Ultra Vires Vol 11 Issue 3: 2009 November by Ultra Vires

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF LAW

ULTRA VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1

VIRES

WWW. ULTRAVIRES.CA

Final financial aid assessments draw ire of first-year students

November 25, 2009

Annual SLS Halloween Party a hit

BY t'r·s·,/\11 1\ group of angry first-year students arc challenging the I·acuity of Law on its financial aid pohciCs, claiming that they have been tricked into making a "maJor life choice" based on prodsional financial aid assess mcnts that turned out to be vastly different from the final awards they ended up receiving. The student leading the charge recent!); via email, invited first-years who had had their financial aid appeals reJected to meet to discuss their concerns 0\·er the discrepancies. According to that email, there were cases where S15,000 of bursary money was revoked. The meeting was conn:ncd on 1\.m·ember 17, with a handful of first-years and five SL,.I) representatives in attendance. The student~ expressed frustration at having been "misled"- each of them found that the decrease in bursary amount between their provisional and final assessments wasn't proportionate to any decrease in their unmet need, mean ing a small drop in unmet need resulted in a huge drop in financing. There was also a concern that the stated basis of the "provisionality" of the assessments is misleading. The letter accompanying the provisional assessment stipulates that the assessment may change based on personal factors like summer earnings, loans, and awards, but it docs not indicate that it may change based on the relative need of other students. The "fn,ed pot" nature of the system is not mentioned until the final assessment letter. There is also no mention of the slidtng scale that gi,·es a full bursar) to students with an unmet need CONTINUED at page 5

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INDEX • LEGAL AID BOYCOTT... P.3 • R. V. GRANT..... P.6 • RECRUITMENT SPREAD..... P.8 • HALLOWEEN PICTURES ..... P.12

.. I I I I I I I I I I I I I

. __________ .. • ARAR V. ASHCROFT.....P.1 8

• UV EATS (BURGERSI) ..... P.21

For more pictures from the SLS Halloween Party, see the centre spread .

Interview with the Dean BY TI:\A YA:\G

As part of our first 1ssue of the year, UI "sat down with Dean Mayo Moran to d1scuss some prcsstng issues the law school is facing, where we're heading for the future, and how the dollars and cents all break down. Here's a summary of what she told us. Tuition & financial aid Providing a top-calibre legal education is expensive. In particular, our higher tuition levels arc largely motivated by student-centred initiati\·es: a low student-faculty ratio, a well-staffed career centre, legal clinics, workshops, etc.. These arc labour-intensive, and therefore, cost-intensive. The basic idea that we operate with is that the cost of a professional degree is shared between students (via ru1tion), the government, and other sources. Within that costsharing model, we do set aside a significant amount of tuition revenue for financial aid. We're also looking for for \\.'a)'S to create other income streams to help diversify sources of aid. Our financial aid program is still the

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most robust in the country and is, un- celled job talks, limited hiring, didn't eslike most law schools, completely need- tablish new salary lines for professors, based. We arc constantly trying to work and focused resources on things which with student issues regarding the fman- students need especially right now Qike cial aid program. Issues like defining moving funding from conferences to 'need', parental deeming, splitting re- research assistantships). sources between front-end and backThis year will still be bumpy, and we end aid, arc hard questions. But when will have to be careful, but overall, I students raise issues, we do take them think we're in good shape. The Universeriously. In the end, a very sigmficant sity is going to be paying out part of number of our students receive fman the endowment this year, and they've cial aid. It's resulted in very socio-eco- also been trying to help fill funding nomically di,·ersc classes at the law holes in other ways. As well, we've school, as well as di,·erse post-graduate been working on diversifying revenue career choices. sources - for example, the establishment of the new executive legal educaT he recession tion program. \Xe hope our efforts The recession has certainly had a big have minimized the tmpact on srudents. impact on the law school. About 12 per cent of our budget from the Uni- Career prospects versity's endowment wasn't received It's Important to note that overall stulast year. In trying to manage the ef- dent employment numbers are still very fects of the recession, we were very good. The CDO has been keeping a keen to make sure we weren't saddling close eye on student hiring, and the the law school with debt. The big costs number of students who have articles is are the human costs, and we've put in prettv well the same as it \\'aS last year. measures to manage those: we canCONTINUED at page 5

Legal Aid boycott ~rags on as new funding falls short of mark

On U V's return

BY JOSI

'Ji)·in._~ lo dr/er111ine what is goinj, 011 in the ll'orld 1!f readu~g nell'spapers is like tryil~l!, lo If// the tin1r i?J Imtchil~l!, thr second hand of a dock. -Ben I kcht

The \"lllue of newspapers, or lack thereof, has .tlways been a contrm·ersial topic. George Orwell famously stated, "Early in life I had noticed that no ewnt is e\'er correctly reported in a newspaper." lbomas Jefferson declared that "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspa· pcrs." Yet, lt's nt:\·cr been denied th:tt newspapers have power. ~apoleon allegedly once proclaimed, "Four.hostile newsp:tpers art: more to be feared than a thousand bayonets." It is not, here at Ultra f 'irrs IIQ, ofiicial policy to strike fear into people's ht:arts, although a little shock and awe probably couldn't hurt our readership. Our mandate 1s frurly simple: to print things that people in the law school community might c:tre :tbout- whether it's dissatJsfaction with financial aid polic1es, summer student hiring, the Supreme Court o\·erhauling s. 24(2), or even just where to get the best coffee and burgers around the law school as you gear up for exams. \\'e can't, and don't, cover e\ er~ thing. But we'ye tried to create a product that covers Important ideas - to make some things about law school and the l:tw a little clearer, to make you think, and to perhaps make you laugh once or twice. A number of circumstances (dissatisfaction, inertia, and apathy- mostly apathy) resulted in ( 1/tra I 'ires closing up lihop early bst year, and betng unable to resume until this issue. But despite the circumstances militating against it, this reYi\-al of the newspaper wa~ somewhat ine,·itable. The law school is an almost uniquely insular community. ~\s we spend so much of our time 1n these same two buildin~, with the same people, grappling with the same institutions and ideas, it is \o~cal that we'd need some form of outlet to cxp\on: our co\\ective issues, to gain some additional pcrspccuve from each other, and to laugh together over those lame law school jokes -if only because our non-law friends and tiuni/~ no longer care about 11/l'II.J I'M, poison pills, the .'\ l!·TA, or the justiciability of the 1--.yoto Protocol. And they definitely don't care about Grounds of i\ppeal's sandwiches, the bathrooms, uncomfortable chairs in Bora, having to play non-web·based games during class in the l\ICR....and haYe we mentioned the bathrooms? One final quotation, from Arthur Miller: 'i\ good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talktng to itself." This newspaper is moti\'ated, organised, and \vrittcn b\ law students, to speak to other law students- and that's why we fought to rcYive tt \\t think that this newspaper is a necessary tool for this community to talk to Itself about the things that matter here. Because we need an outlet. And because people wouldn't stop harassing us about tt in the hallways. The ,·aluc of this new UV will be in the conversations it sparks between members of this community, the knowledge passed between us, and the shared opintons which wtll help us get to know one anoth~:r better.

ULTRA VIRES is the student newspaper of the Faculty of Law at the Unh·crsity of Toronto.

E ditor- In - Chief News E ditor Opinion and E ditorial Features Diversions Produc tion and Copy Business M anager Ad M anager

Tina Yang Jclena \'lacic t\aron Christoff 1\brar II Ut) Cassandra Florio Andrea Kim ! ..aura l .am Robtn Elliott

Communications Centre, Falconer llall 84 Queens Park Crescent, T<m>nto 01\ \ISS 2C5 ultra. Yircs@utoronto.ca (416) 946 ""684

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IIH II •R (3L)

The Legal Aid Boycott, now in its sixth While the present $97.00-an·hour tarmonth, shows no signs of letting up. If iff mar seem adequate.to the outside obanything, it's gathering steam, with server, much of the fee is lost on members of the Mental J lcalth Bar re- overhead, estimates frank Miller, Presicently joining defence counsel in their dent of the CLA's \X mdsor chapter. refusal to take on legal rud cases. '\s the "The lawyer has to pa} a secretary, rent crtsts drags on and affects more and and utilities. There's subscriptions to more of Ontario's liil!E;;;==> onl.tne research tools most vulnerable, it "IT IS F.SSFMI \L Til n THERE like Qukkbw ai is sensible to keep IS BALAN( h l'o OUR ADVI .RSAR$3,000 a ) car, malabreast of some " " . . practJcc msurancc at IAL SYSTI .M.... Tl !I~ PRI .SLNT $ OOO d . Boycott Bastes. 5, , man atory 1I· FUNDING 01 TilE LEC.AL AID censing fees, staWhat's it all T\RIFF LNDI~RMI!\.LS TilE ABILtionery costs, phone

L'lW)·crs J\ssociation, on<: of the first or· era! Chris Bentley announced an addiganizations to throw its support behinu tional investment o f S 1SO miWo n over the initiati\'e to increase legal aid rates. four years in Legal Aid O n tario. \X'hile "[F]or our criminal justice system to the cash infusion has been touted by the work both effcctivclr and fairly," wrote AG as the prm-incc's largest inYesrmcnt Thomas Hewitt, the President of the in LAO since its inceptio n, cncics are OC -\.\, "it is essential that there is bal- quick to point out the funding IS carance m our adversarial system." "The marked for clinics, a "big case m anagepresent funding of the legal aid tariff ment office", and famil y law cases, with undcrmmes the ability of the defence little, if any, of the money being directed bar to perform their vital role," added towards fundtng criminal counsel. " In I lewttt. real terms, the proposed increase to the Ontario law professors have also spo· budget might be as little as 10% or even ken out, with a group of professors zero," said Addario. about? ~TYOF THL DLI'I l\CE B.\R~O bills, office cqutp sending an "open letter" to the Attorney Addario added that, rather than recMoney. "The legal PERFORM Tl II .IR VIT-\1 ROLl." ment and other over General "endorstng the current cam- ognize that "the system is broken", the aid program has head. Even if the} pruhm" and decrying the "chronically go\'crnment has instead begun to put on!} been able to share office space under-funded legal aid system". Even out cases to tender and offer lawyers operate for the last two decades through and staff to cut costs, defence lawyers judges have joined the fray, ordering that S5,000 apiece to 'break' the boycott. the donated ser\'tccs of defence coun· are left making $75,000 a year before lawyers in individual cases be paid twice "They would rather waste millions on insel," writes Frank Addario, President of taxes for a job with no pensiOn, life in- the legal aid rate, and, in one case - R. t•. quiries and fact-Ending reports which the Criminal Lawyers Association surance, maternity leaves or health ben- U7htlan - stating on the record that they ignore-and hundteds of thou"{t)hc \ega\ aid rate b not fair and rea- sands mnrc on ad.,ert\s\ng, t:ra.,c\ ex· (CLA). "The low level of funding has efits." ~eno:~cs, and ':li.~i.ng, O<)nuscs~' also resulted in an exodus of experiIn contrast, an assistant Crown Attor- sonable." cnccd criminal defence lawyers, deterio- nc) can make up to $188,000 a year, w\th ration in the expertise and quality of government pensions, benefit plans, and The AG' s respon se: "cash infusions" IP'ii/J rt:J;.rnli't' /o <Jrl'irkJfivPY The Glol>e legal aid counsel, and an increased risk no o\·crhcad. The disparity m funding a nd " s trike-breake r b o nuses" and .\(.til emdThe \\'incisor Swr. On September 9, 2009, . \ttorncy Gt:n· of wrongful convictions." has nor been Josr on rhe Ontario Crown

uv Wants YOU ~ ~

to w rite for us! For more information, contact ultra.v:ires(ti.;utoronto.ca, o r drop by our office in the basement o f Falconer.

Reflections on the Grand Moot BY KRISTI:.." POII.OCK (3L)

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Contributors Aaron Christoff, Cassandra rlorio, h.ara llardin,Joseph Heller, Abrar H ug, Stephen Hutchinson, Pei Lt, '\Jaomi Lutes, \manda .Mch'in, Dan \Ioore, Laura Pi<..tcrson, 1-..mtcn Pollock, \nme Pyke, Kann Sachar, Samantha Seabroo k, Shlo mit Shal1t, St<.:\·en Slavens, Cizan Suhm~n. Isaac 'I:tng, I~rK Turkiemcz, Samantha Wu, Tina Yang, Christopher Yung

Ultra l ~ires is an editorially autonomous newspaper. \\c arc open to co ntributions \Vhich reflect diYersc points of Yie-w, and our contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the Faculty of Law, the Students' Law Society (SLS) , or the editorial board. We welcome contributions from students, faculty, and other interested persons wtthin the law school community. Ultra Vires reserves the right to cdtt contributions for lcnj.,tth and content. A(h·ertistng inquiries should be sent to the attention of the ad manager at ultra. \'ires@utoronto.ca. The next issue will be published on January 26, 2010 and the deadline for sub· missions is January 21, 2010. The submission limit is 850 words.

For most students, the (,rand Moot begins and ends in a day. ror the Grand \;looters, the process started last year, with audioons in front of an inumidating panel that mcludcd former Grand :\-footers and Professor Code (as he then was). As it turned out, that would not be our last appearance in front of everyone's fayounte newly-appointed Justice. One of our first acts as newly ~elected Grand Mooters was to hold ourselves a pool part} and discuss all things mo~>t ing. At that moment, it s~cmcd hke mooting would involve nothmg but fun and baked goods. J\S the end of summer got closer, however, and our meetings got more frequent and inYolved less tanning, we all had moments of wonder· ing, Wby did I sign up for Ibis? \'V hen counsel at my summer office asked what l planned to do with my two weeks off between the end of work and the beginning of school, there were more than a few raised eyebrows at my answer: "write a factum.'' Little did they know that my mooting partner planned to write hers on a plane home from

Costa Rica. Fortunately for us, we had the tmaluable assistance of four stu· dents who urclessly researched the law on cvcrythmg from DNA to electronic searches and abandonment. Once run-throughs began, we were quickly reminded that moottng is not for the faint of heart. After testing out our submissions on faculty members, re· drafting our facta several times, and jettisoning more than a few arguments entirely, it finally started to feel like we could rectte each other's submissions ,·erbatim. 5oll, at eYcry run-through, we worried we. hadn't prepared for every possible question, and even wo:sc, that we hadn't incorporated enough JOkes. The day of the moot was a whirlwin~ of photographs and handshakes. \Xc had the chance to meet the judges beforehand, and we took that opportunit}' tO reiterate SC\'Cral times that the bench was not expected to pick a winner. \\'c then made our way to FLwelle, and, in what some would consider a perfect photo op and others a mome~t of slightly bad taste, we had our ptcturc

taken with Justice Laskin beside Bora's

worked, 1 wouldn't have given up the ex· pcricncc. In that moment where we each

I lead. Walking into the packed ~I( R was c very bit as intimidating as expected. \'\e were warned that the robes would be hot, but no one had adequately captured JUSt how much you sweat in those things. The t\.\·cnt} mjnute submissions felt more like twenty seconds, and were helped along by a very knowledgeable bench and a lively audience. 1 wish 1 could remember what I said. After the moot- and following many hugs from friends and family- came the part the mootcrs had been looking forward to most: dinner with the judges. The Honourable Mr. Justice We were not disappointed. The food Michael Code, former Professor at U of T Law and current judge at was amazing and the conversation was the Superior Court of Justice for even better. Justice Code ga\'c a \en Ontario. moving toast to the mooters, and we had the opportunity to thank the Grand \foot organizers properly for all of their felt the rush of answering the bench's first questions, we all remembered, Oh hard work. !\.ot many students get to experience y eab. tbat u.l!J I s~~1red up for Ibis. the Grand l\1oot from the inside, and I feel lucky to haYe done it. Altho ugh at times we were tired, frustrated, and over-

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Life in the ethical woods BY L\LR.\ Pl hri·R~O~ (11.)

\\''hat is it about the month of '"'o ,·ember that turns my 1L eagerness into a dnve to emulate Thoreau? Is it only the utter lack of \vilderness in mv life? · ~laybe it's the restdual taste of the Intensive \\eek that lingers ever on, like g~irlJc sauce after a 3 a.m. !'hav:arma. There were aspects of ln· tensivc \\~eck, like shawarma, that I rca I I y enjoyed: visiting the Law

Ianum, · and cYcn the dingy ladies •

washroom. lt seems e\·erywhcrc a first-year goes there is talk. of these unimportant tests. One cannot escape exam-speak: "How was your llallowcen weekend? I finish~d writing case summaries for four of m\· classes." Dccc.mbcr looms like th~ mast of a \\arship on the horizon. "Oh. That's nice. I spent my weekend starring in a photodocumentarv of G a n g ~ociety, Green." hearing :\fc l; Lind a Keener 0. Rothstein The best speak, my ad> ice I've classm a t c s gotten ts zealously Varied pizza toppings: a key ingredient for lL satisfaction. to make attacking ;\1r. Greenspan, and Lenny time for people and activities I love, 1\bramawicz's stance on legal ethics. It regardless of how many pages of was not unul the Thursday afternoon Constitutional I'm supposed to be that l realized how shawethics week reading. Thts includes making offmade me feel. I had learnt about the campus time for new like-minded law current (un)rcality of both profes- friends. I had been told of fiercely sional ethics and access to justice, and competitive U of T studc.nts, stories I left fairly certain that the situation of "missing" pages from essenttal liwouldn't change any time soon. brary reference books, and refusal<; to \'m nut sure which made me feel share notes for missed classes. Clearly worse - a pane/Jist suggesting our people invent these tales to Jessen the ethics should depend on job security, blow of their Jesser education. M} fclor seeing the employment statistics of low students ha\·c been almost smguthe previous tive graduating classes. I larly friendly and kind. \X'c seem to noted that a grand total of 20 students have resorted more to sisterhood than from those fi,·e years had opted to ar- sabotage. \\'omen I ha,·c barely spotide under the broad umbrella of ken to ha,·e offered to share their "Quasi-governmental, Climes, Public notes with me while waiting to usc the Interest Organizations, L!nions". Jess-than-lovely lavatories. Despite my aversion to stress-monAfter a quick tally of ~tudcnts with plans for a Yariet;• of pubhc interest gers and my reluctance to part with my careers, it became clear that, either my ideals, the m·crall experience has far class ts more selfless than any other in surpassed my expectations. I could go recent history, or more likely, that on for pages about everyone and many students will change their mmds. everything that l like about U of T This is not to say th.at all other areas of law arc, by nature, unethical, but I am troubled confronting the fact that our time here will likely depnve us of our (somewhat idL-alistic) commitment to change. "1\im above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something." - II. D. Thoreau .\laybc my flight impulse is due to those upcoming "practice tests" which, I am reassured by professors and upper years alike, arc not really worth the stress. Objcctivcl); I can understand this concept. These exams don't count. It becomes increasingly difticult, howc\·er, to remain detached w hen classes arc peppered with examrelated questions. If he/she/they arc stressing out, shouldn't I be too? T h e m o re troubhng reminders occur o utside of class: in the library, the rotu nda, the lecture hall.;, the So-

l"aw. I enjoy the availability of endless star·studded panels, symposiums, and workshops to enrich lunch breaks. I like chatting with the same women, after every lhrts, Propcrt;·, Contracts or Cnminal class, in those poorly ventilated \\ashrooms. I \·aluc being surrounded by so many intelligent people. I am enamoured with those meal-sized cookies at Grounds of Appeal. I am proud of myself e\·ery time 1 witness the clostng·timc flickers of the library lights. I truly admire the combmation of passion, brilliance, and approachabiltty that is present in each of my proti.:ssors. I love the way the red iYy on Flavcllc's west side blazes in the late aftern()( ~n sun. .\lost importantly, I couldn't live without my new preference in pizza toppings: broccoli, oli' es, and banana peppers.

ULTRA VIRf .s

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Letter from the President: musings from the Students' Law Society I must preface my thoughts with a l}Utck note- it IS with great pleasure and relief that the SLS sees Ultra l 'iresrunning again this year. Despite that fact that we expect ihe occasional jab from (·von our affairs, a gm·ernment is neYer truly complete without some drama from the media. The SLS this year Is running a tight ship- or, if you are a Lonely Island fan, a boat. On \ffairs, the dictatorship of Chelsea .\Iiller has led to a variety of new e\ents and imprmements to old favourites: 1. CN To\\er climb: Sixteen people 'olumeered tO scale all 144 floors (1776 steps!) of the 1i,wcr, raising over $1400 for the Vnited \X1ay. According to one of the participants, the\\ alk was "like death". The Faculty of Law made an impressi\ e showing, \\ ith all of the participants completing the climb and placing under the 20-minute mark. Pete Blanchard, 1L extraordinain:, had the fastest climb amongst the law students, with a record time of just over 1~minutes. The world record time for the cltmb is held by Brendan Keenoy, an ( >PP ofticer, who clocked in at 7:52 in

I<JlN.

