by the exemption will still be an offence

It will still be illegal to possess for personal use any drug not covered by the exemption (e.g., ketamine) or cumulatively possess for personal use more than 2.5 grams of the drugs covered in the exemption. However, RCMP Senior Media Relations Officer Kris Clark said RCMP officers will not start carrying scales or drug-testing kits. It may become more difficult for police officers to get reasonable grounds to make a drug arrest as many drugs are white powders and cocaine will be exempt.

2. Personal possession will still be an offence for everyone under 18 years of age

3. Personal possession of any illegal drug will still be an offence in some

Welcoming Sara Gold

areas of BC

It will still be illegal to possess any quantity of any illegal drug in a K-12 school, a childcare facility, an airport, a Coast Guard vehicle, or any vehicle if the drug is readily accessible to the driver.

4. “Doctor shopping” will still be an offence

Subsection 4(2) of the CDSA (the offence commonly known as “doctor shopping”) makes it an offence to try and obtain an illegal drug (e.g., morphine) from a healthcare professional without disclosing all previous prescriptions for that drug they received in the last 30 days.

5. All other drug offences will still be in force in BC

It will still be illegal to import, export, manufacture, traffic, or possess for the purpose of trafficking any illegal drug. Trafficking is a very broad offence that in -

cludes selling illegal drugs, delivering them, or simply sharing them with friends. It will still be illegal to take any amount of illegal drugs over domestic or international borders—even for personal use.

6. Personal possession of any illegal drug outside of BC will still be an offence

After the exemption comes into force, possession of one gram of MDMA for personal use will be legal in BC but illegal in next door Alberta. An individual charged with s. 4(1) of the CDSA outside of BC will likely try a s. 15 equality rights challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter ). This will likely be difficult given that province or municipality of residence has not been accepted as an analogous ground; moreover, the Supreme Court of Canada recently narrowed s. 15 Charter jurisprudence in R v Sharma , 2022 SCC 39.

Getting to know the Faculty’s new on-location Accessibility Advisor

ALISHA KRISHNA (3L), STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE DISABLED LAW STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

In October 2022, the Faculty announced that we would be joined by an on-location Accessibility Advisor, Sara Gold. Given the extent of student concerns and advocacy around accommodations in recent years, the Disabled Law Students’ Association wanted to ask Gold some questions to clarify her role.

Alisha Krishna (AK): Tell me about yourself! What kind of work did you do before coming to our Faculty as the on-location advisor? What are you most excited about in your new position?

Sara Gold (SG): I am really excited to step into the role of on-location Accessibility Advisor at the Faculty of Law. I look forward to supporting the bright and capable students in the JD and graduate programs. Previously, I worked as an American Sign Language English Interpreter specializing in postsecondary environments. For over 20 years, I was embedded in many graduate and professional programs where I gained considerable first-hand experience collaborating to remove barriers.

I believe strongly that educational programs can maintain their requirements and high standards while they facilitate the participation of students who have disabilities and/or ongoing health or mental health challenges. The University’s commitments to accessibility and equity are foundational to my work. By removing obstacles, students not only gain from what the University has to offer, but also, enrich their fields and communities with their unique perspectives. Fundamentally, I believe we all benefit when we create inclusive spaces.

AK: How was the position of on-location advisor at the Faculty of Law created?

SG: There are currently about two dozen Accessibility Advisors employed by Accessibility Services at the St. George campus. Traditionally, advisors were based in our central office, where they each worked across various programs. Starting in 2018, Accessibility Services received funding to expand the office and add 10 new advisors assigned to work within specific faculties. I have been warmly welcomed at the Faculty of Law. Most students here will be assigned to me, while some will work with advisors from the central office.

The on-location model of service allows us to become well-informed about the essential requirements of programs so that we can put in place accommodations that are appropriate to the individual and up-

hold the integrity of the program. On-location advisors also continue to work very closely with our Accessibility Services colleagues and consultants to ensure a consistent approach across the institution.

AK: How would you describe your personal approach towards accessibility in education? How might that translate to reducing barriers, specifically in the Faculty of Law?

SG: My personal approach to accessibility in education begins with the presumption that the students I am serving are highly capable and that they are the experts on their lived experiences. When students reach out to inquire if accommodations might be appropriate for them, I want them to feel welcomed and respected as we explore options.

There are some widespread misconceptions that can create barriers. First, many do not realize that disability is broadly defined, and so accommodations may be available for students who face a range of conditions that impact functioning, such as chronic migraines, depression, eating disorders, or addiction. Second, some believe that they must sacrifice privacy to get accommodations. Accessibility Services treats health information confidentially. We do not connect directly with your professors, past or future employers, or family members. Further, there is no indication on a student’s transcript that they were registered with Accessibility Services.

AK: If you could change one thing about the accommodations system, what would it be?

SG: I would want to clarify the purpose of accommodations. Accommodations give students who face disability-related barriers the opportunity to achieve their potential by aiming to level the playing field. They do not give students an advantage. While accommodations may alter the means or process by which students demonstrate competency or change timelines, they do not alter key learning outcomes, academic standards, or essential skills.

AK: What is the nature of your relationship to the Faculty’s current accommodations system? How does your role fit in?

SG: Accessibility Advisors are employed by Accessibility Services to advocate for the academic accommodations process and to support the University in meeting its obligations. Like other on-location Accessibility Advisors, I collaborate with the faculty

within which I work so that accommodations are feasible and appropriate in this context.

At the Faculty of Law, the JD Accommodations and Considerations Committee supports the implementation of accommodations for students. They bring their expertise to the process to ensure that accommodations uphold academic integrity, meet program core competencies, and work within the Faculty’s policies and procedures.

AK: Will you also have a role in facilitating accommodations in externships or during formal recruitment and job application processes?

SG: So far, my priority has been on accommodations that give students a more equitable opportunity to participate in their courses. That said, I also support students with accommodations in for-credit experiential learning situations. Accessibility Services has an experiential learning advisor who can be brought in to contribute to these discussions.

AK: The Faculty has Dean’s committees that help shape policy. A few of these committees, such as the Mental Health Committee and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, often intersect with issues of accommodations. Will you participate in any of those going forward?

SG: Accessibility Services participates in the ongoing work that the University is engaged in regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The committees you mentioned are vital in bringing about growth and change. Our office has several equity initiatives, and we welcome opportunities to engage with partners around these goals within the Faculty and across the University.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Editor's Note: Requested follow-up answers will be updated at ultravires.ca.

SARA GOLD, ON-LOCATION ACCESSIBILITY ADVISOR AT THE FACULTY OF LAW. CREDIT: SARA GOLD

Wines to Get You Through Grade Release

In Vino Veritas

SAWYER PELOSO (3L)

Grade release can bring about a wide range of emotions depending on the combination of one’s personality and the stage they are at in law school. As evidenced in the reviews below, this may include anxiety, the urge to leave the country, or general indifference. This month’s In Vino Veritas special highlights several wines that pair well with the array of emotions that our reviewers felt during the January grade release. We hope these reviews help direct you toward a wine that perfectly matches your feelings!

Tom Russell (3L)

Undurraga – 2018 “Terroir Hunter” Cauquenes Cabernet Sauvignon

LCBO | $25.95

My favourite activity this past month has been waking up early, pouring myself a nice glass of wine, and refreshing ACORN non-stop until the sun sets at 5pm. There’s no denying that the beginning of the winter semester is a terrible time for many of us, so I’m reviewing one of my favourite wines to relax.

The T.H. Cauquenes is a dry, bold cabernet sauvignon from Chile with hints of oak, blackberry, and vanilla. This wine is delicious, with an excel-

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lent finish and mild tannins that linger for a bit. I recommend pairing this with beef, lamb, or a savoury mushroom dish. This is a great value wine priced at $26 at the LCBO. I highly recommend this as a cost-efficient option for a dinner date or celebration with friends.

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Jared Barkman (2L)

Keenan & Zoë – 2021 Direct Press Field Blend Legacy Liquor Store (Vancouver) | $37.38

When grades are released, good or bad, my first piece of advice is to book a flight—anywhere will do. There’s no escapism quite like literally escaping, after all. But when this proves impracticable, my second piece of advice is to buy a bottle of wine that transports you away from the mid-winter, suboptimal-transcript blues. Keenan & Zoë’s Direct Press Field Blend should surely do the trick. A unique blend of 60 percent pinot noir, 30 percent chardonnay, and 10 percent pinot gris, it’s like drinking a glass of summer. The pinot gris softens the wine, removing some of the bitterness associated with skin-contact blends, and the pinot noir infuses delicious notes of red fruit that seem incongruent with the light orange liquid sloshing around your glass.

Carefully harvested and hand-bottled in the Okanagan, Keenan and Zoë are crafting some of the most outstanding biodynamic wines in the country; you can rest assured there are no chemicals added and no goodness removed. The only problem is that the wines are released in incredibly small batches, so finding a bottle in Ontario may prove elusive. I suppose you’ll need to book that flight after all…

Sawyer Peloso (3L)

Trius – 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon

LCBO and The Wine Shop | $17.95

Grade release in 3L brings about a completely different set of emotions than in 1L. In first year, grade release was an extremely anxiety-inducing experience. Regardless of the results, I knew I needed to treat myself to a high-quality bougie wine. Fast forward to third year, and everything has changed. I am fresh off an exchange semester and I am still that person who constantly brings up how great it was—wait, have I told you about Amsterdam yet? At present, no set of grades will remedy the existential pain of no longer being on exchange and travelling every other week. Nor will any grade bring me back all the money I spent on exchange.

