Ultra Vires Vol 12 Issue 1: 2010 September

ULTRA

VIRES

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF LAW

VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1

Effie’s firing sparks outrage

www.ultravires.ca

September 22, 2010

O-Week: 1Ls run wild at Loose Moose

BY RENATTA AUSTIN (2L)

This past summer, law school administrators made the decision to terminate the employment of Admissions Advisor Effie Koutsogiannopoulos, as part of a larger reorganization of the administrative staff structure. For twenty-two years, Effie provided front line services to prospective law students. Many students felt she was uniquely suited to the role and carried out her duties with patience, civility, and grace. Many also appreciated her sense of humour, genuine interest in their well-being, and ability to relate to a diverse range of individuals. Effie had been known to often go out of her way to make students and their families feel welcome, organizing personalized tours and connecting them with current students, providing them with information about school and community services available to them, and following up with them throughout their years at the law school.

The decision to terminate Effie was met with protest. As word of the impending termination spread, the wall of the Facebook group "Save Effie" filled with posts from current students and alumni about their positive experiences with Effie and feelings of disappointment that she was being laid off.

In mid-August, 200 current and former students sent a letter to Dean Mayo Moran requesting that the administration reconsider its decision. At least five students sent additional letters, and one current law student arranged to meet with her personally. Professor Jim Phillips also sent a strongly worded letter to Dean Moran expressing his disapproval (the letter is reproduced on page 18).

No report on the restructuring has been made available to interested faculty members or students.

CONTINUED at page 6

UV INDEX

• REMEMBERING BETTY HO...P.4 • O-WEEK REFLECTIONS...P.5

• OCI FASHION ADVICE....P.8-9 • O-WEEK PHOTOS.....P.12-13 • MAYORAL RACE.....P.14

• LEGAL SEX SCANDALS.....P.19

• IN-CLASS GAMING.....P.20

L-R: Promise Holmes Skinner (1L), Lane Krainyk (1L), Noah Dolgoy (1L), Kimberly Knight (1L), Charlie Hatt (2L): For more pictures from Orientation Week, see the centre spread.

Dean likens self to bobcat Also talks about the law school

As part of our first issue of the year, UV sat down with Dean Mayo Moran to discuss the direction of the law school, student concerns, and her performance so far.

AC: What's new this year at the Faculty of Law? MM: So, a number of things that we have coming up that we'll be active on: the building project – so it looks like the economy is pretty good – we're ready to go into another fundraising initiative. We've sorted out some financing with the university, which is great. So that's one thing we'll be very active on this fall... working with firms and other individuals trying to build support and get some commitment to the building project so we can move that forward. [When will shovels hit the ground?] A lot will depend on how things look in the next 18 months, but I would say 24 months – something like that.

We hired an Aboriginal student program coordinator [Lisa Del Col], which is terrific. We got independent funding

BY AARON CHRISTOFF (3L)

to do that, which is something we wanted to do for a few years...

On the curricular front, the curriculum committee is going to deal with legal research and writing, which was something that came up last year. People weren't happy with the SUYRP, but we want to create some alternatives so we're going to have the curriculum committee take a hard look at legal research and writing across the spectrum.

The international advisory committee is going to do some work on enhancing the international opportunities that we have for students.

AC: Financial aid – last year some first-year students felt misled by provisional assessments. How has the administration responded to concerns about the financial aid process?

MM: Well, you might remember that in response to student concerns we very significantly revamped the process last year to make it much more responsive to need, because what we discov-

ered last year was that there was a big drop-off not based on need between people who got full tuition bursaries and the next neediest students who often were very similar in terms of need but had very different bursaries.

So we worked with students and with the financial aid committee. We passed a new policy at faculty council last year that really is purely needs based so it's a just a nice smooth continuum according to need so we think that's going to make a big difference.

I should say, we did a lot of work with those students and actually managed to redirect some resources to them. We did a lot of other work with that particular group of students because it happened to be an odd year last year, but we also changed the policy to avoid the problem.

AC: We’re one year into replacing the global perspectives elective with administrative law. How’s that going: was it the right choice?

CONTINUED at page 6

Masthead

Meet this year’s Ultra Vires team...

UltraVires Masthead 2010-11 Aaron Christoff

“I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream. That's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor... and surviving.”

– Col. Kurtz This is my vision for Ultra Vires 201011. We aim to thrive on the cutting edge of issues affecting the law school and the issues its students care about. We aim to push the boundaries of what one might expect to read in a school paper. In short, we aim to live up to the name Ultra Vires.

And I expect we will survive on account of the sheer thickness of our slime.

Behold: Ultra Vires.

Opinions and Editorial Brendan Morrison

News Ashley McKenzie

ULTRA VIRES

is the student newspaper of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.

Editors - In - Chief News Editor Opinion and Editorial Features Diversions Production Editor Business/Ad Manager Photo Editor Web Manager Copy Editors

Aaron Christoff & Abrar Huq Ashley McKenzie Brendan Morrison Amanda Melvin Caroline Samara Joshua Whitford Robin Elliott Joshua Chan Yingdi Wu Andrea Wong & Annie Tayyab

Communications Centre, Falconer Hall 84 Queens Park Crescent, Toronto ON M5S 2C5 ultra.vires@utoronto.ca (416) 946 - 7684

Abrar Huq

Ultra Vires is more than a school paper.

It’s an outlet for students and faculty alike. Whether you’re a Harry Rosen fiend like Justin Nasseri or a faculty member upset about staff restructuring like Jim Phillips, UV is your paper. So feel free to stop by our office or send us an e-mail if you want to get something off your chest, whether it be about that curlyhaired asshole at JILIR or the extra 21 cents a medium coffee costs at Grounds of Appeal. This is your outlet.

Note: I don’t actually have big muscles, I just like wearing tight shirts.

Diversions Caroline Samara

Features Amanda Melvin

Contributors Aaron Christoff, Abrar Huq, Amanda Lawrence, Amanda Melvin, Amit Patel, Andrea Tannenbaum, Andrew Pfleiderer, Anna Pippus, Blair Mestel, Brendan Morrison, Caroline Samara, Cassia Prentice, Cizan Suliman, David Rotchtin, Ellen Zheng, Jared Mackey, Jean Lee, Jeremy Ablaza, Jim Phillips, Josh Chan, Justin Nasseri, Karim Amlani, Lucas Wilson, Michael Serebriakov, Mike Hamata, Patric Senson, Renatta Austin, Samantha Green, Stephen Holinski, Stephen Hutchison, Tamara Ramusovic, Todd Brayer, Yingdi Wu Ultra Vires is an editorially autonomous newspaper. We are open to contributions which reflect diverse points of view, and our contents 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. Ultra Vires reserves the right to edit contributions for length and content.

Advertising inquiries should be sent to the attention of the business manager at ultra.vires@utoronto.ca.

The next issue will be published on October 20, 2010 and the deadline for submissions is October 15, 2010. The submission limit is 850 words.

NEWS

A fireside chat with the SLS, the value of a legal career and reflections on O-Week...

What is a corporate legal career worth?

On April 6th 2001, Michelle Marie Danicek was at the Vancouver nightclub, Bar None, enjoying drinks with some of her colleagues. These drinks were the continuation of a firm-sponsored associates’ dinner. Ms. Danicek and her co-worker Mr. Poole were both on the dance floor enjoying the evening when Mr. Poole slipped, fell and landed on Ms. Danicek.

Ms. Danicek suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and now suffers from ongoing post-concussive symptoms. She is not likely to recover from this accident and has left the practice of law.

This case presents an interesting legal question: who, if anyone, is liable for this accident? Unfortunately, no answer is provided. Mr. Poole admitted liability and the law firm, Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang, settled. The circumstances of this case are unfortunate for Ms. Danicek, who by all accounts was an up-and-coming superstar. The assessment of damages, on the other hand,

BY STEPHEN HOLINSKI (2L)

the difficulty these uncertainties created, seems anything but unfortunate.

At the time of the injury (2001), Ms. and as such he explicitly addressed them Danicek had just completed her articling in the judgment. He found that Ms. Danyear. She would have been eligible to icek would have made partner and had make partner in 2008, at age 40. This the ability to become a successful rainwould give Ms. Danicek 25 earning years maker. She would not take time off from her career for children before the average since she was already a retirement age of B UT HOW DO YOU VALUE mother. Further, she 65. But how do you value a legal career? A LEGAL CAREER? WOULD would have stayed with Would Ms. Danicek MS. DANICEK HAVE MADE the firm or joined anhave made partner? other firm with a larger PARTNER? WOULD SHE corporate practice.

Would she have to HAVE TO TAKE TIME OFF Given these findings take time off for the actual calculation children? Would she FOR CHILDREN? of Ms. Danicek’s loss have been a “rainof earnings capacity is maker” for the firm? Would she have stayed with the relatively straightforward: 25 years multifirm? This list could go on, but the point plied by the average salary she could be is that a legal career is filled with choices expected to make over this period. In the and uncertainties. I suppose it is trite to expert report relied upon by the court, say, but predicting the future is not an this salary was estimated to be $330,000. easy task.

Reasonable? The average income for the Justice Kelleher was keenly aware of business law group at Alexander Hol-

McGill releases 7th Guide Law students continue to cite poorly

BY YINGDI WU (3L)

After a 4-year gestation, the 7th edition of the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, colloquially referred to as “the McGill Guide,” was finally released this past August. Among the usual tweaks here and there, the 7th edition eliminates the usage of periods in footnote citations and expands the sections describing citations from electronic sources.

Writers familiar with the 6th edition will notice that the periods from common abbreviations such as the “v” and “c” in the style of cause, corporate abbreviations (e.g. Ltd, Co), reporters (e.g.

SCR, DLR), jurisdiction (e.g. Ont, BC), and level of court (e.g. CA, Sup Ct) have all been eliminated. In fact, the only period that remains in a footnote citation is the one punctuating the end of the footnote – ironically, one of the periods that students commonly omit by mistake.

The change also extends to footnote citations of legislation (e.g. RSO), secondary sources (e.g. SM Waddams, UT Fac L Rev) and certain Latin abbreviations (e.g. Ibid but not “C.f.”).