2. SI~S llalloween Part;: 1\s usual, this party came with high expectations. Some of the most impressi\·e costumes included a Green ~tan, a giant l'~O Wild Card, Operatum, and Kim Jong-11. A big thanks to everyone who came out and made this night a huge success. Call to the Bar pub nights: Tlus year, Affatrs managed to persuade the Duke 3. of York to launch 55.50 microbrews on Thursdays. In addttion to the tradtttonal \·enucs ( \ndy Pool Hall, Gracie 0',\Ialley's), other bars and lounges, such as Slacks at 562 Church St., have hosted our weekly celebrations. Suggestions for possible \cnues for the end-of-term celebration and next year's \Cnues arc more than welcome. 4. Clothing Sale: 'l11e clothing sale was another success this year. l..a\\ o;tudents, including many I .L~I and SJ D students, bought hoodics, '!"-shirts, and joggin' pants from Roots 1\thlcttcs. On C.tucus )·our representatives, h:d h\ the stalwart Bruce Rose-- Innes, have fo cuscd on a ,·ariety of advocacy initiadves 1. Reviewing grading and c,·aluation methods: Students have expressed concerns in the past regarding the transparency and consJstenc) of their grades, in both seminar and black letter law classes. ~orne of the tssues we arc reviC'w'ing include the curve (or lack thereof) for 1L winter courses, dtstribunon of grade~ between classes, the merit of a Pass/Fail/Honours system, and inclusion of percentages in addtcion

to letter grades. 2. Advocating for changes to financial aid policies: Although this is a ~ensitin· topic whtch 1s raised almost e\ery year at the school, the SLS intends to push for a rC\·icw of the current system. Due to a combination of factors, including a larger incuming class and a weakened economy, the financial aid system has been exceptionally burdened this year. The Financial 1\id Committee has reviewed a large number of appeals over the past few weeks, and the SI.S intends to follow up on thts ongoing concern. 3. Improving security at the law school: Due to comistcnt concerns from students, the SLS is pushtng for increased aftcr hours and weekend sccurit) measures at our lav. school. The SLS is aware <1f the compcung interests raised by the need to protect ~tudcnts and property, while preserving public access to the uniltue nature of our faolicies and law library. Please keep posted for further de' elopmcnts next term. In addition to the above, we have continued to help run the 1L Orientation sessiom (Survival Strategies and Cxam Tip~) with the aid of many upper-) car volunteers. Other inltlath"es at the school, including the Peer ~Ien torship Program, .\len-ember, and the \\'bite Rtbbon Campai,L,rn. ha\ c all Slacks was a refreshing change of atmos\\Orked with the SI.S in some capaoty. phere for many students who wanted a \s this term ts coming tn a close, I break from their usual hangouts and those want to highlight a fe\\· of the goals the who wanted to get their dance on (which anyone who attended will tell you they SLS has for next term: must certainly did). CONTINUED at page 5

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'\ OVE~IBER

25, 2009

1\1 \\1$

President's letter - from page 4 1. 2.

Cpdate the SLS website, which is currently still dated 1982. Soundly trounce Osgoode in basketball (yet again) at the Black & Blue ( harity Tip-Off tournament. Kent Roach will be missed. 3. The rebirth of \ssassins, with more spoons and \'enn diagrams. 4. Change the name of "Flavelle House" to "Hogwarts School of \X'ttchcraft and Wizardry". 5. Move Law Games to Saskatchewan. On a more serious note, we arc very open to ideas and comments from Jaw stu dent~.. For club leaders and executives, we are more than happy to work with you on JOint events. Feel free to contact us at any time through e· mat! (sls:law@utoronto.ca), or to drop by our office (right under the Rowell Room), which currently feels like a sauna. President Office hours are currently held between 11:30-12:30 on Mondays, and our Caucus and Affairs meetings (held Monday and Tuesday, respectively, from 12:30-2:00) are open to the public Just make sure to bring your tO\\.·el. I'm not kidding. It's getting hot in here.

Dean interview - from page 1 In fact, we actually ha\'C more students going to government positions than \\ e've ad bcf~>re. We've been working on encouraging alternatives to pri,·atc practice for a long ttme. For example, wc\c tried to reach out to pro bono organisations, and small firm~ doing human rights work, family law, etc.. The main cl1allenge is that there arc s1mply so few jobs available because it's such an underfunded sector and . that a law school can fix. ' t I1at'~ not somethmg

State of the law school; new directions

Financial aid - from page 1

~reater than their tuition, which results in a steep d ifference 111 bursar}

encitlcmcn

for students once their ~nmet need falls below the le\·cl of tuitio n . SI..S repn:sentative Cassandra Florio explained that this year was a 'perfect storm >f several factors, including a lack of payout on the universit} endo wmen t (a large ~ource of financtal atd funding) and increased student need as a result of the ceo omic downturn. She noted that the D ean's office has taken extrao rdinary m easure<; to in an attempt to matntain near-normal levels of financial aid, b ut tha t the circumtances rendered some decrease in available funds all but inevitable. Flo rio acknowl ·dged that there is often misundcrstandtng on the part of incoming students as t< he role of the provisional assessments, but highlighted the SISs attempt this yea to clarify expectations around the "fixed pot" system in a one-page summary of frc uently misunderstood financial aid issues, included at the front of the m o re co m rchensive financial aid booklet. Although some of the students appreciated that the issue was being acknowledged nd that financial aid policies would be examined, they specifically wanted their current situations addressed. One student claimed that the financial aid as~essment contituted a sort of contract between the student and the school, wherebv student ade the decision to attend U of T (and forego other opportunities), i; exchang for a given level of aid, and that the school is not holding up its end o f the barg ain . fIe also complatned that it is unacceptable that the final assessments come o tu twc months into the school year, when students no longer have a practicable choice abou :vhcre to attend. At least one student wanted an apology for being misled, and o n f them announced that s/he was "not going to stand by and let this happen". The students were receptive to SLS \'icc-President Bruce Rose-Innes' proposal that they address their concerns tn a letter to Dean ~foran and Asststant Dean Arch old, but by the meeting's conclusion, at k-ast some were considering mking thci ·omplaint to various media outlets, or C\·en obtaining legal advice regarding a possibk . ction against the law school. The Financial Aid Office could not be rcachL-d for comment before this article :vent to press.

Many of the new initiatives \\C set up in the last few years have been flourishing. '1(J follow up on last year's launch, the Asper Centre for Consntuttonal Rtghts has had a gn..-at first year. The Centre recently held a big symposium on intcr-..cntions, and is actuall} inten·enmg in the Khadr and Conway cases. Clearly, these arc great cases to be participating in, and students have been telling me that they were hungf") for opportunities to work on these amazing cases. \\'e were \ef")·lucky to rccche such a huge gift, and to ha,·c such a high-calibre lav.•ycr \Cheryl Milne\ take over the di- the dcsi~n from an arch\tccturn.\ mfldc\ to ac;tua\ 'lChcmanc dc~\gno;, wn\cn Me tc-;,(.\'j \o rectorship. In the ncar future, we'd like to set up \\orking groups and other related ~o to tender. \.'<"c a\so worked with the umvc:U.\t'j to rake caTc. o\ -z.nn\n\!,, ana we nac..\ the project mdependently costed (at 35 mi\\ion for construction, ana S5Q m\\\\< n for activities at the Asper Centre. cbc total projt.-ct, including relocation cn~cs, t:-tc.). The scn<~c from our adliiscrs i<~ that '!'here arc a number of different areas where it would be terri tic to see more de vclopment :1t the law school. One such major area is the environment, where legal there arc a Jot of really supporti\ c people our chcrr. We've already bc~:,run \"ISitmg law scholarship can be critically tmpc•rtant, and which is going to be vcrr important firms and indi,,iduals to bring chmc up w speed on what we're doing so they'll be m going foN11rd. Another is international den:lopment, which, ag:tin, ha~ a great role a good po~ition to prodde support as \\ c mm c forw:trd. for lawyers to play- and where Canada has a great role to play in the world. I would also like to direct more attention to Aboriginal issues, where Canada can be a real Final thoughts As Dean, I've really Ieamcd .tlot. Although I had some opcnence working under (forglobal leader, both for our legacy of injustice, and also for other, positive reasons. mer Dean) Ron Daniels, I still had a lot to !cam when I stepped into hts shoes, and although I've made a lot of mistakes, l\e rcall} enjo)ed it so far. It'~ gre.at bcing.an Update on the new building \ftcr choosing the architect and desi1-,rn, we had intended to do fundraiSlng last year. ambassador for such a great institution. I've tried to spend a lot of ttme tn cngagtng lt ob\~ously wasn't a good ume, and we didn't ask for gifts as we had planned. . '?w alumnt and the legal commumt:y more broadly, as \\ell as addressing St\ldent concerns. that the market has picked up, we're going to go out in Januaf")' 2010 to start ratstng If any of the students rcadmg l 'Vha\C an} thoughts about issues at the law school, unds in earnest. \X'hilc we put the fundratsing on hold, we made ad\ances <)n other aspects of the new buildin& In the past year, we worked with the archttect to take

I would love to hear them.

UV HITS THE STREET What would you do to improve safety at the law school?

Jennifer Whincup (3L) 11a\·e swipe entry into the law school after hours with student cards.

Thomas Ayers (1L)

I lave better lighting by the bike racks and paths beside Plavellc.

Jennie Morgan (2L)

Terence Pong and Josh Whitford (1Ls)

!lave a super\"i~ed safe zone at the library where you can leave your laptop instead of ha\ ing to find

Arm the professors.

~ friend to watch it for you.

UI:fRt\ VIRES

NE\\S

R v. Grant and the new section 24(2) framework By N

\0\ll

Ll 'TI:.S (3L)

Forger e\·erything you thought you knew about section 24(2). [n July, the

good faith and not flagrant.

Supreme Court handed down R. t' Grant, a landmark decision which fundamentally changes the rules regarding the exclusion of e\idence under section

J\lthough the impact on \lr. Grant's Charier rights was more than minimal, the evi-

24(2) of the Charter. First, some brief explanatory background: when evidence is obtained in a

dence was reliable, and nec-

manner that breaches the Charter, it IS not automatically inadmissible at triaL Rather, the exclusion of evidence is a two-stage process. First, it must be es-

essary to the Crov. n's case. On the other hand, because

tablished that there was a Charter violation (for example, drugs were discovered

ir was a senous offence, ad-

during a search which 'Tiolated section 8). Then, it must be established that the admission of this evidence would bring the administration of justice into

mitting the gun would haYe a significant impact upon

disrepute, pursuant to section 24 '2).

1\Ir. Grant.

For the last 22 years, the framework governing s. 24(2) was found in the

these

Weighing all

considerations,

the

Perspectives from abroad: Glasgow, Scotland lh

Introducing the

uv Comics Contestl

Collins test, as established by Justice Lamer in R. t: Collins. This test invohTd

Court admitted the gun into

the consideration of three factors: 1. The effect of admitting the evidence on the fairness of the mal;

classic example of conscriptive evidence is a statement made when the police

evidence. The Details: The Court acknowledged • Comics mu~t he about the law, or be legally related that Grant was a close case. • Funniest comic wins I lad the Charter breach been • ( >thcr notable comico; \!.Ill be printed 111 the next issue of IJV: flagrant, and had the police • Comics must adhere to general l l / pubbcation conduct had a more sc,·erc standards (!.c. don't get u~ sued) effect upon the accused's • Anonymous judging: ~ mcs will be rcmu\·cd rights, this might ha,·e war- from submissions before tlte} arc passed on to a ranted exclusion of the evi- judgmg committee of total randoms • I ,mail as man> submission~ as ) ou like to dence. The Court cautioned ulrra.vircsQ1 uroronto.c.1 b) Januaf) 21, 2010 the pollee not to obtain inad-

have not informed the accused of his right to counsel. This statement pre sumably would not have existed but for the breach. The decision in Stillman hdd that, since admitting c,·idence that was self-incriminatory "\vou\d be unfair, there was no need to constder the other two branches of the framework. In this way, Stillman created a nearly automatic exclusionary rule for con

missible statements in order 1st Prize: $25 Starbucks gift card to obtain derivaci\'e evidence 2nd Prize: i\ handshake and a ~lap on the which may be admissible. So, back it seems that, in deternurung the admissibility of this type of evidence, police misconduct will weigh hca' ily

scriptive evidence, as well as dcrivaO\'e e\·idcnce that was not otherwise cliscov·

agrunst the reliability of the evidence. Since the new framework no longer equates bodily substances with con-

2. 3.

The seriousness of the \'iolation; The effect of exclusion of the evidence on the repute of the admin-

istration of justice. ':>ubsequent courts grappled with the application of these three factors, in parucular the meaning of "trial fairness", a question which was addressed in

R t: Stillman. Prior to Stiii/Jian, it had already been established that trial fairness was linked to the principle against self-incrimination. If an accused has been conscripted against himself this would generally render the trial unfair. The

erable (i.e. further evidence discovered because of something you said in your compelled statement). Another key holding in this case was that evidence ob-

scripted statements, courts should determine the admissibility of this t)-pe of

tamcd b) use of the accused's body, such as cheek swabs, was conscriptive ev-

evidence under the new framework, paying particular attention to the degree

S.\C II \R (3L)

Canadians will feel at home 1n Scotland, where the people actuall) say "aboot." Glasgow is a fabulous cit} to hve in, but unlike the prett}' and ptcturesque Edin burgh, Glasgow's charms are less obvious and take some time to discover. The music scene here IS fabulous - you can discover the next big band at king Tut's (wh<.:re Oasis was discovered) or catch a Tragically Hip show for a mere 12 pounds! There are lots of great food shops, pubs, cafes, and restaurants all around the Universit)• that you can fre qucnt with friends. And whenever you get tired of it, you can hop on a ryanair or easyjet flight to multiple destinations in Europe at ridiculously cheap price:,. Even better, you can explore the highlands of Scotland, which arc truly stunning. As for the University - U of '1' students have to take 3rd and 4th year classes, which arc all in seminar format, and arc meant to be full year classes. This m eans that you will probablr end up writing a paper instead of the exam cven·one else will be taking in June. If you ~re a pro-active type of person, you could be done school by the first week

of December. If you are like me, vou w11l be handing in three papers on D<. ccmber 17 and emailing the last one to your profs in January. The courses arc interesting and challenging, and do require you to do a whole whack of readings in preparation for class. The quality of teaching and class discussion is very high, and international students do not have to comply with the prerequisite. requirements, so there is a fair amount of choice. A couple of U of T students here are e\·cn thinking of nominating one of my professors to be a distingutshed \'isiting prof at U ofT Law. The University of Glasgow 1s not a \'"acation from school, but it is an enriching experience in an amazing cit)··

New framework for s. 24(2) exclusion of evidence CJtmg difficulty in appl)1ng the e'"'.ISting s. 24(2) framework, the Supreme Court took the opportunity to revise its approach in R. 1' Grant. The majority laid out the following three factors under the new framework for s. 24(2): 1. The seriousness of the Charter infringing state conduct; 2. The impact of the breach on the Charter-protected interests of the accused; Society's interest in the adjudication of the case on its merits.

Notabl), the Court removed "trial fairness" as a criterion. It explatncd that the old framework had placed undue emphasis on this branch. ·\s such, whether or not the evidence is real, conscriptive, or derivative is no longer determinative when considering whether evidence should be excluded. The important question is what the new test means in reality: how will evid ence be treated under this new framework? The Court provides some guida n ce 111 Grant. Unconstitutionally obtained statements will still be subject to a ' 'pres umpth·e general, although not automatic" rule of exclusion. This is a n a log ous to the result under the Colltns/Stillman test, but for different rcason s: concern with proper police conduct, protecting the interests of the acc u sed , and the historic lack of reliability from improperly obtained statements. B ecau se trial fairness is no longer determinative, derivattve evidence will no\\ be tre ated differently. Under the old approach, derivative evidence (which ...wis e discoverable) was generally inadmissible because of sclf.in\VaS n o t Othe • • . · · n co ncerns as rctlected in the trial fairness branch '\.ow, howe\ er, cnmmatJo , . . . h ·sicallv derivati\·e e\·1dence docs not ra1sc the same rclt.,blhty concerns ' · h a\·mg · a tna · I do the third branch ot- the test- pu IJ1·1c ·Interest tn ·qnce P ) · as statement s , . _ . . . , d c>n its merits - w11l usually tavour tts adm1ss1on. 1\lr. (Jrant made · . . ad1uc.llcate ·scriptiYe) . · · person • · (dcrt\ • · •am · ·c.• ·1·h e that he had a gun on 111s sntement (con . . 1 ' ' C found that rhe police conduct, although not proper, was 1n Supreme ourt

The intellectual iguana:

ability of the e\-idence favours 1ts admissibility. ~1;ny people have wondered whether it is ~ow easier or harder to get evi-

About cultural differences, law school, and the beach

physical evidence when the police conduct and rights violation has been particular!) serious. On the other hand, ev1dence which was previously almost always madmissible, such as conscriptive and derivative e\ idence, will be more easil} admitted. The Court in Gra11t justified overruling settled jurisprudence on the basiS that the existing framework led was difficult to apply and oft~n led to unsatisfactory results. It remains to be seen whether the Grant test wtll prove any easier to apply, or whether it will lead to more satisfactory results.

BY SHI OMIT $11 \liT

I'hc day 1 rcali:~.ed there must he somcthtng different going on in this school, I ~1 s sitting in my Bu~ Org class, t~lling a newly acqu1red Catuclian buddy that I \·as going to 0!Y for the week. l 'tterly tlabbcrgasted, he stared at me and asked, "On a school week?!" l nodded, not fullv understanding yet \\hat it was that made him so surprised. \ f<.·w seconds later, it hit me: people actuall} take stud}ing seriously here. I come from Tel A\ i\, a cit} known mainlv for the countr) surrounding it, vhicl~ is too often mcnttoncd in the news. But in spite of all those unsettlmg \'ents (ones which I feel too unimportant to expand on here), and perhaps actually because of them, my cit~ is also known for other things, the kind }<>U sually don't hear about in the ne\\ s. J·or xample, people spendin~ mone} the} tnn't have on food and dnnks, and takmg loans so the} c:'ln keep on doing that, Jr expenencing great art, markets and restaurants (after all, someone had to

II \ROI'I; (31.)

The first image we found when we Googlcd "Scottish Person".

and integrit)-' of the accused. The Court again mentions reliability, such that where the intrusion has been slight, and the \'IOiation not egregious, the reli-

dence admitted. It depends. It seems that it will nO\\' be easier to exclude

BY K t\RA

As is the case with most great achievement~, the Peer ~lcntorship Program began 1 with a bottle of wine, a package of funnel cakes, and a dream. The goal \Vas ambi tious: to create an environment where students at U ofT Law felt free, comfortable, and supported in pursuing their social and academic interests. There arc many paths to happiness, none better than the next or wor-.e than the one before. It was time to let that hard-learned lesson become a rt"adily accessible rcalit)·. The. plan was simple: to create a more connected community, where upper-year studtnts pla\ a more active and influenttal role in the hves of first-years. The Facult} was more than willing to help, as was Starbucks, which (due to the hard work of a particularly delightful PMP J xec) donated money to help mentors and mentees meet for coffee.; off-campus. Students were also extremely interested in being in\'olved, the program current!) compnscs 74 upper· year mentors, and 196 first-y<.-ar and '-ICA mcntees. Enrollment exceeded expectations, and we were very pleased to sec that the mcntorship program would be able to help almost every incoming student. · So now we're left to wonder: how is it panntng out? Arc first-year students feeling less stress and pressure? l s there more connection in our community? Is there greater knowledge of, and access to, the different professional and academic path ways available to students? I hope so, and I think so. The hard work, attention, and talent of the mcntors invt 1lved in the program, and the interest and grat\tut\c of the mentcc-; is undcniah\c. Um\nubtcd\y, thiss program \s fl\kt\ '"nh carin~ and \n ·pinng people. The Peer 0.\cntorship \ ~xecutwc v.ouh\ \1\(e to hear \n'm )OU. t\.rc ')OU satls~\c\.\ wirh your match? Hm1· has the infornu/ mc:erin}{ :.\'Stem p;mned out? , \sa fi:st 1-e:u· ho\\. nurH' ri mes ha.' 1 our 111 crll< H. told) ott to rcla.,? .As ,1 nJctlt< •r. ho" .1CtJ\ c an: )~Oll in the life of your buddy? P/c;zse get /);rc/.. to us wuh. ~In)" fi:c<lhKk th.tt 1 ou have (u tlawmentors@ ,L.>mai/.com). \\{: look fon\·ard to hcarmg a_nyt~mg you h.I~H.' to sa\'. Together \ve arc building rhis comnwnit}~ I Jere::~ to makmg Jt .1~ hc::wtJiul

to which the search and seizure of the substances Intruded upon the privaq

idence.