To match this feeling of indifference towards my grades and genuine concern for the state of my bank account, I tried to find a low-priced, inoffensive wine that was just good enough. Trius’ cabernet sauvignon is a medium-bodied red wine from Niagara, in stock at the Wine Shop and LCBO. It fits this description exactly. It was okay! There were hints of blackberry and vanilla on the palate and nose that were somewhat interesting. The finish was also pretty smooth. I probably wouldn’t bring it to a dinner party, but I would find it perfectly okay to drink on a Thursday night as I go through my exchange photos for the hundredth time.

UNDURRAGA'S TERROIR HUNTER CAUQUENES 2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON. CREDIT: TOM RUSSELL

TRIUS' 2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON. CREDIT: SAWYER PELOSO

KEENAN & ZOË’S 2021 DIRECT PRESS FIELD BLEND. CREDIT: JARED BARKMAN

Should You Stay or Should You Go?

Continued from page 1

SHAE ROTHERY (3L)

Without further adieu, here’s what we heard from the students.

Centre for Transnational Legal Studies London, United Kingdom

Pros:

CTLS is a unique institution where you will study alongside students and professors from law schools around the world on topics in international law.

King's College London, where CTLS is based, has great facilities (buildings/libraries/gym).

CTLS administration are angels.

The UK does not require a visa for Canadian exchange students. Other citizens may require a visa.

London is a wonderful city to study in—there are many things going on and it's just a short trip away from other European destinations. Not knowing European languages is fine for traveling in Europe.

The tube gets you anywhere in the city, but it's expensive.

Groceries are generally cheaper than in Canada. Very affordable phone plans in the UK.

No need to open a UK bank account if you use crossborder financial services like Wise and Revolut.

Cons:

London is a crowded and expensive city. The rental prices are very high. I was lucky to find an Airbnb which had a similar price as the place I'm living in Toronto, but I had to book four months in advance and the dedicated student dorms (which is the other suitable option for renting for just a few months) are way more expensive. I heard my classmates say it was difficult to find rental properties because they only rented for four months.

Student social events are mostly pub nights, which are not an appealing option for people who don't drink or have difficulty staying up late (but this is not really the school's issue).

Unless U of T Law is willing to change its credit calculation formula for CTLS, be aware of a very heavy course load.

U of T students had the heaviest course load in the whole CTLS class. Students from other universities took fewer courses than U of T students. Georgetown, the founder of CTLS, asked their students to take 10–12 credits. CTLS administration was surprised when I told them I had to take at least 14 credits.

U of T students addressed their concerns to the Faculty at the beginning of the fall semester, but the Faculty insisted on a one-to-one credit conversion with CTLS.

Most of the classes were two credits, met two hours each week, and the final evaluation method was a ~4000word paper or an eight-hour final open book exam.

I took seven courses in the fall semester to meet the credit requirement, and I felt like I could not dive as deeply into the topics addressed in courses, had less time to socialize with my fellow students, and had less time to explore London and the UK.

Tips: Find housing as early as you can. Airbnb is still a good place to find short-term (a few months) rentals.

The King's College gym is fantastic (affordable, not too crowded, great people, facilities, and classes). It's located on the LG/G floors of the building where CTLS classes take place.

Don't bother to buy an Oyster card or a travel pass for taking transit in London if you have a contactless payment bank card that works in the UK. Oyster cards are non-refundable, and the contactless price is exactly the same as using an Oyster card.

National University of Singapore Singapore

Pros:

Excellent professors and classmates. My courses were focused on legal and political issues in Southeast Asia, which was new to me. It really gave me a different perspective.

Singapore, while expensive, is very unique and exciting to live in. Since Singapore is so multicultural, you come across lots of different festivals, foods, and ways of living.

Bureaucratic aspects of getting a visa and dealing with NUS were efficient.

Cons: NUS does not guarantee on-campus housing! However, while living on the main campus is far more affordable, it is a true trek into the city.

Looking for off campus housing was a struggle (and expensive).

Course selection at NUS was confusing, but it ultimately got done.

Trinity College Dublin Dublin, Ireland

Pros:

It’s not U of T.

Classes are very easy, and attendance is very optional, yet they give you 14 real law school credits!

Classes can be easily scheduled to accommodate travel— I only had classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I put the other five days of the week toward “cultural education.”

You only need to take three classes, each with two hours of lecture per week (i.e. six hours of class total each week).

A passing grade is 40 percent.

Semesters are shorter at TCD than at U of T.

There are lots of other law students from around Europe at TCD.

Private student accommodation is available through TCD if you apply early.

Very easy (and affordable) to travel to other parts of Europe—Dublin is home to Ryanair, after all!

Easy to travel around Ireland and Northern Ireland via train.

Dublin is a very fun city with low-key, casual vibes.

Public transport is really affordable—with a student Leap card, you can get 90 minutes of transit in the city for €1.

Irish people are really friendly.

Pubs on almost every corner.

Phone plans are super cheap compared to Canada, and you can easily pick up a pay-as-you-go SIM card from Vodafone or Three.

The weather is moderate.

Guaranteed to be your best law school experience.

Cons:

It can be difficult and expensive to find housing.

The city is a bit expensive, but that’s what your line of credit is for.

Much less diversity in food options than Toronto—

hopefully you like fish and chips!

You must drink Guinness and/or whiskey (but this could also be a pro).

As a Canadian citizen, if you plan to stay for more than 90 days, you’ll need to pay €300 for an Irish Residence Permit—although, if you time your travel properly, you could technically get away with staying for less than 90 days and spend the €300 on something more fun…

Tips: Make sure to enroll in the LLM program, not the LLB program.

University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark

Pros: KU has a beautiful campus.

Classes are very laid back—I only needed to take 30 ECTS credits, which worked out to two courses for the semester.

Final exams consisted of two longer papers.

Copenhagen is a very cool city—highlights are the food/ bakeries and flea markets.

Housing was easy to book through the housing foundation (although not cheap).

City transportation is easy as the city is very bikeable and has a good subway system.

Everyone spoke excellent English.

Except for flea markets, everyone accepts card payments.

Cons:

The only con, in my view, is the cost—get ready to spend $9 CAD on coffee and $30 CAD on ramen—however, the school has an excellent, well-priced cafeteria to offset these costs.

If you are hoping to travel, flights are more expensive out of Copenhagen than other European cities.

I had to get a visa, which cost around $800 CAD.

And finally, one general comment we received about going on exchange: “Not enough students take advantage of the exchange program, so make sure to go! ” Hopefully that’s enough to convince you!

Submissions have been edited for brevity and clarity.

MANSION HOUSE IN CENTRAL LONDON. CREDIT: SHAE ROTHERY

THE TEMPLE BAR, ARGUABLY IRELAND’S MOST FAMOUS PUB. CREDIT: SHAE ROTHERY

Exhibition Review: Kent Monkman’s Being Legendary

Miss Chief Eagle Testickle takes us on a journey through time

JULIA ALLEN (1L)

Being Legendary is an installation of new original paintings by Cree artist Kent Monkman. Monkman is a member of Fisher River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory (Manitoba). He is known for exploring the complexities of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences in an interdisciplinary nature. The current exhibit, Being Legendary, is narrated by his gender-fluid alter-ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle—a time-travelling and shape-shifting being. Monkman is a well-renowned artist, and his works have been exhibited in many institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The installation is available to view at the Royal Ontario Museum until April 16 and is included with General Admission. The exhibit is a must-see, and admission is free for students on Tuesdays—just remember to bring your T-Card, and you’re set! On other days, student admission costs $18. Additionally, you can tour the exhibit with Indigenous Educators every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm.

Writer Gisèle Gordon assists Monkman’s experience with vivid narrations alongside each piece. Gordon notes that the intent of this exhibition is “to challenge the histories we’ve been told…and more broadly, amplify Indigenous knowledges and experiences that often go ignored in lands now known as Canada.” While walking through the exhibit and noticing the detail in every painting, alongside the narrative provided with each piece of art, I felt as though that intent had been achieved.

The beginning

The exhibit starts with an introduction—the beginning of time. Here, you will see Miss Chief Eagle Testickle explaining that she is a sacred being formed by the Creator. Miss Chief takes us on a journey through time and offers a narrative that reshapes how one might view the past, present, and future.

Moving through time

I COME FROM PÂKWANKÎSIK, THE HOLE IN THE SKY, 2022. CREDIT: KENT MONKMAN

After the beginning, we are taken through a portrayal of life before human existence. This is coupled with the connection between the living and the extinct, allowing the viewer to note the appreciation for all no longer physically with us. We see an illustration of the significant role that everything plays in the histories and current realities of human beings. One will easily foster their own perspective of these artworks, but seeing the fossils alongside some pieces offers a new perspective— one that plays out as you move through the exhibit.

A quote in the installation that I particularly liked is “Quantum physics is only now catching up to what our Elders have long understood.” It draws an interesting perspective that one might not have thought of prior to

walking through this exhibit. There is a notion that everything comes from the land, and it is important to appreciate the land as something that connects each of us as one. The exhibit portrays many lessons, songs, and stories that existed prior to European contact.