The initial reaction from the blogosphere was mixed. In a blog post on slaw.ca, Ted Tjaden, Director of Library and Knowledge Management at McMillan LLP, felt that the 7th edition went too

far by dropping periods from the initials of authors: “I am all for simplicity and am a huge fan of neutral citation, but unless you advocate the removal of all periods (such as the end of sentences), it doesn’t make sense to remove the periods after a person’s initials – Professor Waddams is Stephen Michael as represented by his initials. ‘SM’ is not a word and is (not yet) a recognized acronym in the way that CEO or VIP is.” Other complaints overheard around the law school expressed the view that the change is merely stylistic rather than substantive and as such, most people will fail to notice the change. One professor even joked that the new McGill Guide must be pregnant.

For the librarians at the Bora Laskin Law Library, however, an event as momentous and infrequent as the publication of a new edition of the McGill Guide is no joke. Time and contemplation may have tempered the initial reaction, which was described to UV as the proverbial tempest in a teapot. UV spoke to Digital Services and Reference Librarian, Susan Barker, about the library’s opinion of the 7th edition’s change in footnoting. Ms. Barker feels that the 7th CONTINUED at page 4

burn in 2008 was $375,649. The overall assessment was of course reduced for Ms. Danicek’s residual earning capacity and a present value adjustment was applied. The quantum was then subjected to a final test, whereby the court asked whether or not the assessment was fair and reasonable. This is the ultimate test, and for an up-and-coming superstar like Ms. Danicek, $5.1 million passes. Imagine if she had worked at a large national firm.

It is not clear how much was actually paid out. Ms. Danicek and Mr. Poole entered into a secret “Mary Carter” agreement, Alexander Holburn settled, and the firm’s insurer is fighting a payout.

But for us tuition-paying law students I hope that these West Coast numbers provide a little encouragement.

For those interested in reading the case, see Danicek v. Beaudin, 2010 BCSC 1111.

Welcome from the SLS

BY KARIM AMLANI (3L)

The first-years are settling in after their first week of classes, the second-years are starting to sweat over OCIs, and the third-years are breathing a sigh of relief that they have another year of school before joining the real world. Yes, a new school year is once again upon us, and I for one am excited about what lies ahead. Welcome to all the fresh faces – first years, transfer students, NCAs, and exchange students alike as well as the grizzled veterans of law school.

By now, regardless of what year you belong to, I hope and trust that you have a basic concept of what the SLS is, what the SLS does, and what “SLS” stands for. Even if you don’t (it stands for Students’ Law Society), know at least that you should always feel free to get in touch with an SLS representative if you have an idea or concern but don’t know what to do with it. We’re always happy to hear from you, and often we can point you in the right direction.

To move from generalities to specifics, I thought it would be helpful to outline in broad strokes some of the initiatives the SLS will be undertaking over the next eight months (not only for the benefit of the first-years, but also those one or two poor souls who were absent from the electoral speeches last March – you know who you are).

1.

Communications: it is our hope

that how the SLS communicates with students will be far more effective this year. The cornerstone of this initiative is of course our shiny new website (www.studentslawsociety.ca) and wiki through which we will endeavour to keep you updated consistently throughout the year on news that is relevant to you.

2.

Diversifying Social Events: law school is a diverse community, and it’s important that the SLS organizes an array of events that allow everyone to get involved.

3.

Presenting Policy Papers to Faculty Council: Every year the SLS organizes student-led working groups to write policy papers on matters that are relevant to the student body. In past years, these have tackled issues such as career diversity, international opportunities, and how assessment is carried out at the law school. Once you vote in Caucus members, we will set the agenda for these working groups and eventually ask for general student participation.

4.

Advocating for Better Facilities: the law school will one day have a magnificent new building where the internet access is consistent, the bathrooms are modern marvels, and the Moot Court Room offers superfluous leg room. Until that day, we’ll keep pushing for incre CONTINUED at page 18

4

NEWS

Betty Mayfoon Ho (1948-2010)

PROFESSOR BETTY HO PASSED AWAY ON SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2010. S HE WAS UNIVERSALLY RESPECTED BY HER STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES . THE FOLLOWING ARE REFLECTIONS FROM SOME OF HER FORMER STUDENTS .

If there is one thing that can be said about Professor Betty Ho, it is that she insisted that her students learn. And learning was a never-ending endeavour for everyone, including herself. After all, one can always learn more. As a student of hers I came to appreciate and respect this about Professor Ho. However, Professor Ho did something else for me that I cannot say about any other teacher. Despite her emphasis on knowledge, she taught me that when confronted with a question I should never ignore another great resource: instinct. Her confidence in my instincts made a great impression and has been a source of encouragement ever since. For this I will always be grateful.

- Tamara Ramusovic

What made Professor Ho was that she knew just how far to push us to really stretch our abilities.

There was plenty of work -- no one would argue with that -- but somehow we rose to the challenge. And we were better for it. She took a group of fresh, unmolded minds, and made us that much sharper and better for the rest of our courses.

And always with a smile and a real sense that she cared about us. She made us a part of her life, updating us on her house-hunting woes and her adjustment to Canadian life. Personally, Professor Ho had a huge influence on my first year of law school.

Coming in, I didn't know what to expect, and how an older student would survive after time away from school. Her support and appreciation for experience made the transition a smooth one. And what she taught turned out to be the key to my summer job. Coming back this fall, one of my goals had been to find Prof.

Ho and let her know just how much I appreciated all she'd taught me. I didn't get the chance then, so I'll say it publicly now: thanks Prof. Ho, for all the challenges and experience we got in your contracts small group.

- Patric Senson Professor Ho approached teaching first year contracts with palpable seriousness, dedication and high expectations of her students. She genuinely cared about our education. Her approach was a sterling introduction to the ideal of professionalism that students pursuing a career in law

ought to strive to achieve.

- David Rotchtin

I had the privilege of taking my first-year small group class with Professor Betty Ho. In fact, my first class with Professor Ho happened to be my first class of law school. Although she was welcoming, her intensity and professional attitude made me a little nervous about what lay ahead. It was obvious from the outset that Professor Ho was incredibly sharp and had a profound passion for the law.

My classmates and I quickly learnt that Professor Ho had very high expectations. I remember one class early in the year after she handed out our first assignment. We had just finished almost an hour and a half of straight lecturing, with very few questions or comments from the class. Our hands and brains were fatigued from typing out notes and trying to absorb so much information. When a question arose regarding her expectations for the assignment, Professor Ho responded “if you give me back all the information I gave you, that’s a C.” We collectively looked down at the pages of legal principles, analysis, and critiques on our screens. We then looked up at each other and simultaneously broke into laughter.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t joking. In order to avoid that C, we spent hours and hours tweaking, discussing, reviewing, and in some cases, rewriting our assignments. To be successful we had to develop an attention to detail that we didn’t know was possible. Along the way, Professor Ho taught us to identify crucial facts which we never would have thought relevant. We learnt how to identify and exploit flawed legal reasoning that even an experienced lawyer could overlook.

On behalf of your Contracts Small Group, thank you Professor Ho. The high expectations you set for us made us into better law students and future lawyers. The tools we gained in your class will benefit us for the rest of our careers. Although we resisted from time to time, you were pushing us to be the best we could be. For that we are forever grateful.

- Jared Mackey

McGill Guide - continued from page 3

edition ultimately accomplishes what a guide to uniform legal citation is meant to accomplish, i.e. “to enable a reader to locate the original source, be it a text, case, journal article, statute, etc. In most instances, the removal of periods does not affect the ability of the researcher to do so.” Even if one searches for a case using the old style (with periods), both Westlaw and Quicklaw will return the correct case. Furthermore, the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations allows for searching with or without periods. Although searching periodical indexes using author name will affect search results (i.e. not return any), Ms. Barker notes that “the citation will also give the title of the article and that would be eas-

ULTRA VIRES

ily searched.” Finally, one must remember that the 7th edition does not purport to change the English language as some have claimed; the change to period usage is limited to footnotes, after all.

While Ms. Barker’s reasoned arguments go a long way towards easing the initial criticism of the 7th edition, this author was never one to be persuaded by thoughtful reasoning. This author’s therapist explained that the negative feelings have to do with 1Ls lucking out by avoiding having to learn something that took this author two years to figure out.

Thankfully, the kind doctor reminded the author that at least he didn’t write a SUYRP.

Post-SUYRP: Where does upper year writing go from here?

BY SAMANTHA GREEN (2L)

Last year the SLS Caucus was significantly involved in policy decision-making concerning financial aid, the curriculum, combined degrees, career development, etc. One issue that came up very late in the year was whether the Supervised Upper Year Research Program (SUYRP) should be maintained as a mandatory writing requirement in the upper years.

As you likely know by now, the mandatory SUYRP was abolished, and replaced with an optional SUYRP program, in the last meeting of the year of the Faculty Council. While there are mandatory writing requirements in the first-year program, there is no mandatory writing requirement in the upper years.

The issue of abolishing the SUYRP was raised by the Dean of the Upper Year Students on behalf of several faculty members. The reason for the proposal was that the SUYRP program had not been functioning the way it had been originally envisioned: as a way for students to develop a rapport with a professor and get individualized, thorough feedback on drafts of a major piece of research work. The mandatory SUYRP program had become a major time commitment for the professors who participated in it and could at times be frustrating for professors if students did not put the same level of commitment into their SUYRP experience.

Some caucus members were convinced that it did not make sense to require students to complete a SUYRP when the program was not working properly. However, most representatives also felt that some sort of upper year writing requirement was a desirable part of achieving a law school degree. Many in Caucus also felt that a thorough examination of the available options was nec-

essary in order to ensure strong legal writing skills in upper year law students, as well as to meet student interests (e.g. writing a research memo instead of a research paper). Further, Caucus surveyed students on this, and while some results were ambiguous, they did show that many students who had completed the SUYRP felt that it was a worthwhile experience.