K ,\Rl"'

Beautiful people lead to beautiful friendships

(31.)

come up \\1th a way to make some cash off of all those spenders). But please don't jump to conclusions about the education b cl in my cit). 'J'hc law faculty at 'I'd J\\ tv llntversity is considered the first or second best tn the countq, along with 1-!ebrc\\ Umvcrsity m Jerusalem. So, you can imagtne, coming from such a rcno\mcd school m m} home country, I thought stud} ing in Toronto would be a challenging experience, but not such a different one. How en r, I must have forgotten to take some of these lsraeh charaetertsucs 1ntn account. In Israel, law school is a bachelor':; degree, but students are still in their m1d rwenucs when they start. The reason for this i that the a'erage Israeli student has finished their mtlitar} sen·ice (2-5 years), worked as a waiter/salesperson/lifeguard

tor a w c ( - years), u-ave et 111 11 ta and thought his/her desttn} \\as medita- work possible and ge t the highest gradc<tion (6 months - 2.5 years) and then posstble. Consequently, some pcop\( come back to the country and sull had don't do the reading" or C\cn show up t no due what to do w1th in hfc. 1\t the class, but trust me - they all know the age of 2H, with a worried Jewish mum one sucker with the colourfully edited breathing down his/her neck, he/she de- notes. You can now begin to see that, for me cided to d o the only thing possible to make her h:tppy: go to bw school. Since skipping a \\ cek of school in m} semes it seems most of you arc Jews too, you ter on exchange, in order to meet som must know that a Jl'\\ ish friends in .. 'Y, ~eemed like a very small mum won't agree 1o lemc deal. I mean, I know people who skt this planet pcacefull} un- school just to not miss Survtvor on TV less she has 4 grandchil- So being here has been a truly e) c-open dren from a child who's a mg experience for me. 1 can complat doctor/ engi ncer /lawyer. alll \\ant about losing my tan, hut at lea And, as getting ncccpted now I know what a library actuall) lo< »k to the first two in I srad is like from the inside. Once my mJOd5e prett}' much impossible changed, I also started to enjo) all th (and they don't make you opp<>rt\lnities tl1is place has to offer. I ver} wealthy either), the country ranks the short time I've been here. J\·e me # 1 io law) er per capita rat1o in the \\orld. the Chinese Mmistcr of Justice, interna So, you can imagine some of the char tiona! :mpreme court judges, and of .lCtcrs wa lktng around my law school's course, had lots of free piZ7.a. ome haJJ\\~ays. These nrc people who had no times I still miss feeling like a hzard sun idea what they wanted to study, hut de- bathing on the grass in my hom cided to chooo;e law school because it university, but all in all, being in Tarant can't really hurt their career. 'J'hcy arc has been an intellectual challenge, an lots of fun (although l must confess not kids an} more, and the} all ha\e part or full-time jobs, they arc It\ ing m a these lines were written on a sunny da)) \\arm climate and a 24/7 party cit) by

ULTRA VIR! .s

FEATURES

2009 SURV£){ OF TORONJTO LAli FIRM R£CRUITMENJT co.,trlu·n B\ t.;v ST\FF

most ever by one school in a recruiting cycle. U ofT edged out our cross· town rivals at Osgoode, who set a new school record themselves, with 98 students

Overview & methodology

than each of the past rwo years. Interestinttl}·, despite the greater number of I"> submitted apphcattons, srudems were se leered for fewer OCis than the past two

* The hiring numbers for these firms include returning first-year summer students.

====::::::;;::::======::;::======:::::;========: offers

;/ are

//)1'11

3.30 - 3.45 3.15-3.30 3.00 _ 3.15

Mean# of OCis

Mean# of In-firms

Mean# of Offers

14.2 10.9 1 2 .9

6.8 5 .4 5 .7 5.1 1.9

2.1 1 .4 1 .3 1 .3 0.6

with nearl) identical frequency, a welcome change given that this aspect has historically fluctuated wildly. ~1ales were near!} 14 per cent more likely to get an offer

busedon 9.8 in2007,andwere22percentlcss rtlatit·t{y 4.6 likely to get an offer in 2008. lou· sam- L----<...;3:.:·~0~0---L______:O:.:·~O______..L-______;:O.:.:.O::..,_____.....~...______:O:.:·~O________J Perhaps the most disconcerting pit size. result IS the alarming gap between · 'bl · ·· d · 'bl · PoorlvJ in the process than previous v1s1 ~econd, no attempt was made to corredfor sine mtnonttes an non-v1s1 e mt·· A a1 52 8 f classes. After reaching a high water tistical errors s11cb as selection bias or autocornon ttes. p try . per cent o red h If ·d ·fi d · 'bl mark in 2007 with nearly 85 per cent of relation. Third, data co/lee/ton results and spon ents w o se -1 entJ te as VJSI e · ·· · 1 fc h 75 sur vey respondents receiving one or proctSse.r hat·t t•ariedfrom year toyear (for exmmon ttes rece1veo o ters, w ereas more offer, a disappointing 69 per cent f 'bl · · ample, morefirms were contaded in 2008 and per cent o non-vtst e mmonttes re-

Aird & Berlis LLP *

fewer OCis and two fewer in-firms than

non-visible mino rities despite having, on average, three more applications per srudent. The breakdown by age appears to be generally consistent with past results. :\Iuch like last year, those aged 23 or under performed the poorest, with the 24 26 bracket performing the best. The most dramattc change came for those aged 27 and over, where the percentage rcccivmg offers dropped nearly 1.., per cent from last year. Ba; Street still values our youth over our life experience, 1t seems.

The effect of grades Lnsurprisingly, GPA has once again proYen to be one of the few factors that 1s an accurate:. predictive indicator of performance in the Toronto recruiting process. As expected, those w1th self-reported law school GPAs above 3.60 fared the best. A statistical anomaly arises in the 3.30-3.60 range. Srudents in the 3.30 3.45 bracket actually received more OCis and in- firms than students

of this year's sun·ey re- ..------------------------------------------------------------------------, 2009 tban pret'iousj;). Finai!J, for the firm spondents received one ratil{f!,S, tbere JJ!as no comdion for potmtia/ bi- or more offer. 3Ls, you The Effect of Everything Else a.res crtaled I!J otherfactors s11cb as tbt n11mbtr may not have thought it 0~r st11dents inlen•innd at eachjim1, the llllfllhtr at this time last year, but Mean # of Offers Mean # of In-firms Mean # of OCis of Sllldmls hired, or JJVtlher or notlbt rtspon- you should thank your 1LSummer dmt receind a11 offer from a firm. 11• lucky stars that you did1.1 At a La w Firm 9.1 3.9 n't enter law school a 1.4 Research Assistant 12.3 5.9 T he fi nal numbers are in, and U ofT has year later. 1.3 Other Law-Related Job 10.2 4.8 co m e o u t o n top of the 6th Annual Ultra 1.5 A closer inspection Non-Law Job 11.4 6.1 r ires Review of Toronto Law Firm Re- of the survey results 1.6 Not Working 11.6 4.8 c ruitment, with a record result. For the further reveals that all tirst tim e since 2006, U of T finished of the 3 Ls who have 1 L Extra-Curriculars -trst among all Jaw schools m terms of fervently described the 1.2 0-2 11.4 4.5 t .,..oro n to firm hiring numbers. 1.3 3-5 class of 2011 as "keen10.1 5.4 o\'era 11 J.' .ng to data volunteered br firms 6+ 2.0 ers" have basically been 14.4 6 1\ CCC>f ( lJ • 'Jed b} Ultra Vim, 100 stu- prO\'cn right. The aver·tn<.I compt · U o f T were hired for 2L age respondent to the 2LCiasses d ent!' trom . .. · ns after :--.o\ember mter- survey submitted 23 ap- Heavily weighted in business 1.1 11.1 4.5 ... ummcr posttto . 1.5 ·. .. ·k The 100 s tudent h1re mark plications, which is over A mix of business and non11.7 5.6 \'IC\\' \ \ t:C . b h U 0 f T is belie,·ed to c t e three applications more Very few, if any, business 1.4 9 5.1 reached by

Firms with no data beside their names were either unable or unwilling to release their hiring data to us. w1th GP\s berween 3.45 and 3.60. The staggering drop·off from the 3.15-3.30 range (srudents with generally more B+s than Bs) to the 3.00-3.15 range (students with gen erallr more Bs than B+s) ind1c.ltes the value of a B+. Students in the former category received over rwice as many OCis, nearly three times as manr in firms, and over twice as man) offers as those in the latter group. Moral of the story: get those B+s, kids.

The effect of everything else 1Ls who have managed to make it this far into the article would be well-ad\·tsed to clip this section (and accompanying chart) out, make photocopies, and put them on their fridges. We might as well call this section "CHILL OUT, ll~'i". Conventional wisdom traditionally imparted b) upper years to first-years is that "it doesn't rca!Jr matter what you did in your lL summer." Tradi tionally, many a lL has failed to heed this advice and has gotten worked into a tizzy worrying about finding a "law-related" job of some sort. For the first time, UV is proud to provide a statistical foundation for this sage bit of upperyear wisdom. \X'e repeat: CI JILL OUT, II.s. As the surYey results indicate, it was those who did not work at all during the 1L summer \\ ho performed the best. Those ,,·orking non-law jobs during the summer after 1L earned the next highest amount of offers. For all intents and purposes, there was httlc to no difference in the performance bcrween any of the groups of jobs. Sleep easy, 1Ls. Just as your life is not o,·er w 1th a poor performance in December exams (nor is your life set with an amazing performance in December exams), your prospects arc not dimmed by a summer travelling Europe or slinging espressos instead of drafting memos. S1mllarly, there was virtually no chffen:nce between individuals who participated in very few extra-curricular activities (0-2) and those who did a reasonable amount (3-5). Linsurprisingly, students who took on six or more extra·curriculars tn first year fared significantly better in

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Bennett Jones LLP

pits (t.g ;· indit·idGPA ual jirr11 > 3.60 rulings), 3.45 _ 3.60

FEATURES

Firm

ceived offers. This is a startling escala · tion of the gap forged last year \\hen 67.9 per cent of visible minorities re ceived offers, as compared to 80.3 per

59.1 78.0 66.7 69.1 76.3 84.8

25 2009

Job Distribution by School and Firm

J/;e 2009 Ultra Vires Rerieu of Toronto l.41J Firm Recmitnmztu'tlS conduded using an hired. Queen's (53), \X'estern (48), Ot- years, and recetved fewer in-firm mter- cent of non \tstble minorities. It is, mro'!.JinOIIS online s11n'f)' distrib11ted to stcondtawa (31 ), and Windsor (31) rounded out views than in each of the past two years. however, important to note that visible )ear st11dents at the r------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------, minorities~t93. 1per lau' school. 126 re- ~ cent) actually persponses u-m receit·ed. The Big Picture: OCis, In-firms & Offers formed better than &spondmts u·ere their non visible miaskrd to ansrnr a Mean # of Applications Mean # of OCis Mean # of Total In-firms % Receiving 1 + Offer nority counterparts !lflffJber of personal Male 71.7 5.0 23.2 10.7 (at 82.7 per cent) in questions, and to pro- Female 66.7 5.3 24.4 11.1 2007. This year, visi 52.8 3.6 9.5 1•ide specijic conlfJJtllts !Visible Minority 26.3 ble minorities re on tbe fir1!1s ll'ilh Non Visible Minority 75.0 11.3 5.8 22.9 ceived nearly two 4.7 27.0 10.7 ll-hicb lbt)· ntel. Re- 23 and Under 5.8 11 .5 22.7 spondmts u·ere also ~4 to 26 4 .3 asked to rate eacb 127 and over 8.8 19.3 10.9 5.2 fimt fro!lt 1-10 at 2009 Entire Sample 23.8 11 .8 6.0 l'tlriOIIS stagts 2008 Entire Sample 20.7 12.1 5.8 20.4 tbro11,gho11t tbe 2007 Entire Sample proms. Ot·era/1 the top six. Ethnicity results are concerning scores 1nre tban calmlated bastd 011 ajornJJIIa Gender discrimtnatton has been a hotof: 20% (OCI), 20% (in-jimt}, 10% (Emrts), The big picture button issue in the legal community re10% (Rtspecl) and 40% (Oma/1), and u.m Desplte the strong raw numbers, the UV cently, especially in light of a recent m·eraged to obtain our 2009 Firm Rankings. Tbt statistical ana!Jsis of the sumy remits surve-r results paint a more discouraging lawsuit involving a prominent Bay Street sbo11/d be read critical!;: First, u4Jtre statistics picture, showing that the U of T Class firm. Fortunately, any remnants of a of 2011 actuall}' fared much more are regender gap appear to be effectively portedfor i,...---------------------------------------------------------,~ non existent in this year~s survey reSIIb-snmThe Effect of Grades suits. Males and females received

~<WE;\IBER

Blaney McMurtry LLP

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

+1 +6

-2

3 0

Davis LLP

2 0 0

Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP •

Dimock Stratton LLP

Epstein Cole LLP

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP

Fogler, Rubinoff LLP

Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP •

-1 +3

Gardiner Roberts LLP

Gilbert's LLP

Goodmans LLP *

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

-4

Heenan Blaikie LLP

+1 \

0 \ '\

2 0

0 0 0\ 0

Department of Justice

Hicks Block Adams LLP Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP Klippensteins Keel Cottrelle LLP

J 2

Koskie Minsky llP Lang Michener LLP

6 I +2

I o roI

0 0 '\ \ 0 \ 0 \ 0 \ Q \

Q '

Q \

J 0 J 1 J 0 J 0 }

o/o/o/o/2/

Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Gnffin LLP

2 1 3 2 2

Lerners LLP

McCarthy Tetrault LLP

McMillan LLP

Miller Thomson LLP

Minden Gross LLP

-1 +4 +1

-1

Sherrard Kuzz LLP

Smart & Biggar LLP *

Solman Rothbart Goodman LLP

Torys LLP

WeirFoulds LLP

-2

Wildeboer Dellelce LLP

-1

I 18 I -

Legal Aid Ontario

0 I 0 I 0

Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP McCague Peacock Borlack Mcinnis & Lloyd LLP

Ministry of the Attorney-General - Crown Law Office - Civil Ministry of the Attorney-General - Crown Law Office - Criminal Neinstein & Associates LLP Ogilvy Renault LLP Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP

Pinkofskys Ridout & Maybee LLP Shearman & Sterling LLP

Stikeman Elliott LLP Thorsteinssons LLP Torkin Manes LLP

2009 Totals

427

100

2008 Totals

406

2007 Totals

446

ULTRA VIRI.S

thetr job hunts. The pre\·ailing belief is actually bulked up their summer classes, that many of the students who did six or perhaps in anticipation of busier times more extra·curriculars arc the keener ahead. The most notable growth came super students (you know who you are) from Sukeman Elliott, which increased anyway, so It's unclear how much extra- its summer class from 14 last year to 23 curriculars helped their causes. this year (up 64 per cent). Cassels Brock In terms of selection of upper-year also stood out for snatching 20 students courses, it appears as if loadmg up on for next summer, up from 14 last year. business/corporate classes isn't really im· Goodmans and Miller Thomson also pressing anybody. In fact, students who added an additional 4 students to their described their 2L courses as heavtly summer classes. weighted in business actually rece1ved the fewest in-tirm interviews and offers. Job distribution by school Lesson to be learned: take the classes you As mentioned aboYe, the legal commuwant to take, and don't worry about nity has yet to reco\·er from the ceopacking your schedule with corporatenomic recession, but type classes just to ~ after the large hiring

fnendly, and appreciated that the interviewers rotated to sec students, rather than the other way around. On the downside, however, several respondents mentioned that ther were kept waiting, in one case up to an hour. On the other hand, the iPods sent to their student hires made a \·cry good impression.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon (#5) Stcppmg back from the1r massive htring last summer (37 students), Blakes had the biggest contraction in its summer class (dropping down to about 2/3 of last year's size). But worry not, the Titanic is not sinking; the firm was still the largest hirer of U of T students, who regarded "THE '1'-. E\X YORk Ern~cr' decline last year, it ap- the in ten iew process \\;th the firm very seem legit for pears that the job situ- positivch. Students generally appreciated OCis. . SITS AS '\ PL\CSIBI.b l XPL\arion is levelling out. Blakes' practice of assigning a guide for The recession NATIO'\; TO RhC.O Cll.h THE An additional 14 stu- the interviews, which helped make them effect RECORD HIGH RA\\ NLMBER dents hired this year more personal. Others noted that they singled U of T out felt like they were "part of a huge rnaStnce 0 Week, the OF JOBS... W1TII THI' RELAfrom the other law chine, rotated from office to office to of. . . . , Ciass of 201 1 has ~ TIVELY L0\'{1 OH'I•R RA1b ... fice until they all started to blend schools, which gcner wond ered w h at e ftogether". The firm was given kudos for ally cxpenenced de feet the global recession would have on their career clines or minimal increases in the number being respectful and not pressuring stu It prospects. Despite a lot of hand-wring- of student jobs. The btggest decline was dents in their decision-making. seemed, howe\·er, that students disliked ing, it appears that the apocalypse did not experienced at \'findsor, which took 31 the infamous Blakes "life stOr)" apOCI jobs (down from 37 last year). materialize as many anticipated, \\ith '\o Once again, Blakes has singled itself proach to OC.Is, which left them with "a \·ember recruiters hiring slight!) more students this year than last year (427, up out as the largest h1rer of U of T stu- lot of time to fill". from 406 last year). ~ioreovcr, U ofT dents, taking ncar!} half its summer class managed to achieve a record high by from our student body. The next biggest Blaney McMurtry (#22) sending \00 students to vanous down- U of T contingent is headed to Mc- Blanc) .:-.1cMurtry was yet another firm Carthy Tetrault, '.Vhich took eight stu- where fc\l.i respondents went through the town f1rms (up from 85 \ast year). dents. Finallj; U of T will be sending in-firm intervtew process. This year, the Cndoubtedlj~ the depressed state of t\,e\\> York recruiting has had residual ef groups of seven to BLG, Mdvfillan, and firm did not h1re any U of T students fects on the state of the Toronto recruit- Stikeman Elliott. One firm where U of (compared to one last year). The general mcnt process. Informal estimates have T lost ground was Torys, where next Impression from the OCi s was that the the number of U of T students bound rear's class of 20 \\~ll onlr have three U in ten 1ewcrs were pleasant but not vcr) for ~YC dropping from the high 30s in ~f T students, down fro~ six of 22 last serious about interviewing the candidates. The lone respondent who went 2007, to the mid 20s in 2008, to single year. through the in-firm stage thought that digits in this recruiting cycle. This year, the firm was "more interested in having only four respondents to our survey mdi- FULL SERVICE me sell myself than in selling the firm to catcd that they will be participating in a , FIRM RANKINGS me . spht summer arrangement \\ith a ~cw Aird & Berlis (#25) York firm. With additional qualified can Based on this year's survey results, \'Cry Borden Ladner Gervais (#13) dldatcs who ordinarily would have taken few U ofT students went for an in-firm BLG added one more student to Jts class jobs in New York, the process was arinterview, and, unsurprisingly, the firm this year (up to 24), which included a sigguably more competitive than ever. The did not hire an, V of T students. The nificant contingent from U of T (seven "New York effect" sits as a plausible exgeneral imprcss1on from the OC.Is was students). The firm also rose four spots planatiOn to reconcile the record high negative, with one respondent mdicating in our firm rankings, \\:ith several sturaw number of jobs accepted by U of T that the interviewers seemed "vcn· unin- dents praising the firm for its efforts and students with the relatively low offer rate. terested". 1\ird & Bcrlis did earn, poin;s organisation during the in-firm process. with at least one student for taking the One black spot was that several students Firm contractions & expansions time to reply to their email corresponcomplained that, unlike other firms, BLG Perenmal summer recruiting behemoth dence. did not send out cmails prior to call day, Blakes experienced the largest class conk-aving students to stare at their phones tracuon, cutting back their hiring by 35 Baker & McKenzie (#3) per cent, from 37 stud.ents. last year to 24 Baker & i\tcKenzie skyrocketed up the and wonder up until the last minute if this rear. This drop tn hmng has been standings, finishing 3rd this year and they'd he invited 10. attn.b' u ted to the decrease in New York achic\ ing a historical high for the survey. Cassels Brock & Blackwell (#10) . su . mmers· The high ranking rna) be partly due to sp I1t · · in 2009 ' 12 .Blakes stu. ( )verall impressions of Cassels Brock dents. sp IIt their su mmers w1th firms 1n the smaller pool of candidates the firm has only saw this year, who ranked the firm well were that it offered a very laid-back and S w hc reas this year's class the L •• . ~ , ts. splitting. 1. hcrcrorc, :\ for being "extremely friend!)". Some of informal interview process that put canrhn.e stu d en . . . for the firm m1ght be a dc- the comments indicated, though, that didates at case. One student commented talrcr picture . . , .. . ?S to 2 1 full-t1mc Blakes stu- this friendliness also made the interview- that everyone 10 the booth ''[lJaughcd cJ111c from h. our way through !the interview] - and s Other than Gowlings, w IC 11 ers a little hard to read. not the fake OCl laugh". The firm was dent. f tts summer , I four students rom . also notable as "that one that gave out droppc( f the firm-lc\·cl drops Bennett Jones (#12) .. zc the rest o 1 Godi\ a chocolates during the ()(] s". C I,lSS ·' · ' ~loving up two places, respondents felt • • . r were modest. Ill hulng . loom sc,·cral firms that the Bennett Jones in ten iewcrs were Perhaps there is a correlation between Despite ccononuc g ,

r==

<. •

the giving out of chocolate, and student impressions, as Cassels Brock had the highest-rated OCI amongst all of the full service firms. One amusing faux-pas included an interviewer talking about something she found unbelievable about a student at "another" school, who was recognized b} the candidate as a friend and fellow U of Tcr; "respect potnts docked accordingly". Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg (#8) Relanve to last year, Davies made a bit more room for U ofT in next summer's class (five students, up from two), and students gave the firm favourable ratings, allowing it to make an impressive climb of ten spots to land at #8. The comments, however, indicate that the firm also came across as stiff and conservative, and as the kind of place where, "if there's even a hint that you aren't 100°/1, business Jaw oriented expect to justify you rscl(" Representatives of the firm even went so far as to discourage one candidate from eYen applying at the career info session. The firm stated candidly, "If those are your questions, concerns, interests, we're really not the firm for you." Bonus points for honesty? Davis (#17) This }Car, Davts ass1gned the same two lawyers to conduct Interviews for the cntirctv of its Toronto OCls, and students took noucc. Bv da\· 2, after an on ~lnughr of 20 mmute ~1eetings, the exhausted in· ten icwers came across as " low energy", . d" , "bored", "disengaged)) , "d'IStntereste and even "trying hard not to sleep". 1\Jear the end of the process, the inter\ 1cwers finally thrc\\' in the towel and apparently ended one candidate's inteniew before the time was even up. On the plus side, students invited to the in-firm seemed to feel that the evening recepoon was well done. (herall impressions seemed to be that Davis was solid, if unremarkable, with one student saying that it was "good enough" overall. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin (#1) This year's top ranked firm, Fasken Mar· tincau culminated a spectacular turnaround in which it was the worst-ranked full-service firm just three short years ago. Faskens made strong impressions overall for its efforts to accommodate all requests for practice area meetings, and for its respect for the rules of the Law Society. I lungry students were not fazed hv Faskens discontinuing its practice of fi~m dinners, since the firm managed to put on a "mean cocktail party" which in· cluded a chocolate fountain. The firm's organisation of its in-firms (one long interview with a partner, followed b.) shorter interviews) also stood out posl· tivclv, and students thought that the fact that .their OCI intcn·ie,vcrs waited by the curtain for them to arri\·e was a ''nice touch".