One of my favourite pieces is the Constellation of Knowledge. It brings together generations in an unearthly atmosphere—depicting the idea that we work together alongside the knowledge of everything. Looking at this piece, you can pick out certain aspects, and it almost feels like a puzzle that you want to make sense of. It invokes curiosity in a captivating manner, which really allows the viewer to jump into a deeper understanding of Indigenous knowledge.

events happened and have lasting effects that we cannot simply forget. However, Monkman’s exhibit demonstrates that these histories do not have to define us.

McMillan embodies the qualities I sought in a Firm as a student (and as a lawyer): an excellent growth and learning environment, with opportunities to do interesting and sophisticated work early-on, alongside a variety of bright and friendly people.

Kailey

Often, the best way to illustrate patterns of difference, particularly as it relates to State policy, is through direct comparison. In their new book, Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation, Andrew Stobo Sniderman and the Faculty’s own Professor Douglas Sanderson ( Amo Binashii ) seek to do just that.

Part narrative storytelling, part historical review, Valley of the Birdtail endeavours to highlight, critique, and explain the well-documented divide in outcomes between First Nations communities living on reserve and the broader Canadian population. This book follows the lives of two families living across the Birdtail River in Manitoba— Troy Luhowy and his father, Nelson: generational Ukrainian immigrants living in the settler town of Rossburn; and Maureen Twovoice, her mother,

The tragedies

The exhibit displays the tragic realities of what life became when the process of colonization began. One painting, Study for The Sparrow, drags the viewer away from the present into a dark and heart-wrenching frame of mind. There are moments in this exhibit that might make you feel uncomfortable, but it shifts your mind to the realities that Indigenous peoples faced upon colonization. It is important to understand that these

The future is now

The exhibit ends by giving the viewer an understanding of what has been lost since the beginning of time and an appreciation of the fact that we continue to uncover and reconcile as each day passes.

“Our strength is in our languages, our people, and our kinship to all that is living.” Ending the exhibit with our future ancestors brings a sense of peace and joy to the viewer’s eye. It brings feelings of inspiration and hope—to know that Indigenous peoples are reclaiming the love that the Creator gave to each of us.

Film Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Stick to doing taxes and laundry

DOMINIQUE WIGHTMAN (3L)

I love January. There’s nothing better than smugly scoffing at successful and important film critics’ end-of-year lists. It fuels my sense of superiority to see the New York Times and Indiewire fawn over decidedly mid movies, and I’m sure my keyboard warring in these publications’ comments lets those journalists know that I’m the real cinema tastemaker. It’s also a great cope—Metacritic’s official reviewers might have respect, credibility, and employment, but I’m the one with taste.

That said, I really don’t see myself as a contrarian. I really dug a lot of the “certified fresh” movies on Rotten Tomatoes that were released last year. There are just a few movies that I think are massively overrated, and since I have my little soapbox to stand on, allow me to go off.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO) (2022), directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The rare popularly and critically acclaimed bigscreen experience. It’s at the top of a lot of year-end lists.

I didn’t like it. Allow me to explain.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a modern scifi classic. It also inspired a glut of art-school string theorists. The latest offering in this trend is EEAAO—a visually-overstimulating and philosophically-vapid attempt at an existential statement. I had hoped this brand of quirky nihilist humanism would die when Rick and Morty was cancelled. This film is like watching Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Cosmos on molly.

While the acting is uniformly excellent, and the action sequences are well directed, the weak screenwriting belies the Daniels' apparent confidence in their art. The "grand statement" that subjective experience and emotion give meaning to an objec-

tively meaningless existence is questionable, as this philosophy has no greater purchase than the conventional worldviews that the Daniels spend two and a half hours gleefully undermining.

What I found most irritating about EEAAO was that it could’ve been an excellent family drama that engages maturely with the philosophical questions that the Daniels seem so keenly aware of. Once freed from the suffocating and juvenile randomness of the film’s first two acts, Evelyn and Joy Wang’s (mother-daughter characters) discussions of family, faith, and tradition achieve some emotional resonance. Waymond’s (the father character) pithy and humble ruminations on the simplicity of doing taxes and laundry with Evelyn were especially stirring and brought to mind Wong Kar-Wai’s best writing.

This would’ve been a much better movie if Waymond and Evelyn were just doing taxes and laundry. While I was no fan of The Humans (2021), I think that the Daniels should have followed Stephen Karam’s formula and merely embellished their characters’ development with armchair philosophy. The Daniels’ portrayal of the Wang family’s dysfunction was coherent in a way that their statement on “Life, the Universe, and Everything” certainly isn’t.

COMPOSITIONAL STUDY FOR SONG OF THE HUNT, 2022 CREDIT: KENT MONKMAN

STUDY FOR THE SPARROW, 2021 CREDIT: JULIA ALLEN

Living Through Grief in All Its Forms

Sharing lived experience and strategies so you know you are not alone

CAELEB "RAE" GOFF (2L)

There is something about this time of year— specifically February and March—that I associate with loss. Maybe it's that underneath the snow, we can see all of the death of the plants and flowers that we knew so well in the summer months. Maybe it’s the grey and unpleasant feeling that naturally comes with a lack of sunshine. Who knows? The feeling of grief and loss is something that I think is common to all of us, especially this time of year.

While it may be easy to think of grief as the loss of someone we loved and who impacted our lives, grief goes beyond that. Grief can be for any kind of loss—the loss of a friend, the loss of a relationship, or even the loss of one’s own self concept. As grades come out, many of us may feel the pain of losing our idea of ourselves, dependent on success and high achievement. Loss comes in many forms and faces, and contains a deep feeling that many of us know quite well.

I don’t pretend to be any expert in grief or loss—I don’t think anyone can be—but it is important to know that the feelings of pain and loneliness are more common than they appear. Beneath the surface, I think we all know what that pain feels like, and struggle at times with how to cope with moving through a world that lacks the person or connection we are seeking.

As a law student milling through the winter term, how do we begin to find our way through these feelings? I wanted to share some of my ways of living through grief that avoid self-care platitudes and reflect the realities of a difficult emotional time. I add the caveat that these come from personal experience and strategies learned from various places—each person is unique, with different needs and ways of experiencing grief. Either way, you are not alone in how you feel and I hope these help you.

1. Take your time

Feelings are feelings. They are complex and have their own timeline. With many deadlines and expectations, it is easy to push down feelings and “save them for later.” While you can hide behind a mountain of readings instead of feeling your feelings for a time, check in with yourself when you feel safe to do so. How are you actually doing?

At the beginning of my period of loss, I told myself that time away from law school would be enough to take care of everything and somehow move on with my life like normal. That obviously was untrue. Coming up on the one year anniversary of loss, I am still discovering new ways that

grief has changed my life. There is no set timeline for resetting your feelings, returning to everyday life, and working at maximum capacity. It’s okay to take your time. The inbox will always be full and the calendar constantly ringing with reminders but there is only one you. You have to recognize the time you need to heal and feel your feelings.

2. Find your people by sometimes being vulnerable

Brené Brown, a pre-eminent social worker and viral sensation, has discussed how vulnerability builds connection. Don’t get me wrong, vulnerability feels gross. In our success-driven environment, it’s difficult to own up to the fact that maybe you are not a perfect robot who always completes every reading and does assignments weeks in advance—and never lets anyone see you sweat. If you feel like everybody around you has everything under control and never feels the same as you, I think you might be wrong.

When we decide to be vulnerable in our own way, either by opening up to a trusted friend about how we are really doing or by carefully offering to speak about our own experiences of loss, we build connections with those around us. Our campus is working towards one of care and compassion, and a major step in that is admitting that we are all human and are willing to open up to each other in whatever ways we can. Admitting to feelings of loneliness helps you find your community. As a member of the Peer Mental Health Program who runs Law Chats every week, the feeling of loneliness is so incredibly prevalent amongst our students. We might all be a little less lonely if we admitted these feelings.

3. Seek a little bit of joy

Bear with me as I insert some cheesy self-care information. Joy cannot exist without loss. Joy doesn’t necessarily mean taking baths or getting a massage. It means an openness to experience. Be open to the fact that joy exists, even for you. Maybe joy looks like sitting in the Fishbowl by the window so you can see the dogs playing outside. Perhaps it’s saying hello to the birds housed in the bushes outside the school (seriously, like 1000 birds live in one bush). It may be a video game, or a comedy show, or coming up with the worst puns imaginable. Whatever it is that you can find, be open to the fact that joy might surprise you and that it's more than okay to feel it.

4.

Cry, or scream, or not

People experience intense emotionality in different ways, and it often fluctuates. One moment you may feel an urge to cry, while other times grief is expressed through anger, or a feeling of complete emptiness. Whatever it is, let that feeling live if you feel safe to do so. A law school friend of mine got into the habit of avoiding their emotions and told me how they would schedule time to have a cup of tea in their safe apartment. This practice helped them sit with their feelings of grief and loss and better understand them. I sometimes take a solid 20 minutes to sit with a friend while we cry together in the basement prayer/multipurpose space in the law school. It’s whatever works for you. However, it's important to keep in mind that emotional avoidance is a heck of a lot harder than actually feeling that emotion.