While some Caucus members were convinced by the arguments in favour of abolishing the mandatory SUYRP, the majority of student representatives voted against the proposal. Many professors were divided as well. While some professors agreed that the SUYRP program had become too deficient and could not be continued, other professors were concerned by the idea that students would not have to do a major piece of research work before they graduated from law school. During the last meeting of Faculty Council the votes on this issue were divided and split 50/50 on whether to support the proposed motion to abolish the mandatory SUYRP. Dean Moran had to cast the tie-breaking vote and the motion was passed.

It was evident on all sides that the SUYRP program was not fulfilling its original mandate. With its removal as a mandatory requirement, students and faculty have the opportunity to examine the mechanisms available for law students to be taught strong legal writing skills. To that end, the SLS is excited to work with faculty on this important and continuing issue. If you are interested in learning more about how this issue is evolving, the SLS Caucus representatives will be providing updates on their committee work in the weekly SLS e-mail.

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

Reflections from the Co-Chairs O-Week earns positive reviews

BY AMANDA LAWRENCE (2L) AND AMIT PATEL (2L)

For us, Orientation Week 2010 ended far too soon. Just as the fun was beginning, we were already taking down decorations, washing blue paint off of our faces, and cutting those darned bracelets off of our wrists. Yes, those darned bracelets.

Sweat. Tears. Bracelets. To some degree, that is what defined Orientation Week for us. Those blue tyvek bracelets invaded our lives, and even our dreams. “Incoming students!

Please keep your bracelets on for the duration of the week!” We’d kick and scream in the middle of the night, or so our roommates like to say.

As this second week of school begins, we occasionally feel a phantom tingling around our wrists as if the bracelets have somehow survived our vicious scissor attack. After yanking our sleeves back quickly in an effort to expose something hidden underneath we look up in a moment of despair: one part embarrassment, one part relief, and a splash of astonishment. Our summer project had

started and ended in the blink of an eye.

We remember running around, eating some delicious lunches, and having fun the whole while. However, if you ask us about O-Week, our answer would be preceded by a blank stare and a moment of desperate recollection. We struggle to remember how it all started or when exactly it ended. But what we do remember is that we met so many wonderful new students, friends and colleagues.

To the thirteen executive members who dedicated their summer, the group leaders who made running events and lunches seem effortless, and the administration staff who helped us every step of the way, we want to say thank you! Each of you not only worked to make Orientation Week 2010 a complete success, but also made being a member of the executive great.

Thank you!

Amanda Lawrence and Amit Patel Orientation Week 2010 Co-Chairs

O-Week Reflections from a 1L

BY TODD BRAYER (1L)

O-Week was an interesting breed. A whirlwind mixture of serious lectures, PG-13 events, and pub nights, it was a great way to introduce the class to the law school and each other.

From what I’ve heard, it wasn’t much like most other frosh events, which seem to consist mostly of chanting, drinking and blocking the intersection of Yonge and Bloor while screaming incoherently and waving colourful banners. In my undergrad, I didn’t really take part in any first-week events unless they offered free pizza, cake or beer, but they were much the same except the police or paramedics came out every so often.

UBC parties hard.

Now coming off my first week of classes, I do already see the value of OWeek, particularly the team-building exercises. I now at least recognize the faces of most of my class and a good number of 1Ls in the other section, who I would probably not even have met otherwise. I can even dredge up a few random facts about most of them, acquired through a questioning process one of the upperyears sardonically described; “Where did you get your undergrad degree? What was your major?” and so on. It might be cliché, but it works.

Contrast this to journalism school, where on collaborative projects we were thrown together with complete strangers

each week. The results were often incendiary and great gossip, but bad in the long run when present classmates are future co-workers. Or bosses. Much like law school and the legal profession.

And where the various separate worlds professionals inhabit can feel small, the luncheon speeches worked to simultaneously make them feel very large: There’s a great number of possible jobs and careers out there. The Pro Bono speech sticks out in my mind as well — lawyers and law students worked for years to secure compensation for Roma halfway across the world – entirely for free.

Introduction to Law did a good job of easing us into the program. Coming in with little knowledge of anything aside from media law, or “how not to get sued for defamation,” I do appreciate the effort the faculty put into making sure we knew the basics, even if a crash course on how the Canadian government works might not have been so useful for political science majors.

As for the future, I have no clue. More than ever I can’t at all answer what I want to do after graduation. Time will tell.

It’s at least comforting that a third of the class isn’t going to be gone in a matter of weeks, people don’t tear out pages and there are jobs out there after graduation.

BY ABRAR HUQ (3L)

With O-Week 2010 firmly behind them, UV surveyed the 1L class about their Orientation experiences. 112 1Ls (over 58% of the class) shared their thoughts with us. Generally, most had a positive overall O-Week experience, with 72.3% of respondents rating the week as “Good.” 14 had an “Amazing” time while 15 rated the week as “Average.” Just 2 respondents said the week was “Bad.” When asked to rate each day of O-Week, Friday stood above the others. On a scale of 1 to 5, Friday rated a 4.14, with 92 respondents giving the day an above average grade.

Tuesday came in as a 3.88, with Saturday rated as a 3.67 and Wednesday earning a 3.59 mark.

The O-Week Executive and group leaders were given a 4.27 rating out of 5 with one awestruck student commenting that “Dan Bertrand was the best thing since orgasms and sliced bread.”

Nonetheless, 33% of survey respondents felt as though there could have been more interaction with and involvement by upper years in the Orientation Week.

Nearly 76% of the surveyed group thought that O-Week was not too academic, although some were confused about the purpose and value of some of the academic lectures. “Why did we need to learn about statutes providing for judi-

5

ciary appointment on the second day?” wondered one respondent. Others appreciated the opportunity to learn about some of the basics at an early stage. Despite the fact that most felt that the week was not too academic, the overwhelming majority did not feel that the Orientation Week was too social either. Just a paltry 8.9% of the survey respondents said that the week was too social.

When asked about their favourite event of the week, Tuesday night’s bowling was the overwhelming favourite with 31 votes.

The semi-formal was the next best-regarded event, earning 16 votes. Rare is the guest speaker that makes an impression, but the PBSC keynote speaker struck a chord with many of the 1Ls, as the PBSC luncheon was cited by 11 respondents as the best event of the week. Many of the remaining respondents were split between the other events of the week. Although those who favoured the academic sessions were few and far between, 3 respondents even came away impressed by Professor Simon Stern’s intro to legal writing lecture, with one such student commenting that “[Professor Stern] is everything I ever hoped a law professor could be.”

CONTINUED at page 11

6

Dean Interview- continued from page 1

MM: I think it was a good choice. It's funny, I talked to students and did some focus groups with students in the middle of second term of last year they were saying “this is terrible” and of course at the end they were saying “this is great, I don't have to take admin law now and I've got one tough thing behind me” so we definitely we feel like it was a leap in the right direction.

We’re working on it... there were some challenges to taking a complex course from the upper years and making it really successful in the first year. The overall evaluations of the courses were actually quite strong but the instructors have been getting together to figure out how they can make it better this coming year but overall I think it was definitely the right decision.

AC: How are job prospects looking for U of T students? Word on the street is that New York isn’t really hiring and that the number of 3Ls without articling positions has grown considerably.

MM: I haven't got the most recent stats now but I was following them quite closely last year. U of T students, the fact is, are still incredibly advantaged in the job market. It's true that New York is not

NEWS

hiring quite as much, although to the extent they are hiring there's a huge preference for U of T students because they're risk-averse when there are fewer jobs and they know U of T students are very good. So the percentage of students coming from U of T is a higher percentage of those working in New York, but the New York pool is smaller. I think one of the results is that Toronto has picked up U of T students more strongly, which is not advantageous of course for other places but last year U of T students got significantly more offers coming out of the OCI process than they have in the past... So, I'm happy about that, but I'm never happy with the thought of any law student anywhere not being able to get articling positions, but that's really very rare that students here are unable to get articling positions... still a tiny tiny number. I did work last year with the CDO to make sure we're being very proactive for that handful of people who face that challenge.

AC: Is there anything being done to improve faculty involvement in the mooting program?

MM: Yes, there is a mooting and advo-

Effie’s firing - continued from page 1

In addition to their belief that Effie was an excellent employee, opponents of the termination had a number of specific criticisms. They noted that the Admissions Adviser position was not eliminated. Changes to the qualifications – namely the requirement that the candidate possess a university degree – ensured that Effie, who like many immigrant women of her generation does not have a university degree, did not meet the requirements. In addition, critics have pointed out that Effie was terminated at age 57, just three years shy of meeting the eligibility requirement for the University's early retirement program. They felt that the Faculty did not give her the opportunity to meet the requirement within a certain period of time, or offer to phase her out of the position over the next 3 years. Though Effie is currently working at another department at the University, she is only on a 10-month contract, at the end of which she will have to seek further employment or retire. If she chooses the latter option and draws on her pension, she will lose 5% per year, until the age of 65.

Those opposed also note that restructuring was on the table for a number of years, but Effie was not advised that her job might be in jeopardy until June of this year.

Moreover, faculty members and students were neither advised, nor consulted about the administrative restructuring. Furthermore, they felt that Dean Moran did not adequately respond to the letters of protest sent by current and former students. Finally, many thought that the email announcing Effie's departure from the Faculty was unbecoming given her popularity and years of service.

UV recently sat down with Dean Moran and Acting Assistant Dean Judith McCormack to discuss the restructuring and to give them an opportunity to respond to the critics. With respect to the restructuring, Dean Moran said that over the last three years, the Faculty, in

cacy committee and that committee is looking at different ways to improve the faculty participation, because that was one of the concerns that students have raised. The other thing they're looking at is which new moots should be added because we've added some competitive and other moots as well last year...

AC: You’re nearing the end of your first term as Dean. How do you grade your performance so far, and knowing what you know now what would you have done differently?

MM: Oh my God, well I'll take the last question first. I would have done thousands of things differently – you know I've been associate dean, but when you do a job like this, there's a steep learning curve... I just hope I didn't impose too much pain on the institution as a result of trying to learn on the job as all people do. I've loved it... I've been surprised.. there are headaches in the job, but it's such a great place. and I've really loved bringing what I could to bring bear on it.