'\. OVE~fBER

25 2009

Fogler, Rubinoff (#26) Finishing near the bottom of the full-ser\ icc rankings, respondents critici1.ed Foglcrs for its lack of enthusiasm and interest tn the recruiting process. !\.ot one respondent ranked the firm undtr the "events" category, leading us to suspect that the firm didn't im·ite any U of T stu dents to one. Some friendly editorial advice for you, Foglers: offers of free food sway V of T Law students more easily than almost anything (except pizza, of course).

candidate experienced an awkward moment of honesty when heing told that Gardmer is a "lower priced firm.'' c-;ardincr welcomed one U ofT stud em into its class of four for next summer. Goodmans (#20) ln a large drop, Goodmans fell to the #20 spot on this year's survey. The firm received praise for being casual and friendly, and one respondent even imlicated that inten·iewing with the firm "felt like I was in a bar with my 'buddies'." Despite being very down to Earth, however, the firm also seemed to give off a "Camp Goodmans" vibe that at times felt "a little too silly". The survey responses all seemed to agree on at least one thing, though: the Goodmans reception was a spectacular failure. The cocktail party, which was deswbed as "noisy", "crowded", and " ... a circus. Literally candy and donuts flying everywhere", was by fa r the lowest-rated firm event of the entire Toronto recruiting process.

Fraser Milner Casgrain (#16) Respondents indicated that their experiences with F~lC were generally nice, polite, and respectful, which unfortunately makes for an uninteresting blurb in the Rcvie\\: But the noticeable absence of negative comments from the sun·cy is a likely sign that most candidates felt that the firm gave a good impression. To spice this blurb up a little, we have one reported incident from the 1;\tC reception where a person was "runmng out at one point, couldn't tell if it was a nosebleed or red wine. Collisions!" Gowling Lafleur Henderson (#18) Comments on Gowlings were a bit all Gardiner Roberts (#14) over the map, with some indicating that The small number of comments we rc- their experience was "formal and rigid", cciYed indicated that Gardiner \\.·as a whereas others found it "tons of fun". good firm to mterdew with, though one ( )nc particularly unimpressed student

pondered whether " ... boring IS the culture" at Gowhngs. The firm achic\ cd an impreSS!\ e climb from us low fim h last year (from #28 to #18), but candldatt'S faulted the firm for a less coordinated approach to interviC\\ s. 1\cconhng to an uncontirmcd cnmrncnr, it is thl' firm\ practice to have their indi\ idual practice groups do indcpcndc nt luring. Among the man} Ill~ I horror stories, Gowlings wins the prize for most extreme rcacuon when a student attcmptnl a handshake and was told, "Don't touch me. I haYc children."

C\cn

Heenan Blaikie (#24) llccnan Blaikie is apparently not a reader of this newspaper, as many of the criticisms of the firm arc repetitions from last year. The firm slid a further three spots to #24, with candidates commenting that the firm's OCI approach was overly ri!,tid and formal. Things didn't go much better in-firm, where students complained of the process being crowded, and of scheduling and other administrative errors. Ultimately, some students simply felt that the firm was not making a good usc of their time, with the result that the firm didn't get to kn<l\\ them, and they didn't get to know the firm. One major positive change from last year that we can repor~ is that

Full Service Firm Rank

Firm

OC/

cv ....

' cv cv cr (/)

()

(/)

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP ITorys LLP Saker & McKenzie LLP k:>sler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP lstikeman Elliott LLP Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

7 8

McMillan LLP Davies Ward Philli()s and Vineberg LLP

boilvy Renault LLP Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP Lang Michener LLP Bennett Jones LLP lsorden Ladner Gervais LLP !Gardiner Roberts LLP McCarthy Tetrault LLP Fraser Milner Cawain LLP

1 2 3 4 5

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

~avis LLP IGowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

trorkin Manes LLP IGoodmans LLP ~eirFoulds LLP Blaney McMurtry LLP Minden Gross LLP Heenan Blaikie LLP ~ird & Berlis LLP Fogler, Rubinoff LLP Miller Thomson LLP

7.6 7.6 7.6 7.4 7.4 7.3 6.9 6.8 7.9 7.9 7.3 7.3 6.5 5.9 7.2 7.0 6.1 6.7 5.3 7.7 6.7 7.3 7.0 6.9 6.3 6.2 4 .3

(/)

~g 31 23 14 35 35 44 50 21 36 36 28 35 53 22 40 41 20 35 9 34 23 10 15 34 11 12 28

cv ....

cr~n

()

(/)

8.4 8.4 7.7 8.3 8.6 8.1 8.3 9.0 8.3 7.4 7.7 7.2 8.2 9.0 7.5 7.0 7.8 7.1 7.5 7.2 6.2 7.0 7.0 6.0 7.0 6.2 5.3

Lang Michener (#11) Candidate comm<:nts seem to agree that l-·10g ,\lichencr sent some vcr} pcrsonnblc "nice guys'' to conduct their O C i s. Students invited in-firm felt that the process was very organised, but border ing on stiff, and the firm did drop four places from its very positi\'e rcvie\\ s last year (from #7 to #11). Candidates indi cated, howe\ cr, that the overall experience was posith·e, and that the firm was ver} respectful to\\'ards the applicants. The firm also gets kudos for supporting local breweries by ha\·ing a keg of Steamwhistlc on hand for the reception! McCarthy Tetrault (#15) Despite hiring the second-most C of T students of all the firms on Ba\ Street, "-lcCarthys dropped in the tandmgs from #S last year to #15 this year. ,\!any students found the OCI stage to be "traditional" and filled with '\cry formal lluestions.'' ( )nc respondent que tioncd whether, "gi\ en the recent article in the 'l'oronto Star about a sexual di crimina tion lawsuit at ::--lcCanhys,...it was tn the firm's best interests to ~end t\\o male m· CONTINUED at page 14

Events I (/)I th ~nl

th (/) cv cv

(/)

points.

Ran~ings

In-firm (/)

llecnan'.s swanky new office space and art ha\ e man:~ged to earn it some stdc '

cr~n

()

~g 12 9 8 12 10 21 19 9 16 14 10 13 19 2 10 15 4 17 2 9 6 1 6 12 1 6

8.4 8.8 8.3 8.4 8.9 8.5 8.7 8.3 8.3 7.7 8.0 7.5 8.6 10.0 6.4 7.0 7.5 7.2

11 9 3 13 10 19 9 7 7 14 9 11 10 1 7 13 4 11

4.6 6.8 7.0 7.3 6.6

8 4 1 3

5.1

()

(/)

(/)/ cv ....

cv cv

cv ....

Respect

(/)

cr~n

ogc

'**' 8.3 8.1 8.3 8.1 7.8 7.8 7.9 7.8 6.9 7.6 7 .8 7 .6 7.0 6 .8 7.7 7.5 7.7 7.0 7.0 6.5 7.8 5.8 6.3 6 .7 6.4 6 .0 5.9

th cv ~t cv

19 14 4 22 23 30 29 16 25 21 18 21 31 9 21 19 10 23 4 21 12 4 10 20 7 7 14

(/)

8 .1 7.9 8.2 7 .6 7.4 7.6 7.5 7.3 7.3 7.7 7.7 7.4 7.1 6.7 7.4 7.1 6.5 6.8 7.3 6.7. 6.8 6.4 6 .3 6.7 6.0 6.4 5.1

;(

.~ e" 0(/)

O verall

th cv ~t cv

Gl 0"' .. Q.O

cr~n

~g 21 13 5 22 22 30 30 16 23 22 15 21 35 12 22 22 12 24 4 21 12 5 9 20 7 10 14

81.1 79.7 79.6 78.3 78.3 77.5 77.0 76.9 76.8 76.8 76.6 73.7 73.4 73.4 73.0 70.9 69.0 69.0

68.6 67.7

67.7 66.0

86.8 65.9

63.5 62.6

50.8

. firms did . not have rece ptions , dinners or other events and/or an insufficient number of responses were received from candidates. For these firms. * Certam . • " was removed from the formula calculating the Composite Score. . events . h to be ties and are not marked as such are as a result of round1ng. ** Resul~s Whlc a~pear fficient number of responses for the following firms to include them in our Recruitment Review: Klippensteins, McCague Peacock ••• We did not receive a su ' r LLP · & Lloyd LLP• Neinstein &Associates LLP, Shearman & Ster mg . Borlack Mclnms

_.-;

UlTRA VIR!

14 Recruitment - from page 11 · \\'"rs as· the firm's reps during tervle ~ · OCls." Presumably not helping their cause was the fact that o ne student found the duo to be "nice" but "frat-like". Most comments regarding the in-firm stage were favourable, with one student declaring the tirm to be "very thoughtful", after an interviewer called them the night before to express how impressed she was by the cand1date. It is mtcresting (and somewhat alarming) to note that one student claims that "they told me ther !would be] be calling me at Spm on \x'edncsday, but did not." Tsk, tsk - someone alert the Law Society!

FEATL Rl .S who, in the words of a respondent: "stared at me so intently during m\' answers that it felt !tke she .was piercing my soul". Another student stated that the interviewer "scowled at me skeptically for 17 minutes," but posited that "it was just her 'thinking face"'. Students seemed to find the whole recruiting process with Minden Gross unremark· able, with one student summari:dng it as a firm that "has a limited number of attractions beyond typical practice".

ton: call dav to inform them rhat they would be offcn:d an in-firm tnten·icw, with multiple respondents suggesting that it was the only firm which didn't do so.

showed a reluctance to venture outside ~he GTA when hiring, picking up a · 18 of 23 c·'1ndidatcs from the w hoppmg Big Smoke, including II from that camU of pus wav up nort h , an d seven from .

T Stikeman also enjoyed a nse up the standmgs, from a 19th place finish in Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt (#4) Osiers cemented its status as a consistent 2008 to a 5th place showing in 2009. top finisher in our sun·cy with a 4th place "Conversational" was a word that crept sho\\ing in 2009, a one spot bump from up in numerous student responses to the #5 last rear. Four U of T students sit OCI stage, although some came away amongs~ the 23 Osler hires. Generally, with a negative perception of the firm. One student "couldn't tell if it was the OCI process or their workplace Full Service Firms Historical Rankings that stressed them out so badly", while others thought "the firm came ::i2' across as somewhat cold." ln con:i ::i2' c: c: c: «< «< «< trast, students came away from the ~ ~ ~ ~ McMillan (#7) 0 Q) to-firm stage with nearly unanimously Q) CJ Q) .... ...0 V) On the heels of hiring a class that in0 0 C) CJ positive impressions, sprinkling adCJ CJ cludes se\·en students from U of T 0 V) V) V) 0 cctives such as "great", "fantastic", )'o. CD J N co (presumably to boost their performo , 'amazing", and "energetic" through0 0 0 0 0 N ance in this very survey), Mcl\lillan N N Firm out the surve} responses. The firm shot up the ran kings from #24 in 200R 1 Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP 66.0 (22) 76.9 (5) 53.9 (24 also made an impression as an early 81.1 to #7 this year (good job, \k\lillan. It 2 rTorvs LLP 82 .5 (1) 74.2 (9) 84.011 79.7 mover, with one student claiming that worked!). Although many students 3 aaker & McKenzie LLP 79.6 71.7(13) 64.9 (21) 69.1 (16 they "like to 'show the love' ,-cr-y early 76.8 (5) 76.1 (6} 79.8 (2 found the OCI to be "structured" and 4 bsler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP 78.3 on tn the process", and another stat68.0 (19) 72.2 (14) 59.4 (21 78.3 "formal", most found the interviewers 5 Stikeman Elliott LLP ing that "these guys know what they 75.5 (8) 73.8 (13) 76.4 (6 77.5 themselves to be "nice" and "very 5 Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP want, and they arc \·cry driven to 77.0 62.2 (24) 74.7 (8) 71.7 (9 friendly". The in-firm experience \\'as 7 McMillan LLP snatch up the students they like!" 76.9 68.5 (18) 74.1 (10) 75.7 (4 termed to be a more "traditional intcr- 8 Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP 76.8 72.7(11) 83.4(1) 69.5 (151 \·iewing style" and "unconventional in 9 iOgilvy Renault LLP Torys (#2) 76.8 73.0 (10) 77.2 (4) 79.1 that they asked mostl~' 10 Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP It's no surprise to sec Torys ncar the 76.6 (7) 65.7 (20) 68.1_(18 76.6 behaxioural/ experiential questions" .\11 Lang Michener LLP top of the list again this year. After 73.7 71 .2(14) 64 .9 (22) 73.9 (5 Some 'l.'iC'.ved tlus as a negati\ c, but \'\2 J3ennett Jones LLP finishing as the top-ranked full serv73.4 69.7 (17) 80.1 (2) 72.2 (8 ot.'hcts tc~\')on<.\c<.\ VC') ~osi.uvdy onc\ '\3 Ladner GeNa\s LLP ice firm in two of the past three ~tudcm even fount\ it to be the "the 141Gardiner Roberts LLP 73.4 60.7 (26) year~. Torys comes in at #2 in 2009. 76.8 (5) 67.3 (17) 70.9 (12) perfect in-firm experience". 73.0 15 ~cCarthy Tetrault LLP Of Torrs' 20 hires, three came from 70.9 64.5 (23} 73.0(11} 72.4 (7 16 Fraser Milner Casorain LLP the haii~)\\Td halls of f'lavelle. The 69.0 67.2 (20) 77.7 (3) 68.9 (17 17 bavis LLP Miller Thomson (#27) OCI stage was well-recei\ cd by ncar!)' 69.0 51.6(28) 68.7 (16) 61.3 (19 After a respectable 15th place shm\ing 18 !Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 68.6 51 .5 (29) 66.6 (19) 54.9 (23 all of our survey respondents. The in 2008, l\liller Thomson slid to th e 19 tTorkin Manes LLP 74.5 (9) 73.9 (12) 71.11111 intcn·iewers were described as "chip67.7 bottom of the full service rankinbrs 1n 20 IGoodmans LLP . per to say t}1c Icast ., and ,, ver) 67.7 71 .9(12) 66.0 (18) 2009. The OCI was virtuall) uni\ c r- 21 ~eirFoulds LLP 66.0 69.9(16) 57.6 (25) 69.6 (14 warm", but a few student felt that sally panned, with numerous n:spon - 22 Blaney McMurtry LLP . ". they vergeu1 on ,, aImost too n1cc 79.7 (2) 66.8 dents rt'fcrnng to the expencnce as 23 Minden Gross LLP 65.9 66.3 (21) 75.3 (7) 59.9 _{_20 Although still highly-regarded, the in"awful" and/ nr "awkward". ( )nc stu- 24 Heenan Blaikie LLP 77.7 (4) 48.7 (26) 71.6 (10 tirms \\ere not as well-met, with one 63.5 dent remarked that it was ''not a pleaS· 2 5 ~ird & Berlis LLP 57.9 (27) 69.1 (15) 70.5 (13 student descnhing them as "hit-or 62.6 ant experience whatsoever". T he 26 Fogler, Rubinoff LLP 50.6 70.1 (15) 63.4 (23) 56.9 (22 miss", and another stating that it \\a'.> intcrvic\\ ers \\ere about as \\ ell-re- 27 ~iller Thomson LLP "a bit disappointing gi,·en how much cei\·cd as a cncket ball m ~Is. Jackson's I enjoyed the ( >Cl". ~onetheless, others the response to Osler's U ofT OCis was Ogilvy Renault (#9) backyard, :md students dc<>cribcd them as thought the intcn·iews were "extremely The #1 overall full service firm two years positi\'c. Overall, students found the in"dull" and "cold". According to one ap plicant, one of the inten iewcrs "looked ago, Ogil\'y Renault rises two spots to #9 terview "plc:asant and positin;" and '\cry friendly and enjoyable", and an ''outThe like he was falling asleep", and another this year after slipping to #II in 200H. relaxed and ver) candid". Some students standing in-firm experience". smoothie breakfast was somewhat conFour of the 13 sntdent hires at ( )gih)' arc d1d tind the inter\'icwt:r~ to be ''bland'' applicant suggested that the interviewers "seemed to put up a wall rather than from U ofT. Reviews for the OCI stage and suggested that they "came off very trm·ersial, '' ith the reception termed al!O\\ the student to get to know them''. were nearly untvcrsally positive, helping pretentious", while another student spec- "kind of odd" by one student, while anEven interviewees brought back for in- O~ilvy to finish \vith the 2nd highest ulated that one of the interviewers "was other declared that the smoothies "h\'ejd] fir m s found that "the firm ga\'c off an OCI rating of all the full-service firms. an advanced recording device of some up to the hype". image o f being ,·cry cold and uptight." Student~ deemed the informal in ten iews kind". The in-firm interview was also WeirFoulds (#21) Perhaps .\filler Thomson's performance to be "fnendly'' with conYersation that generally well-recei,·ed, with one student "flowed \cry well". The intcn icwers commenting that "the firm is packed 1 \fter a 12th place tinish in 2008, \X'cirjc; best d escribed by the student who were found to be "engaged and interest- with warm and kind lawyers who all ap- Foulds finished the 2009 recruiting cycle clrumcd that it was "the most unfriendly ·e .. experience of ~ovcmber mter- ing", and "dcm n-to-earth, friendly nod pear to love the tirm." ~lost students in 21st position amongst full-sen·icc . mtervJ ' " · collegial". ~ot all were pleased, though, found them respectful throughout the firms. Only one of \V'ctrFoulds' nine view week". as o ne student thought that it \Vas a "sur- whole process, although one student hires is from U of 'I. Wh1le \XeirPoulds prisingly antagontstic interview". There- claimed that thetr Osiers interviewers seemed unenthusiastic about L' of T thb M inde n Gross (#23) sponse from the in-firm experience was were "real jerks during my OCL 1t was go-around, of T students also seemed J\ftu finishing last year as the #2 overall similarly positive. Students left im- clear within 2 minutes that they didn't unenthusiastic about the \\'cirPoulds rc.· f-Irm \linden Gross dropped tull-sen ICC • . • • pressed by the lawyers they'd m<.·t and the like me and they made that abundantly cruwng process this year as well. Rc . 3 in 2009. lnten•Jewccs tound the spondents described their inten icws as, to # 2 tl . "full of smiles rapport between firm members. and with clear." . ·icwcrs to be mos } , good impressions of the work1ng envi varioush, "awkward", "dull", "average", . " d "friendh enough . lntcn 1 1 111 css an Stikeman Elliott (#5) ronmcnt. Some respondents seemed put and "bonng". Dunn~ the in-firm stage, d nts seemed to ano lapp hclcss some stu e . . off that they did not recei,·c an e-mail be S~.:,·en Sister firm Sukeman E lliott students thought the firm "came across "\. o 'lCt .. • h ·d o ut by an interviewer, 'rn ildlr sketc e . pl •

...

i:n

1\.0\ T\fBLR

25, 2009

as an extreme!} hierarchical cm·ironment" and that "there was something of an air of discomfort with the process by those doing the actual intcr\'iewing." l\.evertheless, students felt as though the firm was respectful throughout the process and were particularly impressed b} the e\cnts: ''Box scats to a Leafs game prett) cool selling point." Some may argue that subjecting a student to a Leafs game Js a major s1gn of disrespect, but we digress. Overall, one student stated that "certain people and certain elements of the firm gave me the feel that there is less enthusiasm for the work being done, and less vibrant energy around the of fice."