5. Be gentle with yourself

All of us are over-achievers. I have this set idea of perfect functioning, which includes over scheduling and mountains of to-do lists. We often beat ourselves up for not meeting our expectations, as those expectations are often completely unreasonable in the first place. It’s a “mental health meme” that giving your best looks different everyday. It’s imperative to allow yourself to be less than 100 percent. Give yourself permission to be lazy, to not give your maximum effort, to eat something bad for you, to watch TV that is pointless, or to read tabloids. Whatever you keep denying yourself in the name of being highly functioning—give yourself permission to sometimes not be that person.

6. Find support

I’ll plug the law school supports first, as I honestly believe that we have a beautiful community here. Whether it’s asking for extensions (an admittedly highly difficult process) or seeking formal mental health support, there are resources from both the law school and the University itself. You could also reach out to your doctor or other clinicians to seek additional formal support.

It’s also important to think about informal supports. It could be family, friends, a craft club, a sports team, or even something like Law Chats. Find your own space where you can be yourself and connect with others—even if it is not specific to grief. My friend and I often walk home together and just vent—it's my special space where I can both be supportive and supported. I also love my therapist and feel deeply appreciative of her.

Whatever support you need depends on who you are, and you can develop that network of support as you progress in your journey.

7. Self reflection

I’m not necessarily telling you to get a journal and write down all your feelings everyday (although if you do that, good on you). But having quiet time to reflect on how you are feeling and how you are processing things is an important part of living through grief. Maybe it’s checking in with yourself and your emotions everytime you go to the bathroom, or scheduling “me time,” or more structured things like yoga or meditation. There’s no set way to self-reflect, but it’s important that you do it and think about your own emotional health and well-being. I sometimes call this time my “loaf” time: I loaf around my house because I am like a little “loaf of bread” and I am baking. I need time to think and be calm in order to grow and develop. You might need that time too.

If we take this term to begin learning about ourselves and recognize our losses, this dark winter will bloom into a period of renewal. You will notice a changing version of you—one that appreciates empathy and connection through the lens of loss.

Mental Health Resources:

• Supporting a student in distress: studentlife.utoronto.ca/service/facultysupport-for-responding-to-distressedstudents/

• U of T MySSP is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone, video, or chat in multiple languages

Students can contact:

• The Health and Wellness Centre (M–F, 9am to 4:30pm): 416-978-8030, or visit the Student Mental Health Portal online

• CAMH 24/7 Psychiatric Emergency Department: 1051 Queen St. W, or call 416-535-8501

• Talk Suicide Canada helpline: 1-833456-4566

• See also: ontario.cmha.ca/documents/ are-you-in-crisis/; camh.ca/en/suicideprevention/get-help

The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law An independent student-led publication

2022–23 Rights Review Editorial Board

Co-Editors-in-Chief:

Senior

Junior

Online

INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA WISNER, THE IHRP’S NEW DIRECTOR

By Rights Review Editorial Board 2022–23

RR: Many law students at U of T’s Faculty of Law may be drawn to practicing international human rights law but are not entirely sure what opportunities exist. How did you start practicing in this field? What trajectory has your career taken?

SW: Forging a path in the field of international human rights is challenging, as opportunities are highly competitive. The International Human Rights Program (IHRP) is a rare opportunity for students to begin building their careers early on.

I opted out of the traditional lawyering path after articling to pursue public interest work. I spent a year in South Africa through the Canadian Bar Association’s Young Lawyers International Program, where I assisted in representing families of mineworkers killed while protesting their foreign employer for a living wage at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry. This was the first crucial step in my career as a human rights lawyer, and I was fortunate to have worked alongside Advocate George Bizos SC, long-time lawyer of the late Nelson Mandela.

I have since focused my legal practice on large-scale and international accountability efforts in post-conflict countries around the world and, for the past five years in Haiti, seeking accountability of powerful foreign actors for emblematic human and environmental rights violations in collaboration with Haitian lawyers and activists.

RR: What motivated you to assume the Directorship of the IHRP? What responsibilities does this role entail?

SW: As Director, I hope to develop the capacity of future lawyers to respond to abuses that occur both within and outside our borders while assisting communities that would not otherwise have the support to address their human rights issues in a meaningful way.

The Director is responsible for all matters related to the IHRP, including developing its priorities, strategies, and objectives and overseeing the program’s initiatives, including teaching the international human rights clinic.

RR: For readers who are not familiar with the IHRP, how would you describe the Program? What is its purpose, and what sort of work does it undertake?

SW: The IHRP comprises Canada’s first international human rights clinic, which is often cited as one of the primary reasons why students choose to join the Faculty of Law. In addition to course lectures, students learn the practice of international human rights law by directly engaging in litigation and advocacy work in partnership with affected communities around the world.

As part of the program, students can also join the editorial team of the Rights Review, work abroad as a summer fellow, and learn valuable skills through its Working Groups.

RR: The controversy surrounding the hiring process for the IHRP Director position is well documented. Notably, in April 2021, the Canadian Association of University Teachers imposed a

censure on U of T over its decision to terminate the candidacy of Dr. Valentina Azarova. The censure was lifted in November 2021, but what many perceive as an underlying issue of academic censorship has not been meaningfully addressed by the Faculty of Law's administration. As the IHRP’s new Director, how do you plan on addressing these issues?

SW: Restrictions on academic freedom are a problem both in Canada and elsewhere. It is critical that the academic integrity of the University’s research and teaching be protected, which includes the IHRP, a distinct program within the Faculty with its own advisory committee. As the Director of the IHRP, pedagogy is an essential part of my role, as is confronting pressing human rights concerns that are often at odds with the interests of powerful actors, and I am pleased that the administration has asserted my right to academic freedom. I plan to take that assurance at face value, and I understand it as providing protection to the fullest extent possible in line with the expansive interpretations made domestically, regionally, and internationally.

RR: Lastly, how would you like to see the IHRP evolve during your tenure as Director? What goals have you set for the Program’s development?

SW: It is still early days, but I hope that my background in movement lawyering paired with my broad experience domestically and internationally in advocacy and litigation will provide a unique lens to this role.

WORKING GROUP: THE VENEZUELA ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

By Samantha Misner (2L)

Leads: Samantha Misner (2L), Andrew Parker (2L)

Accountability Projects follows the same basic operational structure to catalog the enormous amount of evidence against atrocity criminals into an actionable format. This evidence is then made available for stakeholders to plan further evidence-gathering operations. This includes creating foundational documents such as conflict narratives and crime-based matrixes to select the most responsible parties and the most egregious incidents of each atrocity situation.

What is the objective of your working group?

The Venezuela Accountability Project (VAP) is a project with the Global Accountability Network (GAN), a group of international criminal prosecutors and practitioners who supervise law students working on specific atrocity projects. GAN conducts regular reporting, professional documentation, investigation, and analysis of potential incidents within atrocity situations. In 2020, GAN founded the VAP to investigate atrocity crimes perpetrated by the Maduro regime against the people of Venezuela.

GAN's Accountability System was developed through methods employed by GAN’s founder, David Crane, in the successful prosecution of former President of Liberia Charles Taylor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Each of GAN's

What kind of work are members of your working group engaged in?

GAN lawyers collaborate with local partners and grassroots organizations in Venezuela to determine research aims and priorities. The law students then learn how to engage in open-source investigations, research, and legal analysis regarding alleged war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.

This year, our team is split into three groups. The first team has been compiling and analyzing evidence of potential crimes against humanity through the creation of conflict narratives and crime-based matrixes. The second team has been analyzing the conflict narratives and crimebased matrixes created by previous U of T stu-

dents to select the most egregious incidents. The third team is working on long-term legal research projects which aim to empower third parties to understand how international law can be used to seek justice for victims.

What is the current relevance of your working group?

This project is extremely important as it is intended to directly contribute to the efforts to address

crimes against humanity in Venezuela. Although media coverage of the situation in Venezuela has dropped precipitously, crimes have only continued to rise. On November 1, 2022, a Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court submitted an application seeking authorization to resume investigations into the situation in Venezuela. Students working with VAP have a unique opportunity to contribute to the potential prosecutions of members of the Maduro regime.

Martha Côté (3L) and Julianne Schmidt (2L)

Editors: Duncan Crabtree (2L) and Ally Mastantuono (2L)

Editors: Fatima Aamir (2L), Hannah Beltran (1L), and Vidit Desai (1L)

Editor: Jason Quinn (1L)

Members: Antonia Dederichs (LLM), Gautam Raghuvanshi (LLM), Mariya Aksyonova (graduate student), Courtney Cowan (3L), Duncan Crabtree (2L), Arifah Razack (2L), Foti Vito (2L), Mina Alam (1L), Jason Quinn (1L), Adrian Piecyk (1L), Madison Regan (1L), and Homi (Hailey) Min (1L)

DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE THE UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME HEADQUARTERS IN CARACAS, OCTOBER 2021. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/ARIANA CUBILLOS VIA VENEZUELAN POLITICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

CREDIT: SANDRA WISNER

The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law An independent student-led publication

WORKING GROUP: SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

By Gursheen Cheema (3L) and Mishail Adeel (3L)

WORKING GROUP: WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCES DATABASE

By Aliya Hemani (2L) and Megan Peters (2L)

Leads: Gursheen Cheema (3L), Mishail Adeel (3L)

Members: Rachel Quicahn Li (GPLLM), Jeffrey Ma (2L), Patrick Cowley (1L), Sian Shin (1L), Zhen Yu (Isabel) Yang (1L), Mahnoor Noor (1L), Madeline Schneider (1L), Caroline Swiderski (1L), Chelsea Gordon (1L), and Yu-Kai (Stanley) Chang (1L)

What are the objectives of your working group?