My performance: maybe the class average, maybe a seminar average... [B+?]

Yeah, B+: I think I could do better and I probably could have been worse. I would like to try to continue to improve things...

I'm happy about things we were able to create, like the Asper Centre, the Centre of the Legal Profession, the participation in the Georgetown Centre for Transnational Legal Studies in London and some of those international connections...

consultation with the university's central human resources office, has been taking a hard look at the administrative staff and assessing the future needs of each department, based on patterns of use, demand, and activities. Dean Moran noted that a number of changes were made, including amalgamating the Advancement and External Relations Office, and creating a new position: the Aboriginal Law Program Coordinator.

Changes in the Admissions Office are in keeping with the new and more technologically demanding recruitment strategy. Other law schools are developing sophisticated and energetic recruitment strategies, and the University of Toronto must keep pace. Dean Moran said that she was not personally responsible for making changes to individual job descriptions and therefore could not comment on specific changes made to the Admissions Advisor position.

Contrary to the rumours, Dean Moran said that staff and faculty members were advised that the administration was looking at restructuring and potential changes. Acting Assistant Dean McCormack added that there are specific rules, as per the human resources rules and collective bargaining agreement, about when and how individual employees should be notified. However, the Course Assignments Committee – identified by Professor Phillips as the principal advisory committee – was not consulted because dealing with human resources matters are not within the committee's mandate.

Both Dean Moran and Acting Assistant Dean McCormack admitted that direct student input was not sought, but reasoned that restructuring is concerned with future rather than current needs. Dean Moran said that she appreciated the letters that current students and alumni sent to her, and responded to each one as

ULTRA VIRES AC: You’re anticipating continuing on then, right?

MM: I have said I would be willing to continue on should the committee so choose. There are things I would like to do – I feel I've like we've put a lot of work in place...

AC: If you were an animal, what animal would you be, and why?

MM: Oh my gosh... [Josh Chan interjects: something from BC] Yeah, something from BC... If I was an animal... what kind of an animal would I be?.. Probably some kind of cat... maybe a bobcat: tenacious, not that big, energetic... a good hunter.

AC: Any final thoughts, or anything you want to communicate to the firstyear class?

MM: I teach a big chunk of them, so that's really terrific. I'm just looking forward to a really great year. I think it's going to be an exciting year.

I guess one thought I have which is kind of sad... I'm feeling sad about Betty Ho, of course because we're doing a memorial... I've been overwhelmed by the things that people have written. We had a faculty and staff dinner for the beginning of term, and I said when things like that happen we realize how lucky we all are to be here and to be together...

So just looking forward to the year: it's going to be fun.... assuming the roof gets done [hammering outside].

personally as she could, given the nature of the subject matter. She also disputed the claim that the administration has been ignoring what students value over the last few years, citing the recent decision to create the Aboriginal Law Program Coordinator position and increased support for the Peer Mentorship and LAWS Programs as examples of her commitment to providing good services for students.

Neither Dean Moran nor Acting Assistant Dean McCormack would comment on Effie specifically. However, they did say that the University of Toronto is a large organization, and it is quite common for employees – even long-term ones – to move around.

All human resources decisions at the Faculty of Law follow the central human resources office's best practices. They wanted to make it clear that the pension program is central to the university. As long as an employee continues to work with the University of Toronto, they will not lose their pension.

Moreover, laid-off workers have access to a number of supports including career development and counselling, skills upgrading, and preferential hiring. Overall, Dean Moran feels that she has a good relationship with the Faculty's administrative staff and treats them fairly and with compassion. The method of announcing a particular employee's departure from the Faculty is determined in accordance with that employee's request.

Effie turned down UV’s request for an interview.

However, she did say that she very much enjoyed working as an Admissions Adviser, and would have liked to remain at the Faculty. She also said that she was touched by the show of support from students, alumni, faculty members, and administrative staff, and would like everyone to know that she is enjoying her new job at the Centre for International Experience.

London town,T-Dot, OCI fashion advice and more...

Notes from abroad: London

BY CASSIA PRENTICE (3L)

There is nothing like a few weeks and an ocean’s distance to inspire some critical reflection on the home left behind. Perhaps it was this impulse that recently drew three University of Toronto law students to commune at the infamous “Maple Leaf,” a proudly Canuck establishment on the fringe of London’s Covent Garden. Equally likely inspiration was the allure of cheap wings and camaraderie after yet another evening session of Transnational Corporate Governance.

Over pitchers of Sleemans, the conversation necessarily gravitates towards talk of home. We exhaust our American, Australian and Israeli peers with unprovoked and valiant defenses of our nation’s manifold merits; or at least our beer, hockey, healthcare and correct pronunciation of “about.” We light heartedly rebuke a friend for chasing down a mugger and requesting that his wallet be returned. How delightfully quaint! How Canadian! Never mind the fact that we would never advise the same in a Toronto alleyway.

Yet as we emerge from the log cabin confines of the Maple Leaf and prepare to go our separate ways, the conversation takes a marked turn. Canadianisms aside, we never want to leave this place.

We love London..

On the first day of our program at the Centre for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS), we were empowered to learn from the diversity of our peers, and from the diversity of the city itself.

Quoting Samuel Johnson, program director Peter Tague explained, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” While I first brushed this off as a truism, I now accept it as truth.

In London, possibility and paradox are limitless. This afternoon I undertook the unlikely museum pairing of Freud’s home (complete with couch) and Keats’ home (Grecian Urn and Nightingale sadly absent). I’ve strolled the wide promenades of Regent’s Park and braved the hipsters populating Brick Lane Market. I saw The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Globe Theatre, and an awkwardly intimate three-person production on a tiny Greenwich stage. I’ve been in grungy dive bars and “posh” clubs. I’ve been smugly irritated by aimless tourists on Oxford Street, and hopelessly wrestled with my map while lost in Hackney. I’ve planned a trip to Essex and a trip to Istanbul. I went to a Canadian bar with friends from all hemispheres. Yesterday, I heard Taylor Swift

played on BBC radio. While I may be tired from London, I certainly could never tire of it.

All these wanderings have been facilitated by a very civilized CTLS schedule of one to two classes per day. Though the amount of preparation required for these classes varies, the readings are conveniently quite manageable for native English speakers. Often the best preparation is one’s own ignorance of alternative legal cultures, and implicit understanding of the culture in which you’ve trained. Every day, students from Russia, China, South Korea, Australia,

Pip, pip. Jolly good show.

Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Israel, Germany, Singapore, England, and Ireland share knowledge of practices in their home jurisdictions and ask questions of peers. Occasionally, we bicker amongst ourselves in attempts to characterize our home jurisdictions. These discussions foster critical distance from our own legal systems and build global context.

As Samuel Johnson said, “there is in London all that life can afford.” Students at the CTLS have been afforded a paradox all our own. Strengthened by the familiar, we are challenged towards discovery.

Barely one foot out the door of the Maple Leaf, we excitedly make plans for London days to come. While we may be rightfully proud of our beer, hockey, healthcare, correct pronunciation of “about,” and politeness under pressure, I, for one, am eager to continue testing these affections against London’s diversity.

FEATURES

Exposing the 1L class

BY AMANDA MELVIN (2L)

So it turns out that the 1L class has quite a bit of character after all. Some 101 1Ls (roughly 53% of the class) completed a survey sent out by UV last week and these are some of the responses we received.

Turns out 46.5% of you expect to place in the top third of the class this year and only 3% of you expect to place in the bottom third. Although knowledge of basic stats isn’t a pre-requisite for law school, some of you may want to review these numbers and revise your expectations!

Since 55% of you do not believe in miracles, you might want to start studying now!

52.5% of the 1L respondents are male and 47.5% of respondents are female. 46 people in the respondent class are between the ages of 23 and 25, with 37 people under the age of 23 and 3 people aged 31 and over.

The 1L class has at least 9 people hailing from BC, compared with only 2 from the Maritimes and 1 from Quebec. 10 people come from the Prairies and a whopping 72 come from Ontario. On the international front, there is one student from Sweden and one from the UK. Interestingly, almost 50% of respondents have lived abroad for some length of time, including stints in China, Iran, Pakistan, Singapore, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, England, Scotland, the US, Lithuania, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and South Africa.

The breakdown of academic back-

grounds includes 34 respondents coming from a business or science background, 1 student with a music degree, 1 student from medicine, 3 from fine arts and others from English, psychology, history or political science. 15 respondents already have a graduate degree, with 2 respondents having more than one graduate degree already!

Looking forward, approximately 30% of respondents saw themselves entering corporate law upon graduation, with 22% planning to enter public interest law, 8% going into intellectual property law, 7% interested in environmental law and 6% planning to enter criminal law. Twenty other respondents see themselves going into another field of law and 5 not-soambitious people plan on skipping work and going into retirement.

74% of respondents intend to stay in Toronto after law school. The vast majority of you (87%) do not use Twitter, but perhaps that’s because you are too busy with BBM, as 25 of you own Blackberrys! 59% of you like cats, 32% of you practice yoga and 59% of you don’t believe in love at first sight.

Getting into the fun stuff, the following are the coolest answers from respondents asked to divulge something quirky: [Note: Square brackets indicate editorial additions by yours truly.]

- I wrote and starred in a trilogy of musicals about the reproductive system CONTINUED at page 11

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FEATURES

OCIs: What to wear and where to shop (Women’s)

With interview season fast approaching, a few shopping and sartorial tips to the uninitiated seemed appropriate. We recognize that challenges facing men and women when it comes to dress are like comparing Crim and Torts – that is to say, vastly different. As such, we recruited an industry expert and fellow law student to write a companion piece for men.

One important caveat: This article is intended for women’s interview fashions only, not day-to-day office wear. Once you get in, you can slut it up or slob it down as you see fit.

BY CAROLINE SAMARA (2L) AND AMANDA MELVIN (2L)

other day. Aim for a simple black or brown shoulder strap purse that’s big enough to fit your emergency kit (snacks, spare pantyhose, band-aids, deodorant, etc.), but not too big to be in the way.