BOUTIQUE, SPECIALTY FIRMS, AND GOVERNMENT Bereskin & Parr (#3) Students generally had positive experiences at this firm that came m at #3 on our rankmgs. Future applicants be warned: according to one comment, you may be straining to make conversation if you lack a science background.

FEAT RES (with scores visible to the students!). Dimock Stratton (#19) Th1s firm dropped many spots on the boutique rankings to finish 19th this year. While the firm ranked well for its OCl and lunch event, it was in the respect field that the suney respondents felt that the firm was "less than ideal". Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti (#18) This firm stood out for its interesting choice of OCI swag, "a stain remover stick, which was either original or peculiar, depending on your view of thint,tS." According to our survey respondents, the inten 11.:wers came across as rigid and a httle awkward. Gilbert's (#1) Th1s year's top-ranked boutique firm, G1lbert's made a great impression despite not hiring any U ofT students. The firm stood out as being very different from other firms, as the kind of place that "ci thcr you like it or not". Candidates seemed to enjoy talking to the firm's rep rescntati,·cs, with one respondent commenting that, even though IP was "not my kind of work, unfortunately,...we had a great talk about that".

Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie (#16) The other " fl icks" firm performed mostly in linl' with last }Car, with students givtng a fair ranking to the ( )CI process, but a more stronglr posith c response to the 10-firm Interviews. Keel Cottrelle (#22) \notht:r new entrant not found in last year's survey, Kecl Cottrellc's performance did not impres~ our sun cy respondents. This might be partly due to the firm's ,·err unconventional in-firm interview process, which involved sitting a student down, running through a prewritten list of questions, and writing down the candidate's answers. Also, while one applicant had the luxury of having their intcn·iew in a boardroom, another claimed to have bet.:n inter viewed in a "supply closet" '\.ot having seen Keel Cottrelle's offices, we can on!) hope that they are not one and the same.

anel of lawyers \\here a student f:aced a P ha h a n rhroug • and II R people, \.Vh o t en r. . ·oural q uestwns. serie:. of graded b c h avl • . _ , f the pu bhc sec It seems that for man} 0 . tor cmplo)·ers, stu d cots s ho uld pracnce .. stan t wntmg n h being unfazcd by t e co . . and scortng done b }. th e in ten Iewers , throughout tht. meetings. One students . conclusions on LAO: "They're n o t rrpng to win people 0\er With glam o ur o r enticements, but it's Legal .\1d. The) want the people who want to mora11}' .work t there not work there for the colleg~al a mos~herc (hint: didn't seem to h ave any)." • Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin (#11) This litigation boutique struck students a~ confident, cncrgeuc, and engaging, throughout the recruitment process. Some students found the approach a littic aggressi\'c, particular!}' during OCis, but most agreed that Lenczncr's Interviews were designed to ensure only those commtttcd to litigation would advance . In the words of one respondent: "They started asking rapid-fire guestions to weed me out as someone disinterested in htigation. Good plan, actually, to sec if we can respond on our feet. Once they got over that phase, fabulous intcr\'iew." Candidates who went in-firm had positive thing~ to report, and were particularly 1mpressed by lawyers who "loved talking about their cases".

Koskie Minsky (#14) Yet another new entrant in the UV recruitment surve\, J.....oskie Minsky fared relatively well in th1s year's process. Candidates felt that the firm was polite and Department of Justice (#23) sincere, and praised the amount of comCommg in ncar the bottom of the Boumunication before, during, and after the tllJUC ran kings, the DOJ failed to impress Hicks Block Adams LLP (#6) interview process. One less-impressed many candidates during their recruitment Absent from last year's survC\, thl!> crim- interviewee noted that the firm was process this year. In particular, com- inal law firm achicvcu 6th place 10 our about \ 5 minutes late in getting his/her plaint:; abounded about thL "infamous boutique ran kings for 2009. ofT can- interview started. duo" interviewing at ()( Is: that they didates felt respected and treated as lackcc.l professionalism and social skills, cguals by I licks Block Adams' recruit- Legal. Aid Ontario (#20) Lccnecs (#10) that they checked their Blackberries and ment process. Unfortunately, whether One of the new pubhc sector partici- Finishing just abm·e Lcnczners, compettook calls during the interviews, and that any were actually hired remains a mys- pants at OCis, L\0 made a shaky first ing litigation boutique Lcrncrs managed they distracted students b)' perpctua!Jy tery, as the firm has not reported its hir- impression. This might be partly due to to pull ahead primarily due to its strong filling out score sheets during interviews ing numbers. LAO's distincth·c in-firm interview style, ranking in "respect" from students. The

Boutique Firm Rankings Rank

OCI

Firm

...0 Q)

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Gilbert's LLP Sherrard Kuzz LLP Bereskin & Parr LLP Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP trhorsteinssons LLP Hicks Block Adams LLP MAG - Crown Law Office - Civil Smart & Biggar LLP Ridout & Ma_ybee LLP Lemers LLP ...enczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP Solmon Rothbart Goodman Epstein Cole LLP Koskie Minsky LLP ~ildeboer Dellelce LLP Hicks Morley_ Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP MAG . Crown Law Office - Criminal Filion WakelY_ Thorup Angeletti Ll.P !Dimock Stratton LLP Legal Aid Ontario Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP Keel Cottrelle LLP Department of Justice Pinkofskys

0 ~

8.2

8 .6 7.5 7.3

7 15 6

7.5 7.4 9.0 7.5 7.9

17 7 4 15 29

7.6 7.1

13 11

5.7 8.3 6.8

3 13

4.9

en Q)

...0

._ c:

(.)

(J)

1 2 3 4 5

In-firm

en en Q) Q) 0::: en

0 CJ)

10.0 9.0 8.7 9.7 9.0 8.5 8.0 8.8 6.3 7.8 7.8 7.0 8 .0 7.5 8.2 8.3 6.5 8 .5 6.0 6.3 7.5 5.5 6.7 4 .3

Respect

Events • en en Q) Q) 0::: en ._ c:

en Q)

...0 CJ

CJ)

2 2

9.0

3 3

en en Q) (I) 0::: en ._ c: 0 ~

5 5

8 .0 10.0 9.0 7.4 8.2

4 1 1 5 5

8.2

3 5 12 1 2 4 5 4 2 4 3 6 2 4 6 3

5.0

9.0

1 2

7.0

en Q)

...0

CJ)

9.8 9.0 9.4 8.7 7.8 8 .0 8.2 7 .8 8.7 8.3 7.3 7 .0 6.5 7 .5 6.8 6 .6 7.5 8.8 6.3 6.8 6.0 7.3 5.0 4.0

en Q) ..... 0

0 CJ)

4 2 5 8 5 1 9 7

3 8 17 1 2 4 7 5 2 4 3 8 2 4 13 2

·-

0(1) (.)

Overall

en en (I) Q) a::: en ._ c:

en en Q) Q) a::: en ._c: ~

9 .3 9.0 8 .8 8.3 8.0 7.7 7.9 7.0 7.7 7.3 7 .3 8.0 7.5 7.3 6.7 7.2 7.5 7.0 6.3 6 .6 6.0 6.0 4.9 3.3

4 2 5 8 4 3 10 7

Ill ~ 0 0

~CJ

10 19 1 2 4 6 6 2 8

92.2 90.0 87.9 84.8 80.4 79.9 78.7 78.3 77.9 75.7 75.4 75.0 74.5 73.8 73.3 73.3 72.0 70.2

61.1

66.0 64.5 61.0

54.8

37.5

17 16

ULTRA VIRES

FEATURI .S

high numbers might be partly due to the firm's recruitmen t coordinator, whom one student said was "the best person I met in the process". Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark (#21) This tirm did not participate m the OCI process, and only two of our surYey re spondents participated in in-firm interviews. Only one of those respondents was ~u fficiently moved to comment on Mathews, D insdale & Clark, so the~ get the fin al word: the firm was "friend!)" and "polite", but "spent a lot of time talking about themselves". Ministry of the A tto rney G eneral Crown Law Office - Civil (#7) Mt\G Civil hdd steady at the #7 spot from 2008 to 2009 amongst boutique employers. "The OCI ''.'as substantive, which was a surprise," according to one stud ent. Another student complained that "they had ob\ 1ously not reviwed [sil] my materials." '\.onetheless, the reaction from the OCI stage ·was generally positive. Although one respondent found the wine & cheese reception "cro\'\.·ded and awkward", most indicated that the o,·erall experience with MAG Ci,·il was positive. One student thought that a ~L\G Civil recruiter "~howed class" after the student cancc\\cd an interv1ew the mor ning of, and "the recruiter took this very we\l and csen continued to cbat...ab out the rigours of the process." D efying logic and all conventional s um m er recruitmg wisdom, one student er en fo und that it

was possible to get an in-fir m Interview without an OCI. Hey, even the governmen t sc rews up once in a while.

ative. Respondents found the OCis to be "horrible" and "bizarre and uncomfortable". Respondents also cla1med that the interviewers were "slightlr awkward" "confrontational in general:', and "ex~ tremel} devoted to settmg themselves apart from other firms and other lawyers almost to the extent where it bcc~me fake". One student was even "offended and put off by the attitudes of the interviewers". One of the respondents who had a posltl\·e impression of the OCI stated that they "enJoyed the conversation with two very professional, very engaging female litigators." Relativcl) few respondents were asked back for ~o ,·ember, but those earning in-firms were universally pleased with the experience. P inko fsk ys (#24) Criminal law boutique Pinkofskys finIshed at the bottom of the boutique firm rankings in th.ts year 's survey, although it should be noted that they did not partie· ipate in OCis, and had only three respon· dents in the survey. One of those students described the in-firm experience as "short, to the point, nothing remarkable". They also (rather circwtously) noted that the interview was ''almost like a chat with two guys who are trying to impress you but not wanting to look like they arc trying to impress you". Ridout & Maybee (#9) lP specialists Ridout & "v1aybee fi nished 9th amo ngst bo utique firms in this rear's survey, despJte possessmg quite possibly

the best firm name in the enure process. Reactions to the Ridout recruiting process were mixed, with one student gushing that they were the "most engaging inten·iewcrs 1\·e met so far". In contrast, multiple respondents described the whole process as "poorly organized", ,.,h1lc one surVC) respondent seemed to thtnk that t he recruiting process was nothing more than "an afterthought" to the firm \nother student felt that Ridout's recruiters "tried too hard to sell their firm". (herall, the firm came across to U ofT students as "weJJ.mcaning". Sherrard Kuzz (#2) Sherrard Kuzz finished as this year's #2 m-c.rall boutique firm. They did not participate in the OCI process, but those who interviewed m-firm suggested that it was "ver} refreshing" with "no artificiality involved". One student felt accorded the "utmost respect" from a reJection call and letter, and, in that vetn, the m·crall student impression of Sherrard Kuz was '\·et') accommodating and comparatively pleasant". (Although, given the rigours of the recruitment process, this may be damning with faint praise.) Smart & Biggar (#8) Smart & Biggar finished the survey as the 8th ranked bo utique firm. Two of the th ree Smart & Biggar hires came from l) of T Students had a m ixed impression of the OCI mteniewers, remarking that

Boutique Firm Historical Rankings

L------------------------------------_J Historical Rankings

Who knew? Minis try of the Attorney General - Crown Law Office - Criminal (#17) i\f,\G Criminal dropped to 17th this hiring cycle, after finishing 7th in 2008. T hey d1d not participate in the OCI stage, and only two sun·cy rc spondcnts participated in thc in-firm stage. The one respondent who actually included comments in their response claimed the interview was "substanti,·e to the max", and that the interviewers were "highly unrespon-

. ". Sl\'e Paliare Roland Rosenb erg Rothstein (#4) 1,ast year's top boutique firm <;llppcd to #4 this yea.r, despHc two of the three hires at Pali:uc Roland coming from U of T. Students seemed el rhcr to IO\C or to hate their <)Cb \.\ lth Paliare Roland. Despite a respectable score, . bmittcd comments the su \\ere disproportionately neg-

...0

CIS

...0

(,)

0 0 N

...0

(,)

rJJ

92.2 90.0 87.9 84.8 80.4 79.8 78.7 78.3 77.9 75.7 75.4 75.0 74.5 73.8 73.3 73.3 72.0 70.2 69.1 66.0 64.5 61 .0 54.8 37.5

Firm 1 !Gilbert's LLP 2 !sherrard Kuzz LLP 3 Bereskin & Parr LLP 4 Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP 5 tThorsteinssons LLP 6 Hicks Block Adams LLP 7 MAG - Crown Law Office - Civil 8 Smart & Biggar LLP 9 ~idout & Maybee LLP 10 Lerners LLP 11 ~enczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP 12 Salmon Rothbart Goodman 13 -=pstein Cole LLP 14 Koskie Minsky LLP 15 Wildeboer Dellelce LLP 16 Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP 17 MAG - Crown Law Office - Criminal 18 Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP 19 Dimock Stratton LLP 20 Legal Aid Ontario 21 !Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP 22 Keel Cottrelle LLP 23 Department of Justice 24 Pinkofskys

(/)

(,)

rJJ

0 0 N

CD 0 0 N

.....

co 0 0 N

82.3(3) 87.5 (1) 84.9 (2}

45.8 (9) 71 .2 (5)

61 .4 (9) 80.4 (1)

60.7(10)

69.4 (6)

67.0 (7)

81 .2 (2) 43.9 (10)

69.5 (6)

75.5 (2) 70.4 (5)

76.9 (4) 72.6 {5)

70.9 (6} 60.6 (11) 67.0 (7}

71 .9 (4)

72.8 (3)

63.4 (8)

63.4 (9)

61.1 (8)

73.4 (3)

66.5(8}

53.6 (12)

63.8 (7)

66.5 (7)

they '"·ere '\·cry talkative" but "not int~r csted in getting to know me". The tnfirm experience was generally well-received, with o ne respondent commenting that appreciated the opportunity to meet nearly everyone at Smart & Bigga r's Toronto office. .\nother student was impressed that everyone remembered them when the} returned to the firm. 0\·crall, however, students seemed to be speakmg from the perspective that, despite the firm's friendliness, the "likelihood of getting [an) offer from them is low". So lmon Rothbart G oodma n (#12) Solmon Rothbart Goodman fimshed 12th in th.ts year's boutique firm rankmgs. They did not participate in the OCI process, and their lone hire from this recruiting cycle is a U of T student. Among the limited number of responses was a mixed bag that included one student's (probably somebody that got an offer) remark that the firm "did a very good job at making me feel comfortable, welcomed, and [was) truly interested in what I had to say", while another student (we invite you to draw your own conclu s1ons here) called the in-firm intcn·iew "boring". Thors tein ssons (#5) Tax boutique Thorstcinssons, last year's #2 boutique fi rm, slip ped to #5 in this year's rankings. \ t t he OCI stage, students had mixed reactions, w ith o ne calling the interview "a o ne man show" w1th "one guy who just talked the whole ume". Other students felt as though the interviewers were "professional and passionate" and "ver) friendly and fun·t<>talk-with". Unfortunately, students were "not sure whether there was any point in this firm ha\'tng OCls", since they felt as though Thorsteinssons "knew who they were going to call back already and the 0('1 process was merely a formality". Wild eboer D ellelce (#15) Corporate boutique firm Wildcboer Dcllclcc slipped from #6 tn last year's boutique rankings to #IS this year. One of \Vildebocr's three summer hires is from U ofT Respondents felt as though the firm was "very professional" during the recruitment process. One sun·cy respondent offered up the critique that "it was hard to get both interviewers involved in the conversation." Other students warned of "a certain level of quirkiness", citing the pool cue swag from in-firms as an example. Ult1mateh·, reactions were mixed. One respondent called it a "fun fi rm" overall, while another student felt that "at the end of the day the) totall) clicked me around."

NO\ F.\1BER

25, 2009

f'EA'I'URES

In their own words: The unvarnished truth about OCis, in-firms, and all th<.• r est X'e asked students to offer up their war stories, their rants, their tips and a(h·icc. \\'c rot some really great responses that helped dispel some persistent m} ths- for ex1m pie, apparently you can still get an offer even if you: i) interview on Tuesday, ii) .uen't invited to a meal, iii) miss your ( )Cl time! Fc)r 1L-; looking to run through next ·ear's OCI gauntlet, here are some worJs of wisdom (all statements arc taken ,·er· atim from surve) answers; absolutely no edtts have been made):

• .I d 'd s after the\' me their second inten·ic\\ s because they met a lot of quahfieu can I ate · the student. This kind of behaviour IS JU t rude and disrespectful.

• The firms often try to ascertam how Interested you arc but also be awar~ that ~~H.~) may be exaggerating their own interest level with you. Take their stated mtenttons with a grain of salt and don't let them 1nform your decision to decline other firms before call day.

• The whole thing was \'Cr} much like a dating game. \'Vnat should 1 wear? ShouJJ I call? \X'ill they call me' Should I say how much I am interested or should I play hard to get? Is this firm gl\'lng me the brush off? Even the \fonda} vs. Tuesday interview is very much like the weekend ,·s. weeknight date. l\Iy strateg); if you can e\cn say I had much f one, was simply to be as forthright as possible. I told the firm that was my top choice that they were my top choice. X'hen I wanted a second interview, 1 asked for one. I don't think I would have gotten an offer otherwise. In the end it isn't , s complicated as it seemed at first. Even the most popular firms are insecure and afraid of being rejected · the} want to know they arc wanted . Don't be coy. • Caffeine and mints were my strongest allies throughout this process. • The biggest challenge is getting home around 10-11 pm after a ful1 day, reccption(s), nd a dinner, and summoning the will power to pull out a brick of business cards nd write thank you cmails.

• lt seemed like all of the CDO worbhops, and pieces of advice many of us re ceived from upper years, were based, on the assumption that all of our OCI and call·back schedules would be packed full .. .! wish that, at some point, someone had said that having only ; few ocr intcn:iews isn't actually that uncommon, call back in ter\'iews :ucn't "badges of honour" that you should be tryin to collect as many of as possible, and at the end of the day, a you really need is one offer from an employer that you fcc happy and comfortable with.

• I had three \Cry intensive days- in-firm interviews, reccp tions and dinners. I enjoyed the process \'cry much because I had the chance t know the fi rms better and the lawyers that work with them. Every firm I inter viewed with congratulated (me) on my achie,·cments and highlighted what a com· petitivc candidate I was; it seemed that they liked me very much. l lowcver, I did no get any offer at all. I was terribly disappointed, but I know that there are many op· portunities beyond the ( >CI's and perhaps working on Ba~ Street is not for me.

• Firms who ask a student to return for a follow-up interview the next day should really not call said student back hours after and tell them no t to bother coming for

• Your best resources arc the third-year students that ha\'e already gone through th process. Also, get rest the weekend before the in·firm week. You will be more tired than you haYe ever felt before, but vou can't show this in your interdcws. J ust sta\ h igh energy and then collapse on the \Xedncsday-Friday (don't expect to get \ '\, 'r reading done during read inv, week).

US recruitment

CDO comment on hiring

U of T Law has de\ eloped a tradition of sending students southwards each }Car,

BY JA:o-;1 PRICL

• I did 5 in-firms and found It made for an absolutely packed schedule. I don't know ow some of my peers did 6 or more. If I were to do it again, I would do only 4.