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) working group is expanding the IHRP database on country conditions, housed at the U of T Faculty of Law, regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity worldwide. These reports evaluate legislation, case law, and media reports to assess the status of LGBTQIA2S+ persecution. These reports aim to assist refugee lawyers worldwide, and we aim to partner directly with organizations that can utilize our work. This year, the team is updating the resources on South Africa, Latvia, and Nepal. The goal is to provide a more recent status update on country conditions that may impact LGBTQIA2S+ communities.

What kind of work are members of your working group engaged in?

Students gain essential exposure to international human rights law concerns and have the opportunity to analyze legal issues and conduct value-driven legal research. It is important for law students to be aware of how laws and cultural attitudes in other countries can limit important rights and freedoms of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. While the reports aim to help refugee claimants, they are also crucial for raising awareness about the day-to-day realities of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals living in other countries.

The SOGI Country-Conditions Memos can be accessed at https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/page/ working-group-and-clinic-reports/sogi-resources.

Leads: Aliya Hemani (2L), Megan Peters (2L) Members: Helin Tasdemir (2L), Amy Wang (2L), Manreet Brar (1L), Isabel Brisson (1L), Yinzi Gao (1L), Rachel Gertin (1L), Liza Markova (1L), Keona Lau (1L), Qin Yi Xu (1L), and Yinzi Zhou (1L)

What are the objectives of your working group? What kind of work are members of your working group engaged in?

The Women’s Human Rights Resources (WHRR) database provides annotations for key UN documents and leading scholarly articles on a range of topics including armed conflict, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), economic globalization, Indigenous women, key treaties and texts, marriage, migration, property law and housing rights, race and gender, reproductive rights, social and economic rights, violence against women, and the World Conference on Women’s Rights. The WHRR database receives more than 15,000 hits per month, with diverse users from over 100 countries. This year’s working group, comprised of 10 Faculty of Law students and two working group leaders, continues to add new content to the database from leading academics, NGOs, and other sources.

When and how did the partnership between the WHRR database and the IHRP come about?

The WHRR database was created in 1995 at the U of T Faculty of Law and has since become an important tool for human rights defenders, professionals, and international law scholars. The database provides a roadmap for scholarly and academic research, thereby facilitating and disseminating research across the globe. Each source is categorized based on type (i.e., article, document, or link), subject matter, and author.

With the help of the Bora Laskin Law Library in 2011, the WHRR Working Group was initiated to keep the WHRR database current and to ensure that professionals and scholars around the world can continue to access recent key resources for various subjects in the central location of the database. Professor Rebecca Cook, a women’s rights pioneer and founder of the database, drove the creation of the WHRR. In her words, the WHRR “is such an important way for students to advance the field of women’s rights.”

The Women’s Human Rights Resources Database can be accessed at https://library.law.utoronto.ca/womens-human-rights-resources-programme-whrr.

WORKING GROUP: ADVANCING GLOBAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS

By Erin Kim (2L) and Aimee Veiner (2L)

Leads: Erin Kim (2L), Aimee Veiner (2L)

Members: Sahaab Bajwa (3L), Beth Boyle (2L), Monica Gill (2L), Vidit Desai (1L), Ariel Gorodensky (1L), Cindy Lin (1L), Abhinav Mynampati (1L), Joel Seifert (1L), and Nicholas Slawnych (1L)

What is the objective of your working group?

This working group contributes to the Global Health and Human Rights Database (“the Database”), which catalogs case law, national constitutions, and international and regional instruments relating to health and human rights by contributing summaries of judgments concerning health-related rights. The Database was developed by the Lawyers Collective and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. It was the first initiative to create a comprehensive collection of health and human rights judgements. The Database includes case law, national constitutions, and international and regional instruments. It aims to promote the right to health by providing a resource for litigation concerning

health-related rights and comparative legal analysis.

What kind of work are members of your working group engaged in?

Working group members are responsible for conducting research to identify two to three cases and to categorize them on the basis of relevant health-related rights in the context of the international right to health framework developed by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in General Comment No. 14, and health topics as described in the framework developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). As the Database is intended to be a resource for practitioners and scholars around the world, an important aspect of the work involves making sure the summaries are written in a clear and concise way while providing the necessary information to effectively understand the judgment.

What is the current relevance of your working group?

The Database was initially established to address the increasing use of internation -

al, regional, and domestic cases to interpret rights in health-related litigation. In 2023, the Database has a particularly relevant role in light of the amount of litigation that arose over the past couple of years in relation to COVID-19. We see courts utilizing judgments from other juris -

dictions regarding similar challenges related to public health measures during the pandemic. In this way, the Database supports practitioners by collecting and categorizing judgments concerning new and emerging health-related matters.

PRIDE TORONTO, 2019. CREDIT: ANDREW LAHODYNSKYJ / THE CANADIAN PRESS

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS GATHER IN WARSAW, OCTOBER 2016. CREDIT: GRZEGORZ ZUKOWSKI

CREDIT: HELENA JANKOVICOVÁ KOVÁCOVÁ

WORKING GROUP: CAMEROON ANGLOPHONE CRISIS DATABASE OF ATROCITIES

By Julia Cappellacci (2L) and Eric Li (2L)

The ongoing civil war in Cameroon has claimed the lives of over 4,000 civilians and has displaced over 700,000 people. Yet, the Cameroon Anglophone crisis remains underreported in the media and neglected by the international community, resulting in a deficiency of much needed humanitarian assistance for those caught in the crossfire. The current atmosphere of mistrust in Cameroon has further restricted the spread of information, as civilians are deterred from posting their experiences on social media out of fear of reprisals from various armed factions.

In light of this oppressive environment, the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis Database of Atrocities (“the Database”) serves as an apolitical and non-partisan platform for the collection and verification of evidence regarding war crimes and rights abuses perpetrated during the conflict.

It is important to shed light on the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis as it is one of the most underreported conflicts in the world. In fact, the conflict was declared to be the most neglected displacement crisis by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in 2019. Having already been considered an underreported conflict in 2019, neglect of the Anglophone Crisis has only been exacerbated by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has garnered mass coverage by the media and zealous responses from the

international community. As the Secretary General of the NRC stated, “humanitarian assistance should be given based on needs, and needs alone. However, every day millions of displaced people are neglected because they have been struck by the wrong crisis and the dollars have dried up.”

Overview of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis

While Cameroon is officially a bilingual country with both English-speaking and French-speaking regions, Francophones make up a large majority of the population (roughly 80 percent). In 2016, Anglophone lawyers and teachers began to protest the government’s appointment of Francophone civil law judges to common law courts in the English-speaking regions. The government responded to these protests with force, imprisoning protesters and restricting internet access. As the violence escalated, the protests began to evolve into a separatist movement, culminating in the declaration of an independent state of Ambazonia in 2017. As the government and separatists clashed, forces from both sides engaged in extrajudicial killings, torture, and attacks on civilians, resulting in a massive humanitarian crisis as thousands are forced to flee from the endless violence.

The Database of Atrocities

The Database was established in December 2019 and is currently led by Billy Burton, a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and geographic information system (GIS) analyst; Arkady Silverman, a researcher and Cameroon expert; and Brian Silverman, a Professor at the Rotman School of Management. The database is apolitical

and will avoid all partisan influence. To ensure neutrality and cybersecurity, the Database is hosted in Canada at U of T. Since its establishment, the Database has recorded over 800 incidents and has securely stored over 2000 pieces of digital evidence.

Partners of the Database

In addition to the working group at U of T, the Database has partnered with researchers from Leiden University, the University of Exeter, and the Edinburgh International Justice Initiative. The Database has also worked with rights-advocacy organizations such as the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Bellingcat, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

Objectives of the Working Group

By collecting and verifying evidence of war crimes and other human rights violations, the Database aims to:

1. Counter the culture of impunity that has pervaded this crisis since it began in 2016;

2. Secure evidence for future domestic and international accountability procedures and a possible national truth, justice, and reconciliation process;

3. Assist human rights activists and journalists advocating for human rights in Cameroon;

4. Constitute an archive for scholarly research on Cameroon and the Anglophone Crisis and conflict; and

5. Serve as a deterrence to warring parties from engaging in further atrocities.

Contributions of the Working Group

Students in the working group use open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods to authenticate digital evidence submitted to the Database. This work entails using satellite imagery, archived weather and solar positioning data, social media, and other online tools to confirm whether the incidents depicted in the digital evidence indeed took place at the alleged time and location. These findings are then compiled in reports, which may be publicly accessed by visiting https://borealisdata.ca/dataverse/CameroonReports.