Clothes & Fit

Don’t show cleavage. No boob – not even the hint of one. It looks great on T.V., but the last thing you want is to be dismissed because of it.

On that note, don’t go overboard in covering up – it’s ok to show your figure.

What to wear Accessories: Pantyhose, shoes, jewellery, bags:

Wear pantyhose (and bring spares in case of rips/holes/mishaps). We know it’s horrible, just deal with it.

Find shoes that are both comfortable (you’ll be wearing them for a LONG time) and office appropriate (polished with no scuffs)! No heels over about four inches, no high platforms, no wedges and no crazy colours. Save your Sex & the City shoes for the post-job offer celebration. Flats are not advisable when wearing a skirt, but if you’re Brooke Shields tall or are wearing long pants, they may be acceptable. Regardless of the type of shoe you wear, ensure that you break them in and wear them around for at least a few days ahead of interview time.

Jewellery is a nice addition if it is classy and subtle. Pearls are always a safe choice and will look great without drawing too much attention. You can also use your jewellery to add some color to your outfit, but make sure not to be too extravagant.

Purses should not make a statement in an interview. Save your bright pink and black leopard-print hobo bag for an-

Follow the advice in this article and you’ll look as sharp as Amanda Melvin in no time.

Get clothes that fit! That means making sure that your clothes fit: Around the chest – ensure that there’s no pulling of buttons or gaping necklines (see cleavage point #1) Don’t feel pressured to only wear button-up shirts. This is another personal preference decision, with many 3Ls taking different positions on the subject last year with equal success. Just beware of polyester and rayon, which tend to look cheap and won’t wear well over a long day.

Watch out for pant fit too: Not too tight around the rear – no one wants to see your granny panty-lines, or lack thereof for that matter. You also don’t want cameltoe or any splitting of seams.

Where to shop

As a note, it’s our belief that a girl can look great in an outfit that doesn’t cost a fortune, while looking terrible in an outfit that breaks the bank. Your choice of where to shop and how much to spend is purely personal preference and comfort level. No firm expects a summer student to wear Chanel, Gucci or other high-end brands. In fact, wearing clear brand names may not impress your interviewers. Also note that all labels fit

differently. Even if you think you’re a size 6, you may be a 4 in some stores and in others you will be in between sizes.

Banana Republic is perfect for suits, shirts, belts and bags, although it can get pricey. However, it even fits our smaller friends, with a great Petites section.

However, a little-known fact is that they have an outlet store at Vaughn Mills Mall (right near the Holt Renfrew Outlet), where you can purchase a skirt (or pants) and jacket for under $200. These stores change their stock fairly often, so if at first you don’t love the selection, go back in a few weeks.

In addition, we highly recommend Brooks Brothers non-iron shirts as they are easy care (non-dry cleaning) shirts that maintain their shape through long, sweaty and stressful days. H&M, Forever21, Laura, Dynamite and SmartSet also have a great shirt and tank top selection.

We also recommend Jacob (for shirts, skirts and dresses), RW&Co, Ann Taylor (if you’re in the US), BCBG (which has great sales), Tristan & America (though they have a reputation for a difficult return policy), Club Monaco (with a 20% student discount) and the Bay. Each store has some fantastic finds, but make every effort to purchase a jacket and bottoms at the same store, or the material and color may not match.

We attempted to keep our list as budget-savvy as possible and both of us have had great success at some or all of these stores. However, for the less pricesensitive reader, brands like Hugo Boss and Theory have a broad selection of styles and sizes with a reputation for excellence in dressing women professionally.

UV HITS THE STREET

Christine Creighton (3L)

So, what do you think of the first years?

They seem very gung-ho.

Asim Iqbal (3L)

In the front, watch for crease and pull lines and make sure that pleated pants are properly ironed and ready to go. If your pants have belt loops, you should always wear an appropriately matching belt.

Make sure that your pants/skirt are the same colour and material as your suit jacket. Don’t opt to not wear the jacket!

Not wearing a jacket will make your outfit look closer to business casual than business formal.

If you’re going to be purchasing one or two suits to get you through OCIs and the in-firm interviews, try to find a black, gray, or navy suit. You can match a series of different coloured shirts with these staple suit colours, and your shirt will be the most memorable part of your outfit. However, if you go for a maroon suit (against our advice), your interviewers will definitely notice that they’ve seen you wearing it a few days in a row.

Tailoring is a very important way to make your suit your own. It is important to note that for jackets, tailors do not like to take in the width on the sides (and so it is prohibitively expensive). Instead, buy a jacket that fits in width. However, tailors will alter the arm length. We advise you to think about getting your pants hemmed, but only do so once you’ve selected the shoes you will be wearing with your outfit.

ULTRA VIRES

I only look for the cute ones - so far I’m satisfied.

David Colman (2L)

They’re particularly keen and impressionable.

Will Morrison (3L)

You don't talk to the 1L class. You listen to them.

They've enlarged my mind. They're poet warriors in the classic sense. I mean sometimes you'll say hello to the 1Ls, right? And they'll just walk right by you.

They won't even notice you. And suddenly they'll grab you, and they'll throw you in a corner, and they'll say, "Do you know that 'if' is the middle word in ‘life’?”

FEATURES

OCIs: What to wear and where to shop (Men’s)

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

BY JUSTIN NASSERI (2L)

With the notorious OCIs approaching, there has been much discussion about work clothes and how to dress for an interview amongst the 2Ls. With this article, I hope to clear up some questions about suiting and provide some opinions about appropriate interview gear. Hopefully 1Ls will find this useful when applying to various summer jobs during the Spring semester!

ton the suit up, some slight pull at the stomach is acceptable if it’s a slim-tailored suit, but there should not be excessive pulling and the lapel should not be popping outwards. If something in the shoulders or chest looks very wrong, this is probably not the suit for you.

You can get an idea of your size by measuring your chest, or asking a salesperson to do so.

When you try the pants on, they Buying a suit might be a little bit Buying a suit can loose or tight. be a daunting task, Don’t panic, this especially if you can be remedied have not done so with alterations, before and you’re which will be disnot sure what cussed below. But you’re looking for. if your pants look On top of that, there are unfortu- Mm-mmm, drink it in. The J-man always goes ridiculous, like you down smooth. could swim in nately dishonest them or like you’re and dishonourable salesmen everywhere, at all levels of re- about to burst out of them, then this is tail. One salesman I knew in Edmonton the wrong suit. At some stores like Club sold three different sizes of suit to a Monaco, Banana Republic, and Mexx, client in the same day. An uneducated you can mix and match pant and jacket suit buyer can fall victim in many differ- sizes until you find your perfect fit. With ent ways (size, style, colour, etc.) Here are many higher end suits, the pants come with the jacket, so if the pants don’t a few tips: work out, you need to move on to another cut or brand of suit.

Colour

For a business interview, you do not want to walk in wearing an ultra seasonal colour or fabric. This means no cotton or linen suits and it means no brown, khaki, white, or lightly coloured suits.

You’re also probably better off avoiding bold checks or pin stripes. The best colours for business are navy blues and deeper grays. Solid navy and gray suits are classic business staples, but you could also have discreet patterning. While traditionally, black is a colour reserved for funerals, weddings and evening occasions, the black suit has become an accepted business suit in North America over the last decade. That being said, you don’t want to look like you’re wearing your evening outfit to a business interview, so if you do wear a black suit, make sure you wear it with a shirt and tie that does not spell wedding outfit or blacktie event.

Fit

Fit is the most important part of a suit, and it is where suit buyers ordinarily make their biggest mistake. The most important part of fit is the shoulders.

The suit should hug your shoulders and feel snug without suffocating you. The shoulders should not be excessively pulling, and they should not be hanging off like armour padding. When you but-

bottom, it still might look fine.

Where to buy, what to buy

There’s plenty of places where you can get a good suit that should last you a while, given proper care. Proper care means hanging your suits up on proper suit hangers, steaming them and not taking them to the dry cleaners more than twice a year. You should presumably be clean when you put a suit on, so it should not have to be cleaned or repaired too often, unless you’re trying to do the splits in a sweaty nightclub! Mexx, Club Monaco, Zara, and Banana Republic all feature fashionable, well-fitting suits for reasonable prices. If you do want to invest a bit more in a suit, and the funds are there, you can try Harry Rosen or Holt Renfrew. You can also check out Brooks Brothers, Winners, and the Banana Republic and Holt outlets for some great deals on dress clothes!

Tailoring is KEY

Perhaps you’ve bought a suit before that is supposed to fit you but you still wonder why it doesn’t look as good as something you saw in a magazine or in an ad at Harry Rosen. The key is one

amount of extra length for your pants to bunch up at the bottom. Furthermore, instruct your tailor to hem your pants at a slant, meaning that the pants are hemmed at an angle, so that the front is shorter than the back. This makes the pants sit much smoother on your shoe.

Pant waist/seat: Your pants should sit comfortably on your waist without a belt. The belt is not really to hold your pants up; it should serve purely as a fashion accessory. If your pants are pulling awkwardly, they are too tight; if they are falling down your waist, they are too large. You can usually have the waist and seat taken in or let out by up to an inch and three quarters. Anything more is asking for trouble and can compromise the construction of the pants.

Jacket sleeves: Again, jacket sleeves are often worn too long. You have some discretion here, but when your arm is relaxed to your side, you should at least be able to see the end (~ ¼ inch) of your dress shirt’s cuff.

Sides: Often, jackets off the rack will allow some room in the sides. To achieve a cleaner, slimmer silhouette, get the side seams of your jacket taken in.

Overdoing it…

You definitely do not want to overdo it at an interview. As a law student, you do not want to come off as arrogant or overly confident. Even if that’s not your intention, you can risk conveying that impression by coming off too strong with your appearance. That means skip the cuff links, silk handkerchiefs, shiny tie clips, “blingy” watches, three-piece suits, and excessively bright or busy shirts/ties. (This is coming from a guy who loves nothing more than to wear 3 piece suits and paisley ties, but there is a time and place for everything!)

Details

I strongly recommend going for a two-button suit. They often expose more of the tie, elongating your appearance and making you look taller. Furthermore, two-button suits have consistently remained in style since the 50’s. They are classic, timeless and appropriate for all shapes and sizes.