~oStl} to ~<.'W Y~>rk. This practice reached a peak a few ~·cars ago, when th~e Metro .After the cofltplrting tbt slali!liral alltlfJ!iS of Oltr sun·ry data, n·r sml it 011 to Grretr Det·dopf!ltnl foro~to Convenuon Centre was swarmed wuh dozens of t;S fi rms courung Canad1an O.ffi.-1 to obtain tbeirto!llnmtl!. f'ht (ollouing u'tls ruilkn l!)·}alle Price, Arting.t'lssislalll Drt111, candidates. Ct1rerr Srn•ices, 011 beba(f of lht (DO. Early on, students could tell that things would be di fferent this year. Rather than participating in the OC I process tn Toronto, m an) fi rms chose to do resume collection \\'e, at the COO, are really pleased with the OCl results to date. \\'e are still in the only. At. the "\\'orking in the 'CS" ~DO c\·ent, o nly o ne ~S atto.rney visited to talk to process of gathering information about students who accepted jobs tn jurisdictions the appltcan ts. Also, no~c o f the tlr ms <~rgamsed. reccptH.ms pno~ to t~e <)CJ da~· to outside Toronto (including Calgaq, Vancouver, l lalifax, Ottawa and the l S) but in meet and greet the camhdates, as was prto r pract•cc. U ltlmatcly, JUSt five ~ew 't ~~rk spite of a lot o f bad economic forecasts over the past several months, lookmg at the offices set up booths downtown o n< )Cf d ay. O f those, one was the N ew 't ork o ft lee: ()( I results so far, the employmen t outlook for our students 1s ver\ positive. of Canad ian firm D avies, wh1ch jc lined Paul, \X.ciss,.Ropes ~ Gray, SIH.-arman. ~ Srcr· Our students did very well proportionally this year in the OCis taking a slight!} ling, and \X hite & C~se. S~ad~len:.Arps \\ <ml~,J~tn. tn later m th~term, truly It, mg up h1ghcr proportion of ·nm>nto OCl jobs than in the past few years. to the term OCI by tnterv1ewtn~ on.-campus 1.ns1de Bora Las~tn.. · \\ e continue to sec a strong interest in T students amongst employers. T his The limited feedback that U~ received rcgardmg the process mdlc:tted th~t t he. two yc.:u at the Toronto OCis we had more employers than in previous years mcluding major challenges for US recruitment arc a) researchmg the firms, and b)dealing With a new public sector participants· LAO and ~1 \(7 - for the first time .. arawn-out process. I,n, terms of rcsearc~, appli~ants found that upper }Car students *The total number of OCI jobs offered 1n Toronto has not declined in any note:who had gone to ). C \\Crc generous w1th theu ume and p ro\cd to be the best rc- worthy way this year. . source when trying to get a sen e ~f the lcgal lan~scapc. In term~ ~~ the lcnt..rth ofi * \\ hile the number of l I) OCl opportunities was down, we had more ~S em· the process. students f< 1und that, unl1ke Toronto()( Is where the acu;·lttes are clustered ployers participate in our ( )( I process than an} other law school in the country and together, NYC ''fly-back" ~ntcrvi~ws could be spaced apart, rcqutnng ~:student to a fair number of our students still received lS offers. \X'e are still collecting this mmanage travel plans alo ngs1dc thc1r school work. ~),·crall, howt:\ cr, the l S firms pro- formation so we cannot offer final details at this potnt. vidcd h:_Jpfu! s~ppo.n and generous. accommo~auons ~o the st~d~~ts. As with everr other year, the OCis arc not the only route for our second year stuOne ftnalJ~s1ght 1.s that st.uden~s mte~e;ted 10 appl},Jng to the ~ .s :lcxt }Car ~hould dents to get summer jobs. Tradinonally fall recruitment has accounted for about 50% st~ongly cons1der gomg ou1~1dc n t L o; , I s formal OCJ proce:-.s. I ~c .us rccru~unent of second year summer jobs and this appears stable this year. Most small and medium dnve gets started much earlter and 't ~- fi rms had commenced thel: 1.nterviC\\ s \\1 th :-;ize employers and many government offices hire after the OCl process is completed students in t he summertime. l~y the u.m c U o f.. ~ ~tu~ent~ were 'ISittng ~S fir~ls: so we expect many of our second y<.':lrs will get summer positions thought these other many fi rms had completed thc1r recruitmen t.. L\er) place 1 \\ent to said - \\O\\ recruitment processes. CD<) staff arc very po~itive about the outlook for our students rou're here late, }OU're the last p erson \\ e'rc S~Clng," :emark.cd one appl•c~nt. To going forward. Our students did well in a' time when people feared the \\Otst, so no\\, oppo rtunities students should consider dotng their leg \\ork on thctr own, as · recoven· we expect great opportumn · ..... 4~ rw r maximize . • . • "'e " •arc •see1' ng lc>ts <>f ·s1'g,....s '"· c>f ec<>n om1c completing CS applications inJul} and then go1ng to meet firms m August. our students. ·'

'\,0\'1 ~.\lBhR

25, 2009

. • )f an extraordinary , . descnbes 11 as "a nch and lm mg personaI I11 tory < • • • . . h' . ,f tmpcna 1 1Hl ~ number of people who did, and I can assure )OU that they arc all H'r) anteresung famil} and a chronicle of that fanul) 's connecuon \\ 11h the tstor} < sia." Leadership ts clear!} m hts blood. 1 people. • 1lccause he rece nt \' I i\flchacl lgmaueff i al o a ••n.-at Canad1an pat not. \'\ c know t liS . : 1\s a young man, ~lichacllgnatieff attended our \eC}' nwn l ni\crsil) of Toronto, ,.., I Th1s notably with the et(ually-wcll-known Bob Rae. There is an old picture 111 thl• narro\\ wrote a book about him elf and h1 Canadtan ance tC}, entitled Tmt HllnOI ~t·t. . · · entangIe·ment in Canac.l!an o f h 1 materna1f:am11} an d It book chromdcs the h1stor} passage lc:tding to the !!art I louse g} m - a picture of a young man \\ ith thick e} c • · • George : • brows in a swim cap playing water polo; I ha\1..' a theory that this man is ,\licb.tcl lg- h1stc ,f)· In particular, he recounts the 1nsp1rnuona1 tones o f h"IS gr..1r1l!father :\lonro (~rant an influential ad, ocate of Confederation who tra\'dlcd !rom ocean to natieff. In particular, M1chacll!-,111atieff attended 'J'rintt:\ College, an institution about \\'hich ocean \\ith th~ great r:ulwa} enhrineer 1r ~and ford Fleming, as well <IS his grizzled and · · \menc ' tn I can pronde some personal insight. I've never heard him comment on his undergrad cantankerous uncle George P.trkm Cram, the mad prophet o f 1mm1nent J experience, but I can presume that he spent a lot of time with rich nerds, stt:epcd in absorption. Apparentlr, .\tichad lgnatit"ff had many disagreements with his uncle, old-fashioned \nglophilia and frat boy rituals. Alcohol, cigars, gowns, politics, dandy- but neither ha~ wavered in his commitment to Canada. .\.tichacll!,rnatieff IS the Prime L\linistl'r of Canada. \\ell, almo:>t. There is the matism, ,·ulganty, edgy humour, ~tnachronism, and pseudo-secret societies likely all inter of the incumbent con.en •ath e .\lackenzic King, hut as .\li<:hacl l!,rnatieff says, formed his time at Trin. ";\lr. llarper, your time IS up.'' \\1ith polls sho\\ ing htm slipping into "Diem terri wry", 1\fter C of T, \ltch :~el Ig natieff went on to study at Oxford and completed his he will have his work cut out for hun. Hopefully, his new and greatly-trumpeted poPh.D. at Harvard that's nght: he went to both Oxford and llan·anl. I think both litic:~! team will do a better job of commurucating .\l1chacl lgnatieff's awesomeness schools speak for themscl\'es and require no elaboration on the1r prestige. .\lichael l gnatieff is a man of the world. J\fter his stint as a professor at UBC, lg- to the public, and rerurn Canada's natural gmerning party to power. natteff became a celebrity 111 the Cnited Kingdom, well-known as :1 rad1o ;md television broadc:tster. Before returning to run for office 111 Canada, he was din:ctor of the Carr Center for llum:tn Rights Policy at I Iarvard. lie may e\·en be Pierre Trudeau reincarnate:. Both men gre\V up conscious of their dual hcri;age, and went on to tnwcl the world and attend Its elite institutions of higher learning. Both arc (or were) extreme!) attractive, though Trudeau lacked Michacllgnaticff's powerful eyebrows. \lichacl Ignatieff is descended from royalty- or nobility, at least. J\ccording to \\ 1kipedia, "his Russian forebears mclude the aristocratic families of Bibikm·, Cal· 1tzmc, I,srnatye\', Karamz1n, ,\lalt!>e\', \lcs hchersk}; Panin, and ' Ji,[stcl} , .tnd encompass many members of the old sen icc nobility." ,\t kast a couple of Ius ancestors wen• counts and Russian ministers. :O.hchacl lgnadeff even wrotl' a hook on the subject of himself and his Russian ancest ry, entitled Tbe Ru.rsia11 Allmfll. I haven't had the chance to read it, but

IGNATIEFF- from page 18

The abdication of th e courts' over~ight role in Arar v.Ashcroft BY Ctz \t-. St 11\1 \~ (21.) not deference to the constitutional cxer crnment of laws, and not of men", but ftld, rejecting the argument that the decise of the powers of the exccuth·e. that it would "cease to deserve this high nial of due process was justified by the \X hat Arar alleged was that his constitu- appellation, if the laws furnish no rcm- cxecuuve's need to prosecute a war. The Second Circuit Court of Appeal's uonal rights were violated and that the edy for the violation of a vested legal defendants exceeded their constitutional right". The necessity of h:t\·ing a redress supine attttude in challenging executive authority. In fact, the Supreme Court for the violations of constitutional rights decisions 1s especially troublesome in stated explicitly that the purpose of the was the basis of allmving a damage rem- light of the profound claims of execuBirms remedy "is to deter individual fed- edy in Bimu. In his concurrence in tive power that have been made by the eral officers from committing constitu- Birms,Justice Harlan explained that "the Bush and Obama administrations and tiona! \ 10lations." As the dissent by judiciary has a particular responsibilil) to the limited Congressional resistance to Justtce Sack points out, Birms, by its very assure the \'indication of constitutional these claims. The Vnited States finds it nature, implicates government interests. interests," and the court should provide self at a ume when members of Con grcss and the med1a become furious at 1\ Bimu action ''is an attempt to hold a damage remedy whenever it is "dam the notion that federal agents and gmmembers of the executive accountable ages or nothtng". for their allegedly unconstitutional acts". The l S Supreme Court also has a ernment officials complicit in the torture Thus, it is the point of civil rights actions long Ius tor) of pushing back against the of detainees would be investigated . .Atdenial of constitutionally gu:uantecd tome\ Gcm.ral Eric Holder has sat in rights because of national security con- front of the Senate Judiciary Committee cern!>. In f!.,:parle Mill(f!,tlll, an influential and cited .hL cxecuth·e's "post-acquittal DOCfRII<E, 11-:VO::; civ1l war era case, Justtce Davis, writing detention powers" to assure Senators for the majority, held that the Constitu- that the administration would continue 1:'\.(, \lORE PFR'\ICIOl'S tion "applies equally in times of war and to imprison 9/1 I detainees, even "in the CO'\,Sl QlJE:\'Cf \ M\S b\ I~R peace, and covers with the shield of its unlikely case that they were acquitted". It-..\ ~ ~ ~·1 ED B\ I Hh \\IT <W protection all classes of men, at all times, It is pn·ciscly at this ttme that the nation reljuires \'igil:lnt cou rts to st:tnd up for and under all circumstances". Davis n: ,\lt\0: Tl Jt\1' TJI \T \1\JY OF jectcd the argument rhat the Constitu - the rights and principles espoused h\ the I'J"S PROVI~ l ()'\o:, C \ '\,; IW tion can be suspended during any Constitlltion. The dismissal of Arar's ~l ·SPI NDED Dl RI'-..G \ 1 emergency: "1\,.o doctrine, involving Bi,·cns claims without affording him the OF TflF GRI~.\T LXIGI '\JCH ~S more pernicious consequences, was ever opportunity to prove his grave allegaim·ented by the wit of man than that any tions against the l S go\"ernment, is an of its provisions can be suspended dur- abdication of the role assigned by the ing any of the great exigencies of gov- Constitution to the judiciary and a failure ernment." 'I he Supreme Court affirmed to \'indicate the rule of law that prevails to make it more costly to \·iolatc the this sentiment recently in Ha111di t: Rnms- in the United States. Constitution. Furthermore, Justice ~ack argues that the ability of the e:xccuti,·e to conduct the business of diplomacy and government in secret is already protected by other established procedures, such as the state-secrets doctrine. BY A>\RON CI!RI::;T< ll•l (2L) The decision by the majority of the :\hchacl Ignaueff 1s awesome. And I l\lmistt•rs who plays Beatles tunes \\'ith Second Circuit Court of Appeal reflects lon't mean that in a "l\lichad lgnaccff Yo-Yo ;\Ia. 1\fter a silent summer, th · a failure to recogni:t.e the paramount role of the judiciary as a check against viola- th111ks he's awe.;omc/Tor) attack ad" few headlines :\lichacll~rnatieff has got· tions of fundamental rights guaranteed sense. :t\hchacl l!,rnatieff IS actually awe- ten Iatel) ha\ e to do \\ ith his electoral by the Constitution. 1\s Justice Carring- some. ~fichae) I,srnatieff has been the threat (qwckl) underc!Jt b) the Bloc and ton points out in h1s separate dissent in subject of extensive and flattering pro- the i:\D P), Jnternal feuding and roorgan Arar, the court's decision would effec- files in many pubhcations, including ization in his party (courtesy of Dents ighl) prestigious papers like The (,/obe Coderre), Liberal by-election losses, and tively leave Arar without a remedy in the c!..'"' Mail and The Veu• York Times. He has even l'accbook heckling from Mrs. J\merican courts. The Framers of the long and impressive list of accomplish- Stcphaoe Dion (lanine Kricber). 1\merican Constitution expected the jullents, the most recent bcing Ius coronadiciary to "guard the Constitution and And yet, as Leader of the Opposition the rights of individuals from the effects tion as Leader of the I .ibcral Party. he continues to play an important role in Unfortunately, 11ichael Ign:lticff has our political process, :tnd so rem:tins of those ill humors which the arts of designing men, or the tntluence of partic- fallen on hard times lately, so I ha\c continuing subject of Interest to me. aken it up1 m myself to rehabilitate his This p1ece attempts to outline some of ular conjectures, sometimes disseminate mage. M) feeling is that we still don't his many quahties and achievements. among the people themselves" (fhe Federalist 't\o. ~8). This role has been now the real .\lichael l!,rnaucff, en~lichad l!,'llatieff went to all the bcs ·hanted forest ads notwtthstandtng. support<.:d b) the Supreme Court. In schools. 'criously. In his youth, he at poiJC\, . . " It's ahu) s a struggle for opposiuon tended l pper C:anada College, the fore J\farbiiTy 1: Matt..JOh, Chief Justice .;\farJ h t f:act counsels hesttatton. ,lOU t a ' .L, caders to get headlines, and even more most private school for bo\'s in Canada. . . portant to note that the deler- shall stated that the gm·ernment of the Ir ~ ~ 1m · o when the) 're competing with Prime I never went there mysclt~ .but l know , ' b , the Court of Appeal IS United States has been termed a ''govc nce -;hO\\ n ) In times of war or national emergency, when constitutional rights such as due process may be seen as a hindrance to n:ttional security polic), it is paramount that the judicial system become m o re vigilant in protecting against constitutional violations. It is for this reason that the decision of the Second Circwt Court of Appeal in Arar z: Ashcroft to deny l\lr. Arar the ability to sue agents of the gO\ crnment who violated his due process rights is so disappointing. In Arar 1'. Ashcroft, Mr. Arar argued that officials violated his Fifth Amend ment due process rights when they mls· treated him while detained in the LS, hindered his access to counsel and the courts, and caused him to be tortured and arbitrarily detained tn Srna. ;\lr. t\rar was iniuallr denied tLt.. nght to speak to his lawyer, as wdl as denied access to the courts. 1'-.S agents sought to get him to agree to be remoYed to Syria but he refused, citing his fear of heing tortured :md requesting to be sent to Can1'h m.,tc:lcl. Inun~~ration offici.1ls in the { ) dctermmcd that \fr. \rar would likdy be tortured if sent to Srna, but this decision was overridden by officials in 1 \ \ ashinbtton. Thirteen days after having been dctamed, .;\1r. Arar was rcnditioned to Syria, where he was tortured and spent ten months in a cell three feet wide and six feet long. ;\1r. Arar had brought his ci,·il suit under Hirem z: Six Cnknou·11 NamedAgmts (1971), where the Supreme Court ruled that it will impl) a pnvate right of action for damages :tgainst government ofticials where no other federal remedy is prm 1ded for the 'mchcation of a Constttuttonal right. On ~ovember 2, 2009, the Second Circuit Court of Appeal, in a n m btmr rehearing of Arar z: Ashcroft, rejected Arar's Bin·ns cbims. The majority arhTUed that, to allow Arar's Himu actio n to proceed would mean expandmg Bn·ms to a new context- in particular, to the context of extraordinary rendition an d the '"complicity or cooperation of V nited States government officials in the dcJ 1, ·er) o f a non-citizen to a foreign for tor ture (or with the expectation that torture will take place". The Court rejected "extension" of BiYens because, t Il iS · , . in 't of extraordinarv rendltlon, t IlC CO nte ·' • '"such an acdon would have the nat~ral affect diplomacy, fore1gn ten d enc\ to . ; nd t he security of the n:tuon,

r::;,

manw onee sno introduction

NTIN

D n

EDITORIAl ~mazon.ca

There are no ''Canadians of convenience'' lh STJ Pill.!'. lit n

As I write this, the Supreme Court of The shocking part Isn't the failure of Canada has just recently concluded oral government. It's that ( .anadians don't arguments in KJ;adr 1~ Ca11adt1. \X'e all seem to have much of a problem with know ho\\ Khadr, a brainwashed child this. The ar!,TUment, on radio call-in soldier, has languished in Guantanamo shows and Internet forums, is always the prison for seven years, under torture, same. These arc "Canadians of com·en without a day tn court. \\'e also know ience." They show up, acquire citizen that the Canadian government has been ship, and flit back and forth between complicit in all this, steadfastly refusing Canada and their "home" country. to request Khadr's return. Then, when they get tnto trouble, they Canadians being abandoned by their expect the Canadian taxpayer to bail government overseas appear to be them out. Surely the go,·ernment can something of a motif these days. l\1any distingUish between these people and will recall how Canad1an offic1als 111 real Canadians, who've prud their taxes Kenya falsely accused Suuad .\lohamud and lived here the1r whole lives. <>r so of being an impostLr, . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , the argument usually hurling her under the goes. bus in a foreign land. These debates reThe Canadian governmind me of an mciment resisted ,\bousdent that occurred tn fian Abdclrazik's 1850. t\t that time, return for years, de Greece \\'as cxpedcncspite RCMP and CSlS ing se\·ere economic im•estigations that depression and politicleared him of wrong cal discontent. The doing. Less wellgm·ernment looked known is the case of for a scapegoat and Abdihakim ~lohamed. found it, as w:ts not An autistic Canadian, ,\loharnccl had his uncommon for that tunc, in thl· Jewish passport stolen in .:\airohi. Canad1an communit). Officials delt\ crnl stirring officials refused to issue him a new one. denunciations of the Jt•ws, blaming 1fe spent years on the s treets until a them for Greece's difficulties. \ frcn Toro11to Jtar im estigation shamed the zied mob ransacked the hous(' of a JC\\ gm·ernmcnt into allowing his return. i~h Portuguese merch:tnt named D on There arc tOO man) others to mention. Pacifico. Pacttico blamed the gm ern-

111.\:SO~';

(2L)

ment's race baiting for the attack. lie demanded compensation. The government refused. They \vcre hardly about to offer compensation to some Jewish merchant. Yet, there was something about Paci-

Palmerston replied with three simple points. First, all Britons should feel assured that their government will support them in forei!,rn lands. Second, foreign governments must know that Britain will always back its citizens to the hilt.

f1co that the ~ : ; Third, the first t\\'O arc im(7r<.:eks didn't possible unless Brit:tin kn<)\\: lie was "I , . ,. consistently supports all . ('" C \ "-.: ONL\ 11011 ~ . sub.1ects - regardl ess IlOrn tn 71 b r al tar o f ItS and was, therefore, C \Ni\DI \N"l BI ~CO~lE A of race, religion, or even technically a urn L \lORE CHJ\Utime spent in the country. Bnttsh sub1cct. ~ \ INIS'IIC." ~ Allowing any Briton to be !\.ow, d<:spitL havmistreated overseas impermg never set foot illed all Bntons oversea~. in England, PaciPalmerston concluded fico appealed to the British gm·Lrnment with an impressive flourish: for help. In response, the RoyJI '\iaw ",\s tht. Roman, 111 days of old, held blockaded the entire Aegean coast. The himself free from indigmt} wllcn he British Forei!,tt1 Secretary, Lord Palmer- could say 'Ch·1s Ro manus Sum' [I am a ston, sent the Greek~ a simple ultima- Roman citizen], so also a Briti.;h subject tum: pay up or face a permanent in whatever land he may he, shall feel blockade. Pacifico got his compensa- confident that the watchful C) e and the tion, with interest. strong arm of England will protect him In Britain, the press and Parliament against injustice and wrong." initial!) reacted \Vith outrage to thcsc \\hen the vote came, the motion of e\ cnts. Britain had bullied a smaller na- non-coMidcnce was m·erwhehningl}' dction, the very home of anti(jllity, and for feated. what -some Portuguese Jew who h:td In my vic,~·. Palmerston's argument ne\er c\'en visited England? This was remains relevant and per:masive to the nothmg more than a dbplay of imperi:tl present day. If that's ''chau\1111Sm'', chauvinism. The opposition brought a then 1 can only hope Canadians become motion of non-confidence in Parlia- a little more chauvinistic. ment. t\IP after \fP stood to condemn the go\ ernment's aetinns.