The 2021–22 IHRP working groups completed the following reports, which were published in the fall:

• Burning and Looting in Tashem Village, Bui (October 2021)

Burning of Buildings in Kikaikom (October 2021)

• Forced Stripping Naked of Students in Buea (January 2022)

• Burning of Queen of the Rosary College, Oyokong, Mamfe (February 2022)

IHRP summer volunteers teamed up with volunteers at the University of Exeter to complete two additional reports:

Attack on Mbonhong Village, Ndu (April 2022)

• Attack on Pia Market, Fondonera (July 2022)

The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law An independent student-led publication

Leads: Julia Cappellacci (2L), Eric Li (2L)

Members: Jasmine Anthony (2L), Lauren George (2L), Julian Greco (2L), Emily Hean (2L), Daniel Edmeades, (1L), Jamie Oneschuk (1L), Ella Ryu (1L), and Nicolas Williams (2L)

DEMONSTRATIONS IN FRONT OF THE FRENCH EMBASSY IN YAOUNDE, FEBRUARY 2020. CREDIT: STR/AFP VIA AFRICA PORTAL

Intra Vires

Totally real news from a creepy crawly law school

AMY KWONG (2L) AND FIEVEL LIM (2L)

Admin to schedule classes on all future statutory holidays

After not hearing a single negative critique of this term’s January 2 start date for 1Ls and intensive courses, admin will be eliminating statutory holidays for the rest of the semester. An email from the Faculty stated, “Statutory holidays reflect society’s decision to set time aside for celebrating special occasions, and what could be more special than school?” In addition to regularly scheduled classes, stat holidays will also be used for extra catch-up classes, cold-calling sessions (with a 10 percent participation grade), and mandatory EDI workshops.

Horrified students learn time really is relative

Einstein was right! Even though most students don’t have a STEM background, all students were shocked to discover that the rate at which time passes completely depends on their frame of reference. Dazed students reported that the period before the written work deadline simultaneously dragged on forever (“I don’t remember anything from September to November.”) and was not nearly long enough (“I can’t watch 12 weeks of video lectures in 48 hours before the exam!”). Meanwhile, December 19 to January 1 passed in the blink of an eye. What kind of cosmic joke is that?

Not relative enough though

Despite time passing by at alarming new rates, 1Ls were still caught in the middle of their 1L recruit applications with their metaphorical dress pants down. Many firms have delayed their deadlines in anticipation of grades coming out later than usual. Surprise, the theory of relativity hits again! It doesn’t matter how long you delay the deadline, the grades still won’t come out in time. Haven’t you heard of the transcript paradox?

It’s a bug’s life

Step aside, SNAILS, the insects are in town. While students were away on winter break, bugs of all shapes and sizes have taken up residence in Flavelle House. They’ve made themselves at home in classrooms, hallways, and locker bays, and they’re not hesitating to introduce themselves to their newly returned human neighbours. Spotted: several spiders, huge fruit flies, and what we really hope weren’t cockroaches. Someone call the exterminator!

Guest columnist: ChatGPT

Prompt: Write a 100-word satirical news article blurb for the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

In a shocking turn of events, the University of Toronto Faculty of Law has announced that they will now be offering a new course on "How to Legally Defend the Indefensible." The course, taught by prominent legal scholars, will focus on teaching students the art of manipulating language and using legal loopholes to defend clients who have committed heinous crimes. "We're just giving our students a competitive edge," said the Dean of the Faculty of Law. "After all, in the real world, everyone deserves a fair defense—even murderers." The course has been met with widespread condemnation, but the Faculty remains unrepentant and plans to continue offering the controversial class.*

*This text was generated by GPT-3, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model.

Editor’s Note: The joke’s on you, ChatGPT! We don’t need a course for this when U of T already prepares us to work in Big Law!

Local Student’s U of T Account, Unprotected by Duo, Hacked Absolutely nothing of value stolen

AMY KWONG (2L)

Members of the law school community were shocked to hear that a student’s U of T account was hacked earlier in the month. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, had not yet participated in U of T’s push for students to register their accounts with Duo, the University’s multi-factor authentication (MFA) system.

The University’s MFA rollout started earlier this year, after months of sending spam emails to students, faculty, and staff about the initiative. Under the MFA requirement, users must download an app, Duo, onto their smartphones. Every time users log in to a University-affiliated account off-campus, users are required to open the Duo app and verify their identity before the login can proceed.

Unfortunately, the student victim here had not yet been forced to download the Duo app onto their phone. As such, their account was left vulnerable to hacking attempts from unsavoury characters on the internet.

In early January, a hacker entered the victim’s account from an IP address traced to a residence in suburban Markham. While the student’s parents reside in Markham, and the hacking took place during a weekend when the student had returned home and needed to download a reading from Quercus, the IT Department insists that this was purely coincidental and does not undermine the dangers of hackers looking to access U of T accounts.

2023 New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time

friends

ALYSSA WONG (2L)

It’s a new year and theoretically, I should be on my way to becoming a new me. Unfortunately, I’m not. I don’t know about you, but I’m still recovering from the hellscape that was exam season, then trying to fly home over winter break (what a mess), and having to be back at school on Monday, January 2. That said, we’re actually on campus this January, so this is still a monumental improvement over last year. Keep that momentum going by setting (and hopefully sticking to!) some New Year’s resolutions. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

1. Save more money: Let’s be real, everything is expensive. Cut grocery costs by attending more school club events for free food. It may be cheap pizza, but beggars can’t be choosers. Bonus points if you beat the line on UV launch day to get one of those doughnuts before they’re gone. (Psst, some doughnuts usually get reserved for UV staff in case you were looking for a reason to join next year )

2. Be more eco-friendly: For example, bring your own cups for the free coffee/tea. If creating less trash isn’t good enough, not using those tiny disposable cups also means you won’t have to make as many trips back to the Atrium for refills.

of year again,

7. Make it on the UV list of study room bookings: Need I say more?

8. Perfect your basic corporate email template: Hit the right balance of polite and devoid of personality. Consider using an email signature to make sure everyone knows that you are, in fact, a law student JD Candidate.

9. Confront your mistakes: Come to terms with permanence. Do the UV crossword in pen.

10. Check in: Talk to your peer mentor/mentee. Or that person you became friends with in that one class and haven’t spoken to since the final exam. Will it be awkward? Maybe. But it’s still nice to get a “Hey, how are you doing? Want to grab a coffee?” message once in a while.

11. Read for fun again: Far too many of us say we like reading even though we haven’t read for fun in ages because we’re overwhelmed by class readings. ( It’s me. This is about me.) In light of that, the bar is low for this one. Literally, any reading for fun is valid. (That includes this list. Thanks for being here.)

“It is paramount that we protect U of T users. There are no limits to what malicious actors could access through unlimited access to a student’s ACORN and Quercus. For example, they could see that the student has yet to pay their Winter tuition. Or they could read syllabi and PowerPoints from the student’s classes. In the wrong hands, that information could present a real and significant danger,” an anonymous IT specialist explained.

In the case at hand, IT records show that the hacker accessed the victim’s Quercus account, browsed their constitutional law course page for three minutes, and downloaded a 23-page case from the page titled “Week 2 readings.”

“When we find out who is trying to steal valuable information from U of T community members, we will act swiftly to demand that they stop doing so. For now, we have required the student to register for MFA and download the Duo app to protect themselves immediately,” said the IT specialist.

“In fact, two factors are simply not enough,” she continued. “It’s called multi-factor authentication for a reason. Soon, we will also require that students scan their fingerprints, photograph their retinas, and do the macarena in front of their camera. Only then can we be sure that the user logging in really is who they say they are. Only then can we protect our users in the high-stakes world of university accounts.”

3. Try new hobbies: Preferably ones that aren’t self-destructive in any way. According to the 100 percent totally accurate Faculty Feud, one of the top coping mechanisms in law school is drugs/alcohol. Consider playing a sport, or try knitting. Maybe therapy. The options are endless!

4. See the sun: The days might be getting longer, but it’s still way too easy to stay in the library all the time. Sun lamps may be available, but Philosopher’s Walk is literally Right There. Stop staring at the trees from The Fishbowl™ and go outside.

5. Watch that legal show: You know, the one you keep telling your friends you’ll watch but never actually get around to—like Suits , How to Get Away With Murder, Partner Track … the basics. (Or don’t. Suits is NINE SEASONS LONG. I’m not watching that ever.)

6. Spend time with loved ones: Build your law school merch wardrobe so you can impress your entire extended family at every holiday. Not only will you look great, but you’ll also guarantee that whenever a family member or one of their friends has an even remotely legal problem, they will come to you no matter how many times you tell them you’re still a student and can’t actually give legal advice yet.

12. Be prepared for exams: You know how people always say to start outlining about a month before finals? Actually do that. Learn from your (read: my) mistakes, and don’t leave it too late.

13. On that note, find your study spot: Claim your territory with that one chair at that one table in that one corner of the library. Maybe if you spend enough time there, you’ll adversely possess it in 10 years. (I know that’s not how it works but please let me have this one.)

14. Be a tourist in our own city: For example, head over to the ROM. For culture. And history. But also because it seems a little sad to not go when it’s right next door. It’s a little sadder when you learn that students get free admission on Tuesdays if you have your student ID. History is wasted on us.

15. Network: Hit 500+ LinkedIn connections full of people you only barely know, claim your pseudo-influencer title, and move on with your life.

16. Be more efficient: Productivity gurus will tell you not to multitask because of your reduced attention span and ability to focus, but I’m telling you that I wrote this list during class and still took decent class notes, so do with that what you will.

17. Hang in there: For all our doomsaying and complaining and venting, we’ve all made it this far, and we’ll make it farther. We’ve got this!

How to Plan a Valentine’s Day Date Study room for two?