In terms of vent (the flaps on the back of the jacket), people often wonder whether a single or double vent is more appropriate for business. To be honest, anybody that claims one is more suitable than the other is likely trying to make an opinion sound like fact. Virtually all labels and brands have been making cuts and styles of suit with both types of vent for years. One is not more suitable than the other; it just comes down to personal preference.

As for length, it can depend on discretion and personal style, but generally, while standing upright, you should be able to clasp the bottom of your jacket.

If the jacket is too long for you to clasp it in that position, then it either has to be shortened, or it is just the wrong cut of suit for you. However, it’s becoming increasingly common to wear shorter jackets, so if the jacket is so short that when you try to clasp it you don’t fully grip the

9

Shoes, shirts, and ties

As seen on a certain DLS poster, the two-button suit commands respect.

word: tailoring. The suits that you see in magazine spreads like Esquire or GQ have been customized to the model’s figure. Some amount of tailoring is usually essential to make an off-the-rack suit look good, unless you happen to have the rare build that perfectly fills the suit out. Let’s start with the basics: Pant length: You should ask the tailor to hem your pants so that there is minimal break. This means there is a minimal

A quick note on shoes, shirts, and ties: For shoes, you can wear brown or black with navy suits, and most gray suits. With black suits, ONLY wear black shoes.

As for shirts and ties, keep it simple, but don’t let the urge to be conservative start messing with your mind. This is an opportunity for you to be yourself, and the interviewers don’t expect everybody to look like clones, with solid coloured navy ties on white shirts. Use some judgment but do not be scared to pick out a combination you enjoy. In general, stick to gray, white, and baby blue dress shirts.

Feel free to pick out a tie you enjoy as long as it’s not too over-the-top.

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FEATURES

ULTRA VIRES

Toronto a.k.a. Hogtown/The Centre of the Universe

This map was originally published in the September 1999 edition of Ultra Vires. We thought it was pretty rad, so we’re reproducing it here. Note that some landmarks on the map have since moved/burned down/been demolished.We accept no responsibility if you get lost as a result of this map.

Queen’s Park (a.k.a. Dalton’s Crib) – notable because the land is actually owned by U of T but has inexplicably been leased to the government for 999 years. When strolling through Queen’s Park, be sure to keep an eye out for your shot at stardom. Numerous B-level Canadian television shows (think Degrassi, Being Erica, Flashpoint among others) have been known to shoot at Queen’s Park on a semi-regular basis and are willing to recruit and pay random passerbys as extras.

Movie Theatres: M1 – Carlton Cinema M2 – Varsity M3 – Bloor Cinema Heart – Gay Village 519 Church Street – Gay Community Centre G – Greg’s Ice Cream – the BEST in our fair city HE – Honest Ed’s – cheap and shoddy, but nevertheless useful merchandise can be found here (for all those little things – like tongs – that you forgot to buy) UTS - University of Toronto Schools – if your Toronto-born classmates didn’t go to UCC, Havergal, CHAT or CHAR, they probably went here.

DLS – DLS actually isn’t where it is on this map anymore.

TP – Tom’s Place – Great place to find decent, yet affordable suits. Look as fly as Justin Nasseri for bargain prices. Go here before your interviews and haggle with Tom. KM – Kensington Market – the best place to buy veggies, fruit and cheese, especially during the winter, cheap clothes too!

Bloor St. W. – home to many things – Futon stores, sophomoric beer halls, Future Bakery (a popular study place), 24 hour Kinko’s and the Green Room (cheap, tasty food; cheap, palatable beer; un-law school-ish atmosphere) ROM - Royal Ontario Museum – They have dinosaurs and shit here. Free admission for university students on Tuesdays. Free admission for everyone on Wednesdays from 3 to 5:30 PM. Ned’s – The official name of Wymilwood café. This cafeteria is known to be frequented by many of the law school’s faculty.

Athletic Centre – a.k.a. “The AC”. Go here if you’re too lazy to go to Hart House.

Yorkville – Check back in with us after you get a Bay Street job for more info The Yonge Street Strip – The home of Toronto’s finest strip clubs, “used” electronics stores, and places to find T-shirts that were banned by your high school.

College Street (West of Spadina) – home of urban (read: cheap) cafes, restaurants and diners, including The Free Times Café, Sneaky Dee’s and Caplansky’s Deli AGO – the Art Gallery of Ontario – People painted a bunch of pictures and then other people hung them up on the walls here

FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

SLS launches new wiki site

BY ANDREA TANNENBAUM (2L)

For years, many students have been hoping that there was a more efficient system for facilitating the sharing of class notes and case summaries within and throughout our lovely student body.

Fortunately, the SLS thinks it has come up with just the solution with its new course summaries wiki that launched just last week. According to SLS President Karim Amlani, the idea of creating the wiki came out of the reconstruction of the SLS website, an ongoing process. The wiki site is mainly a forum for students to upload and download course summaries and maps for any classes that they have taken in the past or are currently taking. The hope is to create a more efficient way to share resources among the student body and to create a greater sense of camaraderie throughout the school. The more summaries and maps that are uploaded, the more valuable the site becomes as a resource for students. So if you are proud of your summaries or if you have updated older summaries, please upload them to the site soon!

A word of caution is necessary, especially to the 1L class: A course summary should only be used as a reference point for your own notes. While it is often tempting to simply read a one page case brief as opposed to a 20 page case, there are often key points missing in students’ summaries, such as vital facts or an unclear holding. It’s also important to learn to write your own case summaries in order to develop your analytical skills. It’s also beneficial to understand the cases (and your own

summaries) inside and out come exam time. That being said, existing case summaries can help to clarify a complicated case and are often very helpful to review after reading a case for the first time.

The benefit of having many students upload their summaries is the ability to consult different ones if you are unclear about specific details of a case, as well as the comfort in knowing that at your busiest times, you can read a summary before class if you do not get a chance to read the full case beforehand.

In addition to the course summaries wiki, the SLS is continuing a push to create and foster a greater sense of community at the law school with the idea of expanding the wiki site to house a used book sale, as well as provide a forum for students to buy and sell other items, or even organize message boards to share other information. The website launched on September 13th and everyone is encouraged to check it out and contribute their summaries, maps, and used books!

The wiki can be accessed by visiting the SLS website (www..studentslawsociety.ca), clicking on the Document Archive tab, and following the relevant link (http://slstoronto.wikidot.com/)

1L Survey - continued from page 7

11

- I wear a wedding ring, although I’m not married, so women don’t flatter themselves/treat me like an asshole because they mistake me being polite for hitting on them - I can’t walk straight even when perfectly sober - I swallowed a coin and it still hasn’t passed - I’m a fan of anthropomorphism - I can lick my elbows even though it’s supposed to be physically impossible [Ed: from TWO respondents!]

- If you and I each have a chocolate bar (or other dessert item) and they are identical to one another, I would rather eat yours than mine. Not sure why.

- I believe in unicorns - I like the smell of earwax, but only mine - I’ve spent hours with a (female) friend planning out survival strategies for the zombie apocalypse, but I’m also a pessimist. We usually die.

- I went to Harry Potter Land in Florida this year and it rocked my socks!!! The Butterbeer was amazing!

- I have translated Beowulf, for fun - Has military reservist training, meaning he/she is “fairly adept with a rifle and throwing grenades. :-)” [Ed: The smiley face at the end of the sentence is somewhat scary.]

- I had an abortion on Christmas Eve - I loved taking the LSAT – LOVED IT! - I am a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan - I am strangely uneasy about urban sprawl in the GTA, not because I dislike suburbs but because, in the event of an apocalypse, I don’t know how to escape to the woods.

As two of you mentioned the apocalypse in your answers, I cannot help but believe that you are destined to be friends/soul mates.

Please find each other ASAP. On a final note, for the class of 2013, it appears that Section 2 is officially the better section, with 53 respondents from that section as compared with only 48 from Section 1. Poor showing Section 1!

Orient

tation Week 2010

photos by Josh Chan Jean Lee and Ellen Zheng

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS Ford v. Smitherman: Toronto’s Hobson’s choice

An amusing pastime for the bored and drunk is a game called “would you rather.” The players juxtapose two horrible acts and ask each other which of the two they would prefer to do. Would you rather drown or freeze to death? Would you rather eat a bowl of live cockroaches or a plate of human waste? The players choose the option that seems somehow the least awful of the two. The reasons they offer are not so much expressions of principle as tortured rationalizations: “well, I guess cockroaches are high in fibre...”

The upcoming Toronto election presents an identical dynamic. Two “leading” candidates have emerged: City Councillor Rob Ford and former Ontario Deputy Premier George Smitherman.

Both are terrible in their own way. Voters must now answer the difficult question: which is less terrible than the other?

Ford is a swollen, pink-faced blowhard who says whatever enters his head.

These statements leave something to be desired. He thinks AIDS is only a problem for gays and drug addicts. He wants to make Toronto a “refugee-free zone” and restrict immigration to the city. He warns that “the Orientals” are “slowly taking over.” He called building a homeless shelter an “insult” to his constituents. His actions speak at about the same volume. He has convictions for drunk driving and drug possession. In 2008, he faced charges for domestic assault. His policies don’t seem much better. He proposes both sweeping tax cuts and elaborate spending proposals. There

BY STEPHEN HUTCHISON (3L)

is no indication of where the city will find the money for either of these things, or whether Ford grasps the inherent contradiction of these two promises.

Yet Ford has several advantages that may make him unbeatable. Torontonians, especially suburbanites, have decided that they hate city council, its perks, its self-serving personalities, and its sneering disregard for the interests of taxpayers. This is not unreasonable. A quick perusal of council’s spending would suffice to enrage any right-thinking p e r s o n .

Councillor Shelley Carroll, for example, held an event entitled “Councillor Shelley Carroll Presents a Free Family M o v i e Night,” including free popcorn, free drinks, and free children’s prizes. The taxpayers footed the bill for Ms. Carroll’s self-promotion. Councillor Sandra Bussin, meanwhile, sponsored a children’s softball team and named it after herself: the “Bussin Blue Jays.” Taxpayers picked up the tab for that one too.