NovEi\lBER

25, 2009

DIVERSlO~S

UV eats: burger edition B'l

Feeling blawgged down? Check out some blogs! BY A\fANDA Ml LV IN (2L) You've reached the breaking point. You feel your focus slipping a\\.'lly, and yet you're still facing the prospect of a few more hours of class/ studying/writing/ reading. \X'hat do you do? I'm partial to "productive procrastination". \X'hen I'm feeling like I cannot possibl} continue concentrating on what I am currently (supposed to be) doing, I turn to blogs. Whether they reveal the best places to eat or go out in Toronto, the latest fashions, or legal updates and oddities, blogs just can't be beat. With this in mind, I have decided to share my expertise with the law school masses. Here is a list of my favorite blogs, what they offer, and v.: hy they're great. T he

at NYU. No, I don't have any desire to go to NYU. No, I am not all that fascinated with lL life in general (am I ever happy that IS done!) or the US law school experience in parttcular. All that being srud, this blog IS fantastic! This bloggcr (I am fauly certain it's a boy, despite the fact that s/he attempts to keep things somewhat ambiguous) blogs about the goss1p mill, arbitrary

Law Blogs

1. Law IS Cool (http://lawiscool.com)- First oft~ the fact that when you say this quickly it sounds like "l..a\\ School" is just awesome. It's also super Canadian Canadian-with-a-little-maple-leaf-symbol-in-theURL-bar Canadian. The content in the :micles is pretty reliable for gi,•ing you a good idea of d1fferent positions on t':lch issue, and there is a great balance bet\vcen the senous and the seriously amusing (case in point: the h~sterical post from ~ovember 14, 2tXl9 entitled "This is the Guy that Messed Up the Curve"). Finally, the content is submitted by law students from all over the countr_1; so if you decide you want to h>iYe bloggmg a try (you knov.~ just in case cruising blogs isn't tjuitc procrastination enough), you can e,·en get invoh·cd! 2. .AboYc the l..aw (wwv.:abovethclaw.com) - 1\ self-proclaimed "Legal Tabloid", this blog offers news, Want to jazz up your work wardrobe? Get bespoke with the Sartorialist! commentary and gossip about the legal profession, l .~. k-gal challenges and transformations, and life in Bigla\\. (or just odd) conYersatto ns with fellow law students, The ".Morning Docket" serYes up the latest serious classes, cases, and extra-curricular life. ~ he has quite news stories and oddities. They'ye also got a decent the sense of humour, and the stories and frustrations "Career Center" by Lateral Link that offers snapshots remind me of exactly how and why I first found law of US firms if you're looking for a quick source of school simultaneously frustrating and entertaining. such information. Finally, the communit\' tab adds a nice dose of personality to this othet\vise ~ore top1cal The Life Blogs blog. 1. Blog TO (www.blogto.com) -This is the be-ail 1. I don't wear skinny jeans (http:/ /ldwsj.word- and end-all of Toronto blogs! I first d1scovered it while press.com)- Yes, I understand this is the blog of aIL searching for a nev. restaurant and it somehow ended

• Library Voices: a review BY CAssA ORA

P1 ORIO (31.)

To tho.rr u•ith ears to hrar, librariu are rral!J• personalities on stage never fails to deli\·cr a d)nam1c, never-to-be-replicated expe1·ny noi!J places. On their .rhr/t:es U!f hrar the mpt11red toices of the cmtmie.r-old conursallon rience. And when those instruments and that twh.r np onr cirilization - Timothy personalities arc in the process of belong I lcaly

.fdriiCt' inrite.r_)'OIItO d11sl rffyJIIr ti!lle lntJrhine aiJ(/tah' 11 look (1/ jttlltre :r past. Through tbe cirmits in 011r hMd and the wires in our chMt, Jl•e'lljind 11 JJ'{/.)' to acc~pt all th~ t~ing.r u•efon,ght Jo L!iJrd /o rqecl. - Library \ olces , . thl. ng rotallv indc.;cribable There s some . . berant abandon of a man)nbout t h e cxu • ' I b d in live performance. l'he mcm JCr a.n . • I ltiple mstrumcnts anc interplay 0 f mu

out some truly Irresistible nmes, the cxpcncncc is eompk>tc. 'I his kind of rambunctious display is ex.tetly \\hat audiences arc guaranteL·d from Regina based band Library \'oiccs. Th1s nine-ten-eleven person outfit (depending on when, and where, you see them- keeping a group this big constant!) together is a bit of a challenge!) proud!) proclaims thcmschcs to be "Pop as r•ck", and they certainly deliver on thi bold claim.

up pulling me in for a solid hour (and this was just on day 1!) . It presents you with pretty much everything there is to do in Toronto (if you have time!), and sets things out week by week for those looking to pack their schedules. Truthfully, I've never done anything on here that I wasn't planning on doing already, but it's nice to know what's on offer. The site also divides itself up by categories of interest (Art/Music/ Fashion/City/Film/Best of Toronto/Restaurants and MoYie Listings). Of all the Toronto blogs I've perused, the restaurant section is by far m y favorite - you can select restaurants by style of food o r neighborhood, and they also highlight various other new / trendy/ dependable restaurants around town (often with pictures of the atmosphere and food). The "best of" tab also co n . tains great lists, if you like things in list form (which 1 clearly do), such as best bookstores, all-you-can-cat sushi, cafes, steakhouses, shoe stores, etc. in T.O.. The ltsts are entertaining if you arc bored, and invaluable if you are searching for something specific. 2. ~he Does the Citv (http:, , shcdoesthec1~.com)- Here's one for the ladie~! This si te is pretty amazing - there's "the Scribble", filled with mindless and entertaining celeb gossip, as well as T\ show reviews, and trend tracking. \Xhethcr you're look1ng for fashion tips/ tncks, mtcrestcd in arts and entertainment, or lookmg for a "Sex and the Ciry"style sex column, th1s blog covers tt all. The only possible drawback? It's not updated daily ... 3. The Sartorialist (http:// thcsartorialist.blogspot.com) - This blog features a collection of gorgeous portraits of fantastically dressed people from all over the world. The author is a high-end fashion industry professional who turned his focus from clothing to photography. He traYels all over the world, taking portraits of people of all ages, shapes, and s1zes, \\ ho just happen to be dressed to impress. He's even \Isited Toronto, giving a talk at Holts earlier this year. \X 1th all its vibrant colors, different styles and settings, th1s site is perfect for anyone seeking a mild diversion.

Hadng already won a CBC Radio 3 Bucky J\ward last year for Best ~e\v Band ~arne, they haYe since gained rL"Cognition in a slightly more substantial category: Best Lh·e 1\ct. And with g()(xl reason. Their upbeat music has a toetapping, get-your-tush moving feel to it that the crowd at their El .o\locambo show on <ktober 29 happily surrendered to. Pla)Jng a mix of songs from their EP, l lunting Ghosts (& Other Collected Shorts), and from their upcoming full length album, the band's infectious cncrm and enthusiasm got the crowd really going. From bassist-acrobatics on the bass drum, to one singer's v.~ld foray Into the CCO\\ d (long mic cord and all!), the band reall) set the tone for the night. B) the ttme they closed with their classic

cover of Neil Young's Unknown J..cgend, proudly dedicated to anyone and C\ cryone from the prairies, the room was fully on board, clapping along as the band's voices blended over the mighty bt-at of the tom being held aloft, taiko-drum style, in the middle of the crowd. i'Jone of this is to say that IJbrary \'oice:;' appeal is purely sonic. Their songs reveal :1 impressive depth of literary and social reflection. When they're not referencing Kafka and Vonncgut, they're delving into the nature of interpersonal relationships in the racebook era ("I think your social network is trying to sell you something, reconstruct your identity through collected friends and directed advertising"). It is this more bookish and philosophical aspect of

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Burger joints have been sprin,t,ring up all over the city, and it's an cxcning trend. For roo long, Toronto's hamburger scene \\las stagnant, but it seems like people in Toronto are taking the humble hamburger seriously again. UV sent Steven Sla' ens and Samantha \Xu to inYcstigatc the burgeoning burger scene that's growing up ncar campus. This is their report: \\c spent a Saturday crawling from burger joint to burger JOint, ordering a 6 oz. hamburger, a vcgt'tarian burger, a signature burger, and one side dish from each. We found some great ideas and some nice dcor, but the perfect burger remains elusive. These burgers were decent and the toppmgs were im·enti\·e, but we're still waiting for a well-prepared burger that doesn't taste like it comes from a box.

Craft Burger (830 Yonge Street) Craft is crowded. Collages by local artists decorate the dark walls. \\'c ordered the classic burger ($5.65), veggic burger (S6.95), Craft Blue burger ($6.95), topped with gorgonzola, avocado, and rosemary garlic mayo, and poutinc ($4.95). \\"c admired the exposed ducts and dark wood as we sipped on Boylan's sodas and waited for our food. The poutinc was classic-- brown gravy and real cheese curds dripping over crisp

hand-cut fries. Both the fries and the g ravy, however, were a little low on s:tlt. The burgers arrived on indiYidual aluminum trays, covered by a sheet of brown ttssue. \X'c were sali\'ating. The vcggll' patty 1s made of a laundry list of ingredients, and arriwd on a whole wheat bun. The ,·cggic patty was promising - it did look like meat -- but It was a little dry and ver) pt•ppcry. The Classic and Craft Blue beef patties arc made of fresh ( )ntario chuck and were enclosed 10 soft brioche-like buns. Unfortunately, they were cooked past welldone and quite dry. That being said, this tS a dcccnt burger joint. Even tho c who don't enjoy blue cheese will appreciate the balance of Craft Blue. The ~harpncss of the gorgonzola on the complemented the richness of the avocados perfectly.

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Gourmet Burger Co. (9 Chadc ~trect \X est) The decor of (~ourmet w·a \Cr) similar to< .raft, wnh ell. posed ducts, rough w ood trim, and dark walls. \Vc ordered the (,BC beef burger (SS.SO), ,·egcrarian burger (S5.75), 1\uss1e burger - a lamb p.ttty topped with fried egg, pineapple, bacon, beets, and cheddar (SH.50), and a Caesar salad. The burgers wen• drizzled with Gourmet's (; BC sauce: mayo, ketchup, mu tard, hone}. and hot sauce. \X'c were lookmg forward to the beef burger, proud!) ach crtiscd a fre h, local, and aged 30 day~. The \·cgctarian patty o;ounded appetizing, too: so~, egg, mushroom, roasted garlic, zucchini, and onions. Vegt:tanan burger usually tr) to simulate the fla\our of meat or they try to be delicious on their own terms. Gourmet's docs the latter. It \\':IS the best vegetarian burger we tasted. The zucchini kept the patt) mmst, and the roasted garlic wa.; bold, but not m·crpowering. The tasteless Caesar salad \\a less succe sful. It arrh·cd in a plastic box (like airplane food), and the creamy dre sing was unimpresshc. The meat pattie~ \\ere \cry thin and lJ~llte df). Smothered with toppings, the ;\uss1e burger's lamb flavour :.tjll shone through uhtly, hut distinct!): The pint-apple imparted a slight sweetness t<' the burger, but it was more .1 supporting character than a le;td. The egg was a revelation- unexpected, he-arty, and delicious. It's too bad the fresh local beef \\as cooked until honc·dry. \\'c haven't tudicd Crimlatcly, but this just tmght be a crime. It should he, anyway. Gourmet had some great ideas, and their list of toppings and signature burgers was intrit,'lllng. <lne day, when we're fceltng lik<: going \cggic, we just might come back. Acme Burger Co. (SUO Bloor St. \\est) This space resembled a cafeteria by Ikca bright, minimalist, and accented with blonde wood. \X'e ordered a (;reck salad (S5.99), becf burger ($5.49), \cggie burger (S5.49), and a b:1con and cheese burger ($6.99) \Vith guacamole. Everything (except the salad) c:unc slathered in mustard, ketchup, ~1nd Acme's creamy garhc sauce. The burgers were similar 10 the pre-fab oftcnng at llcro, but less iuic~. By this point, the fact that the burger was ha,\\y overcooked w:1.s no surprise. \\'c expected to be bowled over by the gloopy garlic s:1.uce, hut it hare\) registered. The hacnn anl\ cheese burger was even worse. Acme's hacnn is not bacon. Instead, they usc the shameful mystery meat known as turkey bacon. It added nothing to our burger. The guacamole was prcttr good, though - cn::tmy, rich, and just a little acidic.

Hero Certified Burger (55 ,\venue Road) TI11S llc.:ro franchise is in I lazclton Lanes. It is modern and bright restaurant- pcrfcctly at home in a food court. The burgers packaged fast food s1ylc in aluminum foil on red plastic trays. \X'e ordered the llero burger (S5.69), Peamcal Bacon Burgcr($7.29), Soul (veggie) Burger ($5.29), and onion rings ($2.49). llcro's beef burgers arc 100% Angus, and its Soul burger is soy-based. \\'c ordered the beef burger and wggie burger with ~laplc Ch1potlc BBQ sauce and Creole ,\lustard sauce. The Pcamcal Bacon Burger came topped with the I fcro Certified sauce, which was a little hke ranch dressing. The omon nngs were excellent. The proportion of onion to batter was perfect, and the hatter \\as shatteringly crisp The meat burgers were very juic), C\'Crl thoug h cooked well done. The) looked, however, weirdly uniform in shape and they rcrmndcd us of the sort of burgers that you can buy frozen in a supermarket. 1\ gam, pepper dominated the other tla' ours in the \'egctarian patt)~ wh1ch \\as a little spongy, hut pretty satisfying. Unfortunatcl), the single shce of peameal1n the Pcameal Bacon Burger was totall) lost. \\c\·c had pcameal burgers done right, and this isn't one of them. The real tnumph was the :\1aple Ch1potlc BBQ sauce . Its smokey S\\eetness would probably make a pile of napkins palatable. Forget the burgers at this joint. Just get some omon nngs and a tub of that barbecue sauce.

Acme burger (above): We ate this so that you don't have to

The vegg1e burger was uncqui\C>Call~ bad. It was the familiar orange \eggie puck that's well-known to \·egetarians. The only difference was that this one was badly burnt. The server suggested topping it with guacamole, but it \\'aS hopeless. The Greek salad is a better veggie option. It's a large portion of fresh romaine, d1erf)' tomatoes, feta cheese, onions, and olhcs. The dressing is light and spict-d v.1th oregano. I lad the oli\·cs been proper k:tlamatas instead of tasteless sliced black oli,·es, we would ha\'e had a real winner. \X'c also mav ha\'e had a reason to come back to ,\erne. It certainly wouldn't be the burgers. ' .

LIBRARY VOICES - from page 20 thc1r recorded \\ork that has alread} attr.1cted the attentiOn and praise of the Nc Yorker (''Band of Bonks'') and spin.com ("' I"hrec UndiscoYcrcd Bands You ~ec to Hear 1\:ow!''), among others. The h:~d has just returned ~OlllC to Regina after tounng for the past couple o onths. I hey sun'J\ed group Illness and close tra\clling quarters to dcli\cr thel atchy tunes and thought-pro\ oking I) rics to audiences from VIctoria to Charlotte town. \s their bod} of v.ork grows, It's exciting to think of\\ here the\ 'U go next. The l.ibra?·. Voices'. I· P, lluntjng (;hosts (& ( )ther Collected Short<;), 1 a\·adabl for sale on ll unes. 1 he Band's tour dates and thoughts on hfe arc a\,tdable a !lW\\.m} c;pace.com/thclihraryvmces and thclibraryYoices.blo!,TSpot.com.

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Exam toolkit: essential coffee spots B't Pu Lr (3L)

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In antictpation of the upcoming exam & paper period, Ul 's intrepid reporters got really. n..-ally wired to scout out the best coffee spots for your studying needs.

SITE Urbana KBayI Charles)

DRINKS

FOOD

ATMOSPHERE/ AMENITIES

• .\11 the usual suspects, as well as S\X'EETS: Dufflet baker\' items, crois- • Two coin operated computers with printer. frappe frozen sensations, andsants & muffins, 1.a Rocc; cakes. • Free drink+ \\'if'i with purchase of $20 gift card.

!blended (non alcoholic) bellinis. • Bright & open space with high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows "7_ .1- Coffee: usually four flavours on MEAL OPTIONS: Selection of sand· with a good" iew. Open seating, some benches, ~nd comfy c~airs. {ours: .Mon-Fri 11 lbrew, at least one of which is organicjwiches/wraps, bagels, soup, and em- • Plenty of wall plugs, sites along ma1n wall (With up to 18 Jacks). ~at-Sun 8-11 ~ free trade. tpanadas. The empanadas are not worth 1rour while - they barely had any filling. !Verdict: Good place to study if you are in the neighbourhood.

troissant Tree KChurchl Charles) lours: Mon-fri 7-6

fS\X'EETS: cookies, cakes, croissants, and • Free \\'ifi and computer stations available. !muffrns. • 8 wall plugs and a power bar. • Large space with two couches and two armchairs. Lots of seating • Basic fare: espresso, lattes, and tea. MEAL OPTIONS: Complete breakfast at decent stzed tables. • They ha"\.e etght coffees on brew. menu available before 11 a.m. ~fade-to • Good background music and low-key patrons make this a grea order sandwiches, soup, and salads are place to study. offered at a good price. Eight salads are pffered daily. !Verdict: Definitely worth checking out.

• Wide selection of coffee: sevcn~WEETS: Selection of loafs, biscotti • NO WALL PLUGS. iflavours on brew. !muffins, assorted squares, and cookies. • free Wifi. (BayI Charles) • Featured item: peppermint mocha • Quiet, segmented space. Lots of nooks and crannies with two-per· atte- a lot of peppermint flavour MEAL OPTIONS: Saodwtches & son seating in comfy chairs. Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30-9· . . pt ftrst, barely any mocha, w1th a b1t !wraps ::>at & Sun 8:30-9 ft Verdict: There are better places to study close by. era crtaste. rrimothy's

~\'\"EETS: Assorted mini biscotti, min' • NO WALL PLUGS. B Espresso Bar truffles (velvety smooth and rich), miru • Despite proximlt), no UTORwin signal (New Royal Conser- • Basic menu including lattes, Amer almond cookies, and assorted loafs. • Lots of seating; tables arc chtc but very wobbly !Vatory Building) 'canos, espresso, and teas. fo Great atmosphere: open concept space ""ith glass ceiling, juxtaposed • Coffee is watery & weak. MEAL OPTIONS: Sandwiches (in with exposed brick from original conservatory. Antique pianos and Hours: 8-8 e\·eryday +in ~ Iced water with lemon wedges onl'-luding foccacia), salads, fruit platters. harpsichords on display. term1ssions when there'~ ~p for free. • Feature: sweet potato ginger soup (vel") • Bonus: bathrooms arc AM \ZING' Ia !ihow !Watery & gingery). • Points for presentation: dinnerwaniVerdict: Good spot to get away from Bora until your battery and flatware very impressive. uns out.