AMY KWONG (2L)

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and with it comes the annual panic over planning a special date for you and your significant other. Restaurant reservations are filling up, and you barely have time to finish your readings, let alone figure out a night on the town. Well, fret no more, because I am about to introduce you to the hottest, most exclusive spot in the city: the Bora Laskin Law Library. Follow these easy steps to set up a romantic date to woo that lovely law student you’ve had your eye on for a Valentine’s Day they’ll never forget.

The Venue: Set yourself up for success. Create an intimate atmosphere by booking a study room for a little private time. Flex the minuscule planning skills you have by booking a 12:30–2pm slot before they fill up. For the freaks out there, book 9–11pm for the thrill of being the last ones around.

The Décor: It’s a bad idea to bring candles, but don’t worry—a sun lamp borrowed from the circulation desk will light up the room just as well. Before your date arrives, build them a laptop stand from hardcover law reviews so they don’t have to hunch over their computer screen. Clearly, you’re a thoughtful partner who cares about their ergonomic health.

The Gift: Flowers are so cliché. Surprise your date by giving them a copy of the Income Tax Act. “The 3,000 pages represent my voluminous love for you!”

Don’t tell them it’s available for free in the Bookstore or that you would rather LP every class than go into tax law.

The Food: You could hope there’s an event going on and attempt to scrounge up a meal out of leftover snacks. You could bring a frozen microwave meal to school and heat it up in the kitchenette. You could eat granola bars you’ve been keeping in your locker since the beginning of 1L. You could drink coffee/tea and claim you’re suddenly really concerned about following the rule against food in the library. The possibilities are endless.

The Conversation: LSSEP interview offers come out on Valentine's Day, but DO NOT talk about them. You can do better than that (I know you won’t, but you could ). Focus on nicer things, like the cute dogs on the Back Lawn or how the blue light of the sun lamp makes your date’s complexion glow.

The Activity: This started as a date idea, but let’s be real—both of you will spend the next two hours studying. But that can be romantic too! Your dedication to each other is rivalled only by your dedication to law school. After all, the couple that studies together competes for a partner-track Bay Street Big Law LLP job together. And that’s the real meaning of romance.

CREDIT: JENNIFER SUN

Historical Grade Release Dates and Times

It’s a waiting game

AMY KWONG (2L)

Every semester, a few weeks after the exam season, the law school starts buzzing with The Question The questioning starts shyly, tentatively, as if no one wants to be the first to break the unspoken promise not to talk about exams after finals season is over. It grows louder as recruit deadlines and application due dates draw nearer. By the third week of January/May, the questions reach a fever pitch as everyone wants to know: “When are grades coming out?”

Rumours start flying, whispered tales of when grades were released in previous years, passed on from upper-year students. Some unknown person has done some questionable math and swears that grades will be out sometime in the next week. Brave but very anxious souls reach out to SF, Records, the IT people who set up Zoom before every class—anyone who could possibly shed some light on when the elusive

data will be posted to ACORN. Those fools—they don’t yet know that admin is all-powerful, and we are but mere mortals at the mercy of their unknowable timelines.

Fret not, dear readers. I am putting the rumours to rest, once and for all. I have compiled historical data of when grades are released in this handy-dandy chart for future generations. Unfortunately, I did not find any rhyme or reason to the grade release, but perhaps brighter minds in the law school can make better sense of the information—the LSAT is a test of pattern recognition, after all.

Does this information help predict grade releases in any way? Probably not. But does it somehow make us feel better to know? Strangely, yes. So go forth, and do with this information what you will. Or don’t— stressing about something so far out of our control can’t possibly be good for us.

Point/Counterpoint

ChatGPT on whether you should go to law school

CHATGPT (0L)

Point: You should go to

law school

Going to law school can be a rewarding and fulfilling career choice for many people. There are several reasons why someone might choose to pursue a law degree, including the desire to help others, the opportunity to work in a challenging and dynamic field, and the potential for a high-paying and respected career.

One of the main reasons why people go to law school is because they want to help others. Lawyers have the ability to advocate for their clients and fight for justice on their behalf. They can help people navigate the legal system, protect their rights, and ensure that they are treated fairly. Whether you are interested in criminal law, family law, or civil rights law, a career in the legal field can provide you with the opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives.

Another reason why people go to law school is because they enjoy the challenge and dynamic nature of the field. Law is constantly evolving, and lawyers must stay informed about new laws and court decisions in order to provide the best representation for their clients. Additionally, lawyers must be able to think critically, analyze complex information, and present a persuasive argument. The ability to think on your feet and adapt to new situations is an essential skill for lawyers.

In addition to the personal fulfillment and challenge, pursuing a law degree can also lead to a highpaying and respected career. Lawyers are often wellcompensated for their work, and many law graduates go on to work at prestigious law firms or in high-level positions in government or corporations. Furthermore, a law degree is also a versatile degree that can open doors to many different career paths. Lawyers can work in law firms, in-house counsel, as a judge, or

even in politics or business.

Another benefit of law school is that it provides students with a broad range of knowledge and skills. Students will learn about legal research, writing, and analysis, as well as the ins and outs of the court system. They will also gain an understanding of the various areas of law, such as contracts, torts, and criminal law. Additionally, many law schools offer courses that focus on specific areas of law, such as tax law, intellectual property law, or environmental law. This allows students to explore their interests and find the area of law that aligns best with their career goals.

It's also worth noting that the legal field is a diverse one, with a wide range of specializations, and the demand for lawyers is always high. There are many different types of law, such as criminal law, family law, corporate law, and environmental law, and many different areas of practice, such as litigation, contracts, and real estate. Additionally, the need for legal services is not limited to any one region, making it easy for graduates to find opportunities all over the world.

In conclusion, going to law school can be a rewarding and fulfilling career choice for many people. Whether you want to help others, work in a challenging and dynamic field, or pursue a high-paying and respected career, a law degree can open many doors. Additionally, the legal field is diverse and in-demand, making it a versatile degree that can lead to many different career paths. If you have an interest in the legal field, it may be worth considering law school as an option.

Counterpoint: You should not go to law school

While law school can be a fulfilling and respected career choice for some, it may not be the right path for

everyone. There are several reasons why someone might choose not to pursue a law degree, including the high cost of tuition, the intense competition for jobs, and the potential for dissatisfaction with the work.

One of the main reasons why people may choose not to go to law school is because of the high cost of tuition. Law school is one of the most expensive graduate programs, with average tuition costs reaching upwards of $50,000 per year. While scholarships and grants are available, they are often limited and highly competitive. Additionally, law students often take on significant debt in order to finance their education, which can be difficult to repay after graduation.

Another reason why people may choose not to go to law school is because of the intense competition for jobs. The job market for lawyers is highly competitive, with many new graduates struggling to find employment. According to the American Bar Association, in 2021, the unemployment rate for new law school graduates was around nine percent. This means that for every 100 law graduates, only around 91 were able to secure employment as a lawyer. Furthermore, the job market has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, making it even more challenging for new law graduates to find employment.

Additionally, the nature of the work can be a deterrent for some people. The practice of law can be stressful and demanding, requiring long hours and a high level of dedication. Many lawyers work long hours and have to deal with high stress and pressure. Furthermore, the work can be repetitive and not as fulfilling as some people expect it to be. A career in law may not be as glamorous or exciting as it is sometimes portrayed in the media.

Another factor to consider is the availability of alter-

native routes to practice law. Many states now offer a "paralegal" certification that allows individuals to work in law firms and other legal settings, but with a smaller salary and fewer advancement opportunities. This can be a more affordable and less competitive path to enter the legal field, but it is not a lawyer.

Furthermore, many people who go to law school do not end up practicing law. A law degree is a versatile degree that can open doors to many different career paths, but not all of them are related to the practice of law. For example, many law graduates go on to work in government, business, or politics, where their legal knowledge and skills can be useful, but not necessarily required. For someone who wants to pursue a career outside of the legal field, going to law school may not be the best choice.

In conclusion, while law school can be a fulfilling and respected career choice for some, it may not be the right path for everyone. The high cost of tuition, the intense competition for jobs, and the potential for dissatisfaction with the work are all factors that should be considered before deciding to go to law school. Additionally, there are alternative routes to enter the legal field, and many people who go to law school end up pursuing careers outside of the legal field. It's important to weigh the pros and cons of law school and think carefully about whether it's the right choice for you.

Editor’s Note: This text was generated by GPT-3, OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model. Ultra Vires takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this article (but please don’t sue us).

The Definitive Assessment of Law School Study Spaces

CHERNOS (3L) AND ALISHA KRISHNA (3L)

Can’t stand to look at your favourite study space after fall term? Have no fear. We’ve compiled a list of all the best study spaces at the law school to aid your brave exploration of places to sit and pretend to do your readings. Are we biased? Absolutely.

The Fishbowl™

What else is there to say about this glass tank of misery that hasn’t already been said? Although it might be the only place in the library that gets natural light, this is not the place for sunny attitudes. The quiet pools of the room are home to schools of scholarly fry, heavily focused on the task at hand, consuming as much knowledge as humanly possible at the last possible moment, late into the night. Be wary about making any noise and attracting attention to yourself. These fish may not be carnivorous, but they’re certainly competitive and ready to snap.