Ms. Bussin then called in to John Tory’s radio show under a false name and insulted him. Outed by listeners, she contritely drove down to the radio station to apologize. Guess who paid for the gas?

Good ol’ Johnny Taxpayer, that’s who.

In this environment, Ford is the Man of the Hour. He also hates city council.

He has denounced councillor perks for ten years. He has consistently attacked council’s lack of respect for the taxpayer.

For the past decade, he has refused to use his expense account and has paid his own way instead. He hates his fellow councillors, and they hate him. The prospect of Ford as mayor horrifies the Toronto Establishment, which only increases his appeal. He has transformed himself into a symbol of total repudiation of council and everything it stands for.

Supporting Rob Ford has become, for Toronto suburbanites, an act of rebellion and defiance. For these people, it’s not about endorsing Ford’s views or even his policies. For want of a better analogy, it’s about pissing off daddy.

Arrayed against Ford is George Smitherman. Many of my friends support Smitherman; one has even put a Smitherman sign on her lawn. Smitherman’s supporters emphasize what they universally regard as his most appealing quality: he is not Rob Ford. This is indeed appealing. Unfortunately, Smither-

The inflammatory saga

BY AARON CHRISTOFF (3L)

The world watched with perverse fasciRev. Terry Jones should have burned nation as radical Florida pastor Terry the Koran, as he said he would. The Jones threatened to burn the Koran to damage is already done. By failing to folcommemorate 9/11. As the clock ticked low through, the reverend has only done down to “International Burn a Koran a disservice to himself, the West, and Day,” media provided a steady stream of Muslims. His swindle has made the coverage, politicians of all stripes de- world a more boring place. What made nounced the plan, and the good reverend his crazed threat so interesting was that it became a lightning rod for both rea- seemed he would do it. The next time soned persuasion and death threats. In someone threatens to burn a Koran, the the end he REV. TERRY JONES SHOULD HAVE BURNED world will yawn. b a c k e d Cynicism increases.

THE KORAN, AS HE SAID HE WOULD. down, covTerry Jones has ering his retreat with suitable face-saving exposed himself as a publicity-seeking statements: first it was because Imam charlatan at best, and a spineless extremMuhammad Musri promised to move ist at worst. There is a very strong case the “ground zero mosque.” When this that Jones should never have threatened was met with denial, Rev. Jones seemed to burn the Koran in the first place, and to reconsider, but now says that he will that has already been done elsewhere ad never burn a Koran, and only meant to nauseam. But having promised to do it, he should have followed through. If he expose the radical Muslim element.

is to be now believed, his plan was all along a fraud. It may well have been fraud of the worst kind – that is, advertising – to promote himself and his ironically-named Dove World Outreach Centre. The alternative is that the pastor bit off more than he could chew, and shrank from his vow in the face of global condemnation. Either way, he has diminished himself.

Jones has also done a disservice to the West. Beyond being a shining example of intolerance, he has only reinforced Western fear of Muslims. He raised Muslim ire, then allowed himself to be cowed by them or by others afraid of their reaction. Everyone will have to continue walking on eggshells where Islam is concerned – probably more so.

Finally, Terry Jones’s about-face is bad for Muslims themselves. The thing I

man’s other attributes are somewhat less attractive. As Health Minister, he presided over the greatest spending debacle of the past decade: the eHealth fiasco. The government gave Smitherman a simple task: put Ontario’s health records online. Several years and several billion dollars later, Ontario has nothing to show for Smitherman’s efforts. Instead, the government paid consultants over $300/hr to send out Christmas cards and write self-congratulatory speeches. Smitherman also showed a shocking indifference to conditions in elder-care facilities, until public shaming finally forced the government’s hand.

As a mayoral candidate, Smitherman has strived to present himself as a man without any principles whatsoever.

Three weeks ago, he promised to use city government to create green jobs, subsidize youth employment, and enhance labour benefits. He vowed to protect city services from Ford and his horrible knife. A week and a half later, he declared a “war on waste,” announcing that “the spending binge is over.” He prescribed a “diet” for the “big spenders at city hall.” The message is clear: “my name is George Smitherman, and I will say whatever I think will get me elected.”

Ford wants to eliminate councillor perks – but is that enough reason to vote for him? Smitherman isn’t Rob Ford – but is that enough reason to vote for him? I would answer “no” to both these questions. On election day, I plan to mark an “x” for “none of the above.”

found the most interesting about this whole Koran-burning saga is that many people, including our own politicians, were prepared to hold the pastor accountable for the Muslim violence that would supposedly ensue if he did follow through. It’s as if Muslims are not held to the same standard of rationality as other human beings. This is the subtle but very real racism that pervades our society. If some Muslims committed violence and murder because a hillbilly burned their holy book, it would be on their heads. Some expected that kind of outcome, in light of the Danish cartoon fiasco. I like to think that the realization of Jones’s threat would have been a chance for Muslims to show that they are a reasonable people, unfazed by the antics of an extremist. Now we will never know what might have happened.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

The audacity of the Sun Sea refugees

On 13 September, one month after her initial detention, the first of the Tamil refugee claimants who came aboard the Thai cargo ship MV Sun Sea was released from detention after a hearing in front of the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB). The IRB felt that a pregnant woman with three children under the age of 15 who had sustained significant injuries in the Sri Lankan Civil War should not remain in detention. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) disagreed with the release and has been seeking to keep the claimants in detention on the grounds that they have not established their identity and may be connected to the Tamil Tigers.

The Canadian public has responded coldly to the plight of those aboard the Sun Sea. Recent polling indicates that a significant majority of Canadians want the government to send the ship and its former occupants back out to sea. Familiar grievances are levied against the refugee claimants about "jumping the queue" ahead of "legitimate" refugee claimants and the "abuse of Canadian generosity.” Leading politicians, such as Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Immi-

BY CIZAN SULIMAN (3L)

gration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews have made statements in support of these views and have raised the spectre of this ship being merely a test case for even more refugees.

The current economic climate partially explains the hostile reception. Rob Ford, a candidate for mayor in Toronto, voiced a common sentiment when he stated that "right now we can't even deal with the 2.5 million people in this city. I think it is more important to take care of people now before we start bringing in more people." But, the possibility that some of the refugees aboard the Sun Sea have links to terrorists does not help in softening the public sentiment against them.

The first decade of the 21st century has been one where labelling individuals as terrorists is enough to allow Western governments, usually with public support, to detain them indefinitely, subject them to torture or "harsh interrogation techniques" and deny them access to due process.

The facts tend to get lost in the midst of such uproar. That most economists

believe immigrants on average create more jobs and contribute more to the public treasury than they use is an inconvenient truth for those who are quick to shout about economic concerns. So too is the fact that the government has an opportunity to present any evidence they have over whether any of the claimants are linked to terrorism in front of a trier of fact in order to prove their allegations.

Furthermore, the fact that the vast majority of Sri Lankan Tamils have been found to have genuine claims and have been granted refugee status

by IRB members is also forgotten.

Politicians and pundits, however, seem to have decided that waiting for an IRB hearing or actual evidence to determine whether any of the refugees are a genuine threat is not required and that they can spout freely about the threat of Tamil terrorists using Canada as a base to replace the one lost in Sri Lanka.

It also seems hypocritical to create a system that explicitly recognizes the legitimacy of persons who travel to Canada on their own initiative and apply for protection inside the Canadian bor-

der, and then proceeds to label such persons as "queue jumpers." It is just as hypocritical for us to recognize that legitimate refugees can self-select and then do everything in our power to prevent them access to any legal means of coming to Canada. Is it any surprise then that refugees have to turn to the criminal world in order to obtain passage here, whether it be document forgers or smugglers?

None of this reaction is abnormal considering Canada's history. Canada's government, often following the sentiment of its people, has historically reacted hysterically to the "threats" from CONTINUED at page 17

Many of you will lead a miserable life

BY LUCAS WILSON (3L)

I’m a big fan of law students. As a general rule, we are defending distasteful positions – also predispose us to talented, intellectually curious and genuinely interesting. be social bores. Anyone who finds cross-examining I like us. So it saddens me to think that so many of us nervous witnesses completely natural is probably a sowill lead miserable, unfulfilled lives. Yet I am convinced ciopath. Ruthless, single-minded people are more likely that without changes to the nature of the legal profes- to go to law school and less likely to be happy. sion, this outcome is inevitable.

We may also suffer from our very intellectual rigour.

Lawyers, as a group, suffer from a profound happi- The vast majority of the population believes that they ness deficit. A 1990 Johns Hopkins study looked at 104 are better than average. Indeed, not believing this to be occupations to see which professions suffered from the the case is often a sign that one is clinically depressed. highest rates of depression. Adjusted for socioeco- It’s a useful reminder that truth is not always an ally of nomic factors, lawyers fared worst. Other studies, albeit happiness. Lawyers may suffer disproportionately from generally American, have found similarly disturbing debilitating intellectual honesty. The brain that excels trends; compared both to the general population and to at the LSAT and “issue spotting” is probably less likely other white collar professionals, lawyers suffer from ex- to accept notions of uncompromising love, unqualified ceptionally high rates of alcoholism, substance abuse, friendship, or unquestioning faith. What is worse, suicide and divorce. These are brutal statistics. lawyers are rewarded for fixating on the negative, on It is tempting to potential problems that may try to dismiss them THE BRAIN THAT EXCELS AT THE LSAT AND “ISSUE potentially occur. Pessimists somehow. It is true SPOTTING” IS PROBABLY LESS LIKELY TO ACCEPT NO- are likely to excel – and still be that most studies on unhappy with their lot in life.