TCafe (BordeniBloor) lours: 9:30-10 cvef)·day

SWEETS: Bastes like cookies, muffins oafs, and chocolate sticks. . . . . • Bonus: FUNNEL CAKE! Need we ~ Thetr spectaltv ts an extenstve tea :> A dt d ·b h say more. yummy eo og to a grea 0 !menu. r e~ Y t e cup or pot meal. ~ Plenty of wall plugs and comfortable, yet structured, seating make (serves up to stx small glasses). h'1s a converuent · h · rror a rrew h ours. and com./ p 1ace to Stt ~ Their menu includes tea lattes, tea 1>. IEAL OPTI0"'1c C 1.. r. 'vrp· 4 IL" "": omp1ete menu r- r•ree w 1 1. fSpressos and other tea-based con . . · · · d ows wJt · h patto · space 10 · t h e summer. Soft backlarge ow1n . ' ocluding butternut squash soup. Amaz • Bnght, lcoctlons. . very comrorta r ble atmosp here. . f . .ng sa]ad s. Snac ks .melud e sweet potatoground muste; T ry t h e appIe cnsp tea - rult\· hi & h d r d f h' 1'-' ps, mac c eese, an samosas. £1avounu1an rc res tng. . amazmg . · 1) c h cap: ·u. fr . . • F ood 1s and re 1auve verd'tct: A great p 1ace to stud y or 1unchi. . • B as1c co 1ee spec1a1ttes, as we11 as . · . bl !angus beef shdcrs were flayourful, ten beer ancl w1ne, arc avat 1a c l-1. . '"'er, and mo1st. The turkey scaloppme sandwich was a good twist on turke} jwith cranberry compote adding a nice sweetness. Definitely worth a taste!

• Very spacious bar seating (most comfortable bar stool ever!). SWEETS: Standard fare including • Comfortable, plush but structured chairs, ideal for studying. f ookies, crotssaots, and muffins. • Lots of wall plugs lining bar seating and walls. . . • H as t he esscntta Green Beanery 1s, mtnus anc\ . . . . . . . .~ • Pomts for havmg dcltc1ous lookinP • ~fellow but busy atmosphere, w1th most patrons studnrtg or work. attes: red eve, moe h accmos, an~ ·e (Spadina/Bloor) r . ·egan cupcakes! ·ng on their computers. . · arc au 1alt. • Bonus: serves Greg's Icc Cream! • Exposed brick, industrial decor. :t\o music but hum of espressc H o urs· .Moo-Fri 8-10; Sat • D ecent espresso and fl avour fu . . . · ff, !machines 10 background. 0 0 10 · Sun 10-9 " cc. 'Iv \J OPTIO"'. "": c J ust a rrew sand • Large wto . d ows wtt . h good Ytew . . 7· ' · ' c-1 o f t hc -mtersectlon. f\Viches. • lncludes shop -w;th coffee machines, cups, and accessories. !Verdict: One-stop shop for all your caffeine needs! • Basic selection of coffces/tcas.~\X'EETS: Decent selection of brown- • NO WALL PLUGS. ~hey do six types of espresso! es, loafs, crmssants, cookies, big • Free \X'ifi. • Coffee is mediocre at best, watcr}~uffins, and strudels. • Comfortable S"\.\;Yel seating. Aroma ~nd weak. }~spresso very good: • Bonus: a chocolate w1th every drink! • Constantly busy & noisy, but with a few people studying in the ver; (Bathurst/Bloor) • J;eaturc: mmt tea, With actual mint !back. Good luck getting a seat! . . _11 eaves! Tastes exactly like it souods\IEAL OPTIO'\S: lull menu, includ Big space; black & red decor is bold. 7 30 !lours: \lon-Fn · f- very minty, refreshing, bright and ng breakfast, soups, salads, and sand11 ~ H & ~un 8 prett) green. Served \·cry hot. twiches. Verdict: Over-rated, not ideal for studying. • A bit on the pricey side.

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AskAnnie

0. \!G' ) o IIIO'!J]OIIf~~· allrarlirr mrd inMI(eprl ptoplr stuck in 11 l(~htb• mdosed arra! Hut ij" I hook up rJ"ilh om· (or afm), Jl'e 11 hare lo Str eacb olhtr in classfor the nrxtllmt)'tar.r. • lu·kU'ard... Lorr• school is so fmslmlit{f!,! J>IMse adt•ise- I fed lih I '111 surm111bing lo lt·lllj>lalion! I loll' ran thts /Je II Tot~~ ulmt ilfeels so fi..~bt? I ..Llll' students ttrt: sooo btm•t! - I fiOI!JIIIOIIS Dear Anonymous, It sounds like you've already got your Lm School Goggles on- good for you! II will make the next two and a half years of your life much more bt.-arahlt:. Succumbing to temptation is really what law school is always about, so 1\·e got a few recommendations for thost: inevitable law school hook-ups. I) You always need an excuse. For instance, you can sa~. "Oh "\.\'0\\~ tho c drinks last night hit me like a ton of bricks," or "Bridge week was so boring that 1\ c blocked out eyuything that happened the whole week." This way, you can m oid awkwardness by pretending it ne\'er happened. 2) The more people knm\~ the more potential you have for awkwardness. ,\ccordingly, there arc specific places where you should never commence (or tinish) \·our law-school hook-up: a)on law school propt:rty, in the kitchen and/or on tht: pool table and / or on thl' foosball table, in particular; and b)thl' dance-floor at c;ra c1e's. 3) Try to get most of your hook-ups in during tirsr year. This way you can schedule your upper-year classes accordingly. J\bo, when all your friends start hookingup tn 2nd and 3rd year, your 0\\ n indiscretions will bl· forgotten. I bppy hunting!

Dear A mrir, 1 am mrrmt!r brlero-l!ftll!lllf! uith ,, (:inger ll'bo /noes onrJloor abo!'e me. 1'IJI fonrmrrd thai sbe is stealing '"J' so11/, and I'd realfy lik.l' lo end thii(~S. llnll'et•er,,r,il'f'n her red bair,yJ/1 ftllltlllagml' "!Y)ear !hal she ll'Ofl ~ tah it 11-dl and will resort to riolmre, IJe.,-i,~~· .roul-.ruckit{~· or a schoolll'irl~ .rmmr ca111pa{wt. A nr tldJ•icd ) rJtm tm!J•, T:.il'htl',. i11 .rilmljiwr r!f dtnlttl rhlllllllllioll}rlr Ill)' r/JOice qf.fiimdr Dear (soon-to-be-not) Living, It sounds like you've really gotten yourself into a pickle. Obviously you don't break up with Ginger hctero-lifcmatcs - they break up with ~ ou, after you have sen·cd your purpose of supplying baked goods, coffee, and, e\·entually, your soul. You should look on the bright :.ide, though -once she takes your soul, there arc a lot of benefits: a)you don't han: to do the ethics portion of the bar; h)you no longer show up in pictures- so no worries about incriminating photos showtng up on Facebook; and c)your \·ampire boyfriend no longer has to worry about your chancl':; in the afterlife. Best of luck!

If you hare a question for our llfll ' arlrire collllmmt, Amril' 1/'0IIId /ol'(' to af/Sil'l'f' it! Drop her ttline riallllm.t·m'.r(p~tllomnlo.ra, and sltfY tuned for thl' ne.,:J iss11e lo see ber re.rponse.

lh I.Rif Tl RKII

Toronto 1s a funn) ctt\. It's been funn) for a while. Since the 1970 , Toronto has been a hub for social and pohtical satin: and alteroauve theatre that nvals ~e\\ York and Chtcago. John < and\', l'.llgcne I.e\)', L\1ike M}ers, Rick Moranis, .Lnd Catherine <)'J lara are but a few of the famous comedtaos \\ ho started out on the Toronto corned) circuit before being shtppcd to our neighbour to the south. There's something about Toronto that inspires and encourage gifted comedians to pia) to the best of thetr abtltl). Thts past week "\.\as the 5th annual Torontn Sketch Comedy Fest!\ .d. l·rom !\member 10-15, sketch troupes from all m cr Canada (tndudtng London, L\lontrcal, \\inmpeg, and Vancomer) and the l'S (ineluding New York, Ue,·eland, Chtcago, and I.A) gathered 111 downtown Toronto to present their best and funniest sketches for each other and, more tm portantl), the eager public. I attended the fcstiml1his year, as I dtd last ) t."3r, as hod1 performer and audience memher. ..\ly sketch troupe, Statutory Jape (l know, l know, tasteless) performed t-wo shows oYer the course of the week. One set was at the Comedy Bar down ar Bloor :wd ( )ssin1:,>1on, and the ~ccond set clo~t:d out the fcsth·al at tlw Theatre Passe ~[uraillc. J\ddition:tll}~ and by way of shameJess self promnnon, we performed as the defemhng champs of thes Producer's Pick Award of ~lcrit, one of the top three awards of the festi\al. All in all, mer 50 troupes hit the stage dunng the fc/>ti\al in front of packed houscs. And it':; not just amateur groups any more. Year by year, the fcstn alexpands and grows. This } car the troupes Ill eluded performers\\ ho ha\ c .1ppearcd on Mfl(fri ~, The (?fjicr, Tbr Cbapdle .\hou•, 'J'hr ,\tcofJd Ci(y. and a surpnsing number

Briefly Noted .aw school forgets

change clocks for daylight savings ttmc; Isaac Tang on time for class

SLS launches new working group on student population diversity; cites concerns oYer dcclintog \\'cinnb population

L f Staff's senses of humour so stale from yt:ar-long hiatus that jokes about Isaac Tang's punctuality, \X'cinrihs sttll seem funn) 1 ·

ew absence policy implemented: classes can be missed without a note in instances of swine flu or for new episodes of C,ll't

• Student disappointed · th1zes

Toronto's sketchy scene

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• r .· .

DIVERS I< >NS

discover that lo\'cnote plan:d in mailbox last year still has not been picked up; La\V Re"\. icw sympa·

IZorro missing; Toronto police confiscate Jim Phillips' wardrobe for arulysis I L wants to know who \lcrril Boden is U of T favoured to win .\Iiss I..:1w Dl.ln Canada pageant Keir seeks to regain crown; challenges Kang to dcathmatch for hcarts/minds/CPAs of I Ls

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of famdtar commercials. 'l11cre$ somethtng about the energy and sheer, absurdtst crcath lh that comes out in sketch corned\ that. draws 1n performers from all 0\ c~ the comcd) spectrum. 'J'hat '!-i prohahl} wh} the audiences Jme ir. You ne\ er know \\hat you're going ro get '' ith an) gh en troupe: C\ eryone's style is dtffcrent. \X hen \OU ha,·e someone like Rachel Me \dam~ sneaking in the back door of the theatre to come watch )OUr set, \OU kom\ )Ou'n: doing something nght ( he didn't come to sec our set - she came to sec another group. But she ts \Cr}. VI~RY prctt). lntirnidaungl} so). Some of the groups stood out 111 particular. 1 espcctall} cnJO) eel a 'Joronto troupe called Deadpan Powerpoint. Thctr 35 minute set conststed en tircly of three PowerPotnt presentauons projected on the theatre's screen. The two members of the group, Mike Ktss and Ted Sutton, decked out in nondescript hbck suits, deadpan expressiOns, and authoritative "\.oices, instructed the aud1cncc on the topics of 11lc De meanour am\ Artifice of the 1odern 1\ipstcr, Verbal lntcriection for the Pur pose of Influencing tlw Outcome of Sporting E\'Cnts, and The Ulumate Sandwich. W'bile truly one of the more unique styles 1\e ever seen, Deadpan PO\\crpoint was only one of the many grc..'lt troupes participating. Some of the other stand-outs (that I saw) included hlcon Powder, ·I\\'0-~lan ~o-Show, \ccidental C<>mpanr. Kannelis & Armstrong, punchDRYSD \LE, and J\pproximatcl} 3 Peters. The Festival IS m·er for the year and you'll have to wait for Nm ember 20 lO to catch a week of shows hy so many grt:at troupes again. But, hear 1n mind, all of tbc groups perform on :1 rq,JUiar basis around Toronto (or wherever they're from). If you're ever at a loss for something to do on an; gi,·en evening, check out the local theatre hsttn!,TS and you might he pleasantl} surprised. 'Joronto has always hccn a place where sketch comeJy has flourished. J'ht Jtcond City ts basically an institution in our town by this point, and shows like \'CIV and The Kids in tbt Hall, though ne\ cr reaching ljuite the cultural status of Jallird'!.J' lVigbt I Jre, have pushed the boundaries of what tcle\·iscd comed} can be. llell, half of the cast of J i\1_ (when it was good) wa~ populated b) actors who were born and raised on the stages of 'l(m>nto. ~Iaybe it's something m the water, maybe it's the weather, or ma} be we're just a bunch of cynical bas tards. \Vhatevcr the case, Toronto breeds comedr

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DI\ER. IONS

ULTR.\ \'IRLS

Complicit in our priv ilege: a Huck Jennings adventure BY DA~ ~hX>RI• (JL) Huck Jennings awoke to a sharp pain in the back of his head. The basement was dark and cold. He felt a rat brush up again~t his bound feet. Huck was tied to a chair, with his handcuffed hands pinned to the table in front of him. I lis left arm was numb. From the stone formations in the wall, he kne\\ that he was detained somewhere in the: \1ongolianManchunan steppe. ''You, m) pcr~istent friend, seem to knm\ much about the work of the 1\ssocianon," said a slow and menacing Yoice from some\\ here behind him. Huck stared straight ahead, trying to remember where he \\as. ''You d1d not come to Ulaanbaatar on a backpacking trip, young as you might be. You came to disrupt our efforts by killing her. In that you succeeded. But no one who kills one of my assassins ever liYes to kill again, no matter how skilled he might be in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The man picked up a pair of pliers. "You do not answer. You just sit there in your stony silence. You make it so that I must ... encourage your co-operation." He clamped down on the nail of Buck's right pinkie fmger, and tore it out. He let Huck's fingernail fall onto the table, and damped onto the nai\ on Huck's right thumb. ".r-.;ow tell me! \Vho are you? \X here d1d you come from?" H uck stared straight ahead, outwardly ignoring the man's questions. He looked for answers in the muddled grey fog of his memory.

36 hours earlier: Toronto, Canada Huck Jennings sat in the back row of the Bennett Lecture Hall. He stared at the scar on his right pinkie finger, still annoyed that he had let Tatiana's blade get the best of him. It was only Tue~day, but Bridge \Xeek was already unbearably boring. "These policies, however, arc comple tely devoid of any recognition of Canada's legal traditions," srud one of the members of the panel. "~anonal security, I recognize, is important at times. This so-called 'W'ar on Terror' raises complex issues. But these issues cannot be effectively addressed if we fail to maintain the fundamental principles of o ur jus tice S} stem. We must allow all detainees their full rights of habeas corpus, a nd we all must appreciate the need..to preserve a r o bust solicitor-client prl\'1-

leg e."

. It wasn't easy being a law student w1th a d o uble life as a sp y for Canada. It. \Vas , difficult being forced to listen esp ec1all} lause fo r these coddled lawyers to th e ap P . Th ·ed in safe abstracuon. e l who Pay . . ·ho le thing made him ill. w Je did n ot- could not- unT hese peop Th didn't underd erstand the th reat. ey

stand that sometimes it all depends on where his target had last been, holding the split second dec1s1on of a single 1m- the blood stained dart in his right hand. perfect individual. Sometimes the timeThe two enemy combatants met in the bomb did tick and substanti\e justice had middle of the moonlit square, each covto come from the barrel of a gun. There ered so completely in black that a child was no ttme for procedural fairness, or would ha\'C thought them to be dancmg judicial review. There was just a decisiOn shadows. They circled each other, both that had to be made. This law school au- brandishing a poisoned dart that, for diencc enjoyed the privilege of the secu- t-ach, \\'a~ e\ idcntly begtnning to take its rity created br f luck's supposed toll. Blood and poison dripped from "crimes". By enjo:;ng their pri,•ilege, their darts onto the black stone nf the they were comphcit in his acts. quare, then glittered in the moonlight, Even though he couldn't rc' cal that he so that the shadows' dance seemed to workt:d for CSIS, I luck had to speak up. take place on a bed of stars. She lunged The cha1r of the panel asked if anyone at I luck, kickmg him in his stiff left had any questions. Huck raised his right shoulder, and stabbed for his right arm hand, hiding his scar from his classmates. with her dart. I luck blocked her stab and The chair flipped pointed at her over IIuck, who his back, was about but she to speak r o 1I e d when he through felt his cell his legs phone v1and scisbrating. It s o r was the red kicked phone. The Huck to C S I S h e p h o n e . ground. l luck stood Sukhbaatar Square She stagup instantly, grabbed his backpack, and gered to her feet, stepped on I luck's strode purposively out the door. neck, and was about to finish him with her dart when she collapsed. The poison 27 bo11rs later: Ulaanbaalar, Mongolia was too much for her. With his one last burst of strength, Huck disarmed her, Sukhbaatar Square was quiet at this and plunged both darts deep into her time of night, Illuminated only by the neck. cold rays of a waning moon. Suddenly, a Gasping for air, Huck dropped down figure clad entirely in black jumped down to h1s knees, and removed her balaclava. into the Square from the roof of a small What Huck saw then made him feel a buildmg. Her long hair flowed out from pain worse than the effects of any behind her balacla,·a as she darted silently weaponized neurotoxin. It was Tatiana, from shadow to shadow. She carried a the CSIS agent who had shown him how dar t gun in her left hand. to be a spy - how to be a man -who was !\;ot more than thirty seconds later, a dying in his arms. slightly larger person - also wearing "Tatiana! Duplessis told me that my black, and armed with a dart gun leapt targc.:t was a double agent." down into the square. Scrambling to Tauana smiled weakly, visibly fading. "I catch his breath from the long chase, guess you could put it like that. But I did I luck Jennings dissolved into the shad- it for Canada." She grabbed his arm, and ows cast by the building, and attempted gazed urgently into his eyes. ''You need to locate his prey. to watch out for our supervisor, Huck. A noise, sharp as a dart, cut through There's a reason his codename 1s Dupthe square. I luck fired his own dart gun lessis." once in response, but it was only a peas"If he was responsible for this, then I ant and his yak. The yak roared, and will pull that faceless, bilingual bureaucrat I luck saw that there were two darts out of his Ottawa cubicle. I'll abuse him lodged in its hide. His prey e\·idently had until he feels like Stephane D10n. I will reflexes just as quick as his own. hunt him down and eat his heart. I'll be I luck traced back the location of the Michaelle Jean to his baby seal!" second shooter, reloaded, stepped out Huck grabbed her arm and p ut his into the light, and pulled the tngger. But mouth on her wound, intending to suck once again his prey was just as fast. Feel- on it so as to extract the poison. Softly, ing a sharp pain in his left arm, Huck Tatiana said "r\o, Huck, up here." Huck looked over and saw a poisoned dart. I Ie looked up into her eyes, and he knew yanked it out immediately, but he was al- what she meant. They locked their lips in ready beginning to feel sluggish. His left a passionate kis~. until Tatiana had passed arm was becoming paralyzed, and he on. dropped the dart gun. Huck ran towards Across the square, a yak roared in

agony. I luck heard someone behind him. He started to turn around, and glimpsed a shadowy man in a trenchcoat. But before he could react, Huck felt a crushing pain in the back of his head. He slumped unconscious to the ground. "\X'cll? \\'ho are you? \'\'here did you come from?" The man pulled out Huck's thumbnail. " If ) OU think that I didn't have to sit thro ugh torture like this in m} basic training, then )Ou'rc entirely out of )OUr depth. I started thiS mission with a broken tibia. I'm not some tv.·o bit signals intelligence tech support geek, I'm the best there is. Instead of taking a shower, I ask m) room mate to waterboard mel" "Well, Mr. Best-there-is, let's test that assertion." The man turned away from Huck, and pulled a pair of electrodes down from the wall. While the man's back was turned , Huck picked up his right thumbnail off the table, and slid it into the lock of his handcuffs. The mechanism quietly clicked loose. Huck remained seated. He had to pick his moment carefully. The man turned towards Huck, and was about to activate the electrodes when a phone rang. Cursing under his breath, the man p1ckcd up the receiver, keeping a careful eye on Huck. "Hello ... Oh, it's you ... Are you sure about that o rder?" The man's face fell. ''Alright ... Confirmation coniferous." He hung up the pho ne. "You may go. There has been an ... interlocutory injunction, shall we say. Someone somewhere looks kindly o n you today." Huck paused. "Go on!" shouted the man. ''You've alread) p1cked the lock on your handcuffs! D1d you think I co uldn't hear that?" I luck calmly undid the ropes binding his feet. Eying the man cautiously, he walked out the basement doo r and ran up the staircase, into the blinding sun at street level. I le disappeared into a crowded Mongolian marketplace. '\,othing could ever be the same now. Huck \\:ould not rest until he had avenged Tatiana. He had to get to Dup lcssis. But first Huck Jennings had to gc.:t back to Toronto, because he had a bridge week paper to write. Will Huck find the people responsible for Taciana's death? What is "the Association"? Can Huck manage to find a reasonable balance between his work, his school, and his social life? Will he avoid leaving his bridge week paper to the last minute? All this - and morel - in the next Huck Jennings Adventure: "A Pressing and Substantial Objective''

Based on the character ''Huck jennings '~ mated

I!J Derek Bryant, Dan Moore, and Ben N olan.

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