Rating: 2 stars (points docked for the weird buzzing caused by the heating system)

The Beach

Who said the Beach needs to be a relaxing place? Located directly behind the Fishbowl™, this area has played host to many sessions of communal suffering just before the written work deadline. Come stress together, share snacks, and learn that everyone in your Advanced Constitutional Law Seminar had the brilliant and original idea of writing about proportionality. You may be able to absorb some wisdom from the many stacks of historical legislation that loom over the space. If you’re lucky, you may even meet a rodent eager to Ratatouille you through your cold calls.

Rating: 4 stars (exhausted camaraderie is its own kind of special)

The Grotto

This is the basement stacks of the library and contains all the books you might actually need. It’s full of quiet cubicles and home to an elevator shaft that these writers have definitely never used to make a quick private phone call (thank you, remote DLS). You see it on your way to class. People are inside, but you can never find the entrance. We’re not going to tell you where it is. Finding those doors is its own journey that every law student needs to undertake on their own.

Rating: 4.5 stars (for secrecy)

The Eagle’s Nest

Climb the stairs of the library and gaze down upon the poor chum in the Fishbowl™. Up here, no one can touch you. The air is cool and crisp. The bathroom wait times are shorter. Sometimes everyone plays a fun game of musical chairs with seating from the Cabins—see below. You may one day find yourself lucky enough to bask in the beautiful, revolving, cushioned wonderfulness. The cons? Etiquette dictates that sometimes people must chat with each other up here. We don’t make the rules. Also, did we mention you have to climb stairs?

Rating: 3 stars (our legs are tired)

The Deck

As you stroll into the library, enjoy the sights of the rows of computer monitors and standing desks available for the pleasure of your back and eyesight. This is a place for extroverts and influencers—those who want to see and be seen chatting with everyone

who steps foot in the space. The lack of working room on the desks can be offset by the stress-filled conversations you overhear. Of course, this is law school, so there’s never a space without intellectual tension. While it might be the hotbed of the social scene, this is also the place for students so serious that they need an entirely different screen to streamline the legal research process.

Rating: 1 star (bad for concentration)

The Cabins

Everyone knows the study rooms have the best chairs. Sometimes you can watch the dogs play on the back lawn and remember that one day you may also feel joy again. The ones downstairs feature fun whiteboards where you can work problems out with your friends. But on the other hand, you may never manage to actually book these pieces of prime real estate. Who needs peer engagement anyways?

Rating: 5 stars (but the stress of booking will weigh on you)

The Rowell Room

Once the solarium for the Flavelle family, the Rowell Room is now the best spot to grab a coffee in the mornings or eat lunch with friends. If you’re here on Saturdays, you may even be lucky enough to watch (and hear!) Freedom Convoy protestors horribly misinterpret the Charter.

Rating: 1 star (one time a colony of ants climbed into Naomi’s backpack and rode home with her on her bike, and she’s never quite recovered)

The Dungeon

Buried in the depths of Falconer Hall, there are two rooms in the basement that appear to be completely empty (one is rumoured to have housed the law school bookstore, the other looks like they removed the fireplace that once acted as the heating system and is impeccably spooky). This is the #1 study space if you want (a) solitude (there will never be another person here) and (b) ghosts (some are known as the lovely UV editors). You will have to sit on the concrete floor, since there is no furniture here. Or, bring friends and adopt a BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) system. No matter what you do, the benefits are immeasurably significant: the SNAILS will never find you here.

Rating: 10 stars (the law school obviously needs more haunting)

Emmanuel College

If the SNAILS can come here, we can go to them. Fair is fair. Any undergrad library will do, but Emmanuel College cannot be beat for proximity (it’s right across University Avenue, tucked in Victoria College) and features atmospheric stained glass windows, dark wooden furniture, and old desks. Though it is a bit tricky to find, it has the benefit of containing no people studying for the same exam as you.

By the same token, we’d also endorse the more modern E.J. Pratt. Stop at Caffiends in Old Vic for a coffee before facing the energy of stressed-out undergrads.

Bring your largest textbook. Remember, you are the superior intellectual specimen. They’ve never even heard of estoppel.

Rating: 2 stars (the SNAILs are onto something)

NAOMI

THE FISHBOWL™. CREDIT: JACQUELINE HUANG

THE BEACH. CREDIT: ALISHA KRISHNA AND NAOMI

CHERNOS

THE DUNGEON. CREDIT: ALISHA KRISHNA AND NAOMI CHERNOS

THE DECK. CREDIT: ALISHA KRISHNA AND NAOMI

CHERNOS THE ROWELL ROOM. CREDIT: ALISHA KRISHNA AND NAOMI CHERNOS

The Sorting Hat Comes to the Faculty of Law

Which House do your beloved professors belong to?

FIEVEL LIM (2L)

Ravenclaw

Of course, it is unsurprising that U of T professors would end up here, known as they are for their love of the pursuit of knowledge. Full of interesting facts and an unending thirst for the law, the legal wiz(ards) are:

• Professor L. Katz

• Professor K. Roach

• Professor D. Schneiderman

Hufflepuff

They’re famous for being trustworthy and hardworking, but we all know and appreciate them for their boundless love for students and endless support throughout our studies:

• Professor P. Benson

• Professor M. Shaffer

• Professor B. Cossman

Gryffindor

Some of the brightest minds come from this house, and they are also often known

Ultra Vires Presents: Blush

The official workday playlist for Cupid, Venus & Eros LLP

for their courage and steadfastness. Perhaps they also suffer from a little bit of main character syndrome…?

• Professor J. Phillips

• Professor A. Niblett

• Professor Y. Dawood

Slytherin

Ambitious, shrewd, and always one step ahead—it is unsurprising that these are also professors destined for greatness. What prophecies await for those who follow?

• Professor E. Iacobucci

• Professor M. Fadel

• Professor C. Essert

Editor’s note: These are all rebuttable presumptions put forth by the author. UV encourages any professor (mentioned here or not) to forward us their House-sorting quiz results, so that we may have a more accurate representation in our next article. Mischief managed!

Second semester has started, so let’s make it a sweet one. Love is in the air—but romance isn’t all that’s around us. Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love in all its forms: romance, heartbreak, and the selfish kind. Listen to some iconic and underrated love songs from the 1960s to the 2020s across a range of genres to accompany this lovely time of year. Featuring tracks by Ella Fitzgerald, Orville Peck, Boyz II Men, dvsn, and more!

Explore | Engage | Learn Developing Future Leaders in Law

EMILY CHU (1L)

The Ultra Vires Crossword

“Date Night Movies”

RONAN MALLOVY (2L/MA ENGLISH)

Cynical

Breeding stallion

Design detail, for short

Kalamata or Castelvetrano

Animal rights grp.

Rice-shaped pasta

Censor on-air

Paper quantity

Cross (a stream)

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck (1953)

Canadian courier company

"He that is without ___ among you, let him first cast a stone." (John 8:7)

U.S. spy agency

Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts (1999)

Porcine animal

Paint the town, say

Solo head-to-head

Commercial prefix to mobile

Makes a "Top 10" list

Third northernmost national capital

Hybrid offensive position in football

Bustling

Home for a 32-Across

John Cusack and Ione Skye (1989)

You can make a meal out of it

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (2004)

Drug enforcement officer, slangily

Parrot species

"Thank You" singer

Rounds, for short

Impoverished urban settlement

Litigator's favourite pastry?

Bank heist, maybe

Nothing's counterpart

"The", to Hans

At any time

Silt layer

U.S. state whose population is 55 percent

Eponym for a parable about the perils of power

Actor Miller at the centre of numerous

Juno (2007) screenwriter Diablo

Hawaiian Disney protagonist

Maker of the first four-wheel-drive car

Sign (a deal)

Sticky note brand

Like most modern roller skates

Person second in line to the British throne

Collides from behind

At all

Bygone Russian ruler

Word preceding "queen", in modern parlance

Words to live by

Early software version

It can be oral or written

Tofu variety

Canadian outdoor gear company

Lahore language

Root vegetable sometimes made into chips

Violent canine

Animal that can carry 50 times its own bodyweight

Tiny, to a Scot

How should I describe my experience in the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition? I think Justice Mahmud Jamal’s speech at the Canadian National Rounds’ opening ceremony describes it perfectly. He said that people would certainly regret signing up for the Jessup while they struggled to complete their memorials (equivalent to a factum for other moots). I fully agree with that, as I remember those late nights where I was looking into numerous sources and rephrasing my messy arguments, thinking about why I decided to do the Jessup. But Justice Jamal also talked about how joyful and rewarding his experience was at the competition. I agree; my mooting experience was indeed the biggest

highlight of my time in law school.

The Jessup simulates a dispute between two fictional countries before the International Court of Justice. This year, the problem concerned an independence referendum taking place in the Sutha province of Antara. A pro-independence group, allegedly supported by Ravaria, operated a botnet that facilitated the spread of misinformation. Being able to explore the application of international law in cyberspace was very exciting, as there were many novel questions that did not have concrete answers. I was responsible for the issues concerning Antara’s order to ban a prominent pro-independence professor from a popular social media platform, as well as Antara’s intrusion into Ravarian computer

U OF T LAW’S JESSUP TEAM. PICTURED (LEFT-RIGHT) MISHAIL ADEEL (2L), SEEMA SIDHU (3L), AND JONATHAN HOU (3L). CREDIT: MAUREEN WHELTON