TIONS OF UNCOMPROMISING LOVE, UNQUALIFIED this issue have been Finally, it is also worth acFRIENDSHIP, OR UNQUESTIONING FAITH. American. I think knowledging that law schools there is a very plausible argument that the Canadian often attract intelligent misfits. I came to law school legal profession is more collegial and somewhat less after realizing that the philosophy job market was rather competitive than the American. Canadian lawyers may, limited. I have a difficult time imagining myself happy in fact, be happier. Yet the overall trend in the Canadian in very many other careers. Engineering or computer legal market – towards larger firms, higher salaries and coding, for example, seem almost incomprehensibly higher billable targets – suggests that the differences boring to me. Whether or not I find happiness in pracare probably small and shrinking. ticing law, I think it’s worth acknowledging that the It is also plausible that law students are somewhat problem may partly be me. predisposed to be unhappy. As mentioned above, I like On the whole, however, I am unconvinced that law law students. I will, however, also be the first to admit students are predestined to become miserable regardthat many of us are arrogant and some of us are gen- less of their profession. Nor, indeed, am I convinced uine assholes. The traits that will make us excellent ad- that practicing lawyers need to be unhappy. Legal work vocates – our argumentative nature, our competitive can, at times, be morally compromising or mind-numbdrive, our willingness to suffer social opprobrium while ingly boring. Yet compared to many, many other ca-

15

reers, legal work is actually pretty awesome. The main problem is that we all work too many hours. When preparing for a court hearing or closing a deal, late nights or busy weekends may be unavoidable. Yet a healthy, well-balanced life requires that 60-80 hour weeks should be the exception, not the rule.

It is tempting to blame law firms for this. As junior lawyers we will, after all, often only have a limited amount of control over our workflow. Yet we are guilty as well. It should be possible for a law firm to pay its students and associates considerably less but have them work fewer hours – yet I worry that there is little appetite amongst us students for such a model. We chase prestige and we chase money. The firms respond. The starting salaries on Bay Street, let alone Wall Street, are obscene. Punishing hours are an inevitable consequence.

It should be possible for us, as a profession, to pull back from this craziness. The difference between making $100 000 a year and $500 000 a year will have very little impact on how happy most of us are. Yet the difference between averaging 50 hours a week and 70 hours a week is, for many, the difference between having a well-balanced life and being clinically depressed.

As students we should aspire to the former, not the latter. As future leaders of the legal profession, we should all struggle to transform the way we work. Lawyers are not saints and our net contribution to society is seldom purely positive and is, at times, quite negative. Unlike doctors or soldiers, there is precious little excuse for us to sacrifice our families and our happiness for our jobs.

There is ultimately no justification for not turning our considerable intellect and ambition towards making the practice of law happier and more well-balanced.

16 “Our task must be ... to widen our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

--Albert Einstein

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Non-human animals and the law

"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."

--Thomas Edison

"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men."

--Leonardo da Vinci

Many people are surprised to learn about the legal ways in which we exploit and abuse animals. We assume that if something is egregiously or unnecessarily cruel, it will be illegal. Unfortunately this is far from the case: legal and unnecessary cruelty occurs every day in Canada in agriculture, experimental science, entertainment, and fashion as accepted industry standard. However, rather than taking you through Canada's meagre animal welfare legislation or our sorry collection of related case law, I thought I could introduce you to some of the basic philosophies that underpin much of what we do so that you might understand why we do it. This, I hope, will convince you that animal law matters.

Psychologists talk about the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance. When a person behaves in a certain way, he or she will be highly uncomfortable if his or her beliefs, values, or attitudes do not match this behaviour. But, incredibly, instead of changing our behaviour, which is notoriously difficult, we humans will change our minds! For example, a smoker, knowing that smoking is unhealthy but not wanting to quit, might think, “I'm still young, so I'm not really

BY ANNA PIPPUS (3L)

at risk.” Similarly, when we institutionally treat other animals badly, we come up with all kinds of outrageous justificatory claims to adjust for the dissonance.

Perhaps the most pervasive evidence of our collective attempt to ameliorate such discomfort is found embedded in our language when we claim that humans are different than animals. Well— humans are animals; we, by definition, cannot be different than animals. Using the term “nonhuman animals” is more accurate, and is a very basic first step towards recognizing that the dichotomy between humans and animals is a false one.

Some people think that other animals are ours to use, as long as we use them in a way that minimizes suffering. Someone adopting this view, generally considered the more conservative animal welfare perspective, might believe that animals should have larger cages and more stimulation, but not that, fundamentally, we should not be displaying animals in zoos or testing our latest formulations of household products on them because so doing is offensive to their interests. The welfare position is compelling because it is close to how we already do things, so its familiarity is naturally appealing. In terms of cognitive dissonance, it is extremely difficult to envision structuring our relationship with other animals differently (i.e. changing our behaviour), and it is tremendously painful to accept that we are complicit in perpetrating abuse (and the implications that flow therefrom). Instead, we maintain the dissonance-induced attitude that it is all fundamentally acceptable. But it is very difficult, if not impossible, to logically defend this position once we examine it more closely.

It is most commonly claimed that the germane difference between us humans

and other animals is our intelligence. In other words, our interests dominate, no matter how miniscule, over the interests of other animals, no matter how great, because we won the cognitive evolutionary race. But that can't be right – we don't therefore think it's okay to torture and kill stupid people, and nobody I know eats human babies. I also doubt that if a super-smart alien species came to Earth and confined us to serve any and all of their interests, causing us much suffering that we would think it were fair. Some of us recognize that, though there are differences, there are no morally relevant differences between us humans and the rest of the sentient beings with whom we share the planet.

Might does not equal right. The only salient characteristic of a sentient being who deserves to avoid suffering is the capacity to experience suffering. Jeremy Bentham eloquently noted this back in 1789 when he said, “The question is not, can they reason? nor, can they talk? but, can they suffer?”

Elsewhere, I have written about the prevalence of wilful blindness in how humans think about other animals. We sense that there is something we wouldn't like going on, so we choose to avoid the information. “I don't want to know,” we might say, thinking how hard it would be to give up cheese. “I don't want to feel guilty.” Spoiler alert: I guarantee that if you learn about the lives, transport, and slaughter of animals raised for food in this country or elsewhere, you will be horrified. That's because, despite our shortcomings, we humans are fundamentally empathetic, caring, social creatures who are saddened by suffering.

For those of you who care about human rights, I ask you: why stop with humans? What is it about humans for which you are fiercely advocating, and

ULTRA VIRES

are those not characteristics that are shared with other animals? Would you consider extending your compassion only to certain humans, say those with a certain intelligence level or skin colour?

It is not so far into the past that we must look to find examples of the selective awarding of human rights and personhood, each of which in its own time was considered natural until we judged it from our clear, retrospective vantage point. If I told you a human was “humanely slaughtered,” would you think I were being oxymoronic?

Those who care about animal rights also care about human rights. Far from being terrorists, people who care about animal rights are motivated by compassion. We might be animal lovers, or we might simply recognize that extending our sphere of compassion to only one species—our own—based on irrelevant criteria is logically inconsistent and morally indefensible. The next time you encounter someone who has something to say about animal issues, I encourage you to open your mind and heart and hear what he or she has to say. We won't judge you. We've been there.

Resources: To get involved in nonhuman animal advocacy at U of T law, email me! To learn more, visit: www.earthlings.com (an award-winning documentary canvassing legal animal exploitation) www.jonathanbalacombe.com (the complex consciousness of other animals) www.pcrm.org (physicians on veganism and alternatives to animal experiments)

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

POINT/COUNTERPOINT “Is Vancouver the best city in which to practice law?”

17

As the 1Ls are first introduced to the legal career and the 2Ls are taking their first steps toward the practice, it is important that they consider the vastly different work environments of the country’s two largest common law jurisdictions.

Making the case for the Coast

BY BRENDAN MORRISON (3L)

I was born and raised in Toronto and have recently finished working in Toronto.

So I am well-positioned to tell you that, as a city to live and practice law in, Vancouver can’t be beat.

Sure, Toronto boasts the most diverse array of ethnic foods, the best theatre, the wildest festivals and the biggest clubs. But Vancouver simply has so many more Starbucks. To the practical life of a practicing lawyer, I ask you, which is more important? Plus there are those two sushi places in Kitsilano that are just so damn hip.

Most importantly for our consideration, Vancouver simply has the most interesting legal disputes. While marijuana possession trials are limited to criminal courts in Toronto, these frequently constitute complex property cases out West.

Like the famous Barry Bonds baseball case, in Vancouver litigants routinely hit the courts to hash out just whose dimebag is whose.

The most influential quasi-academics all agree that the critical consideration involved in maintaining a happy and sustainable work-life balance is ensuring that your leisure time complements your work life. And when our shared profession involves so much excitement and anxiety during the day, what better to complement this in our lives than to leave the office and enjoy a city that is really really boring. Rambunctious and spontaneous Toronto just can’t provide you that comfort.

Finally, lawyers are able to spend their hard-earned salaries on the things that matter most, since salaries extend further in Vancouver. Clothing expenses are smaller because when your day is spent in the courts and the evenings on Wreck Beach, all you need are your robes. The “we wear suits, ergo, we’re better” snobbism of Toronto just doesn’t jive with the legal scene in Vantown where I’m pretty sure lawyers wear one-piece ski suits and turtle necks around the office.

It makes for brighter board room meetings. If you’ve got a mustache, you sit first chair. It works.

If the housing market tells us anything, it’s that Vancouver is a valued place to live. And we all know if there’s anything you can bank on in this world, it’s the housing market. As prices currently stand, you may have to spend your articling year living in a bungalow crack den in Port Moody. But it’s worth it. There’s excellent tofu in Port Moody.

The simple truth is that Mike Hamata is a degenerate scumbag. I mean, with respect, Mike Hamata is a degenerate scumbag. After spending the summer working for a firm in Vancouver, Mike is attempting to make the case for Toronto since he has already been disbarred from British Columbia for indecent and deviant behaviour before he’s even stepped out of law school.

So when it comes the time to choose between the City or the Coast, remember that Hamata is going to be looking for work in Toronto now. There’s never been a better time to pack up and head West.

Tamil refugees - continued from page 15

boatloads of refugees, whether they are carrying Chinese economic migrants, Sikhs, Jews escaping Hitler's regime or Tamils. In 1938, Frederick Blair, Canada's Director of Immigration, wrote that Canada had fought to keep people out who had become stateless as a result of the First World War "for the reason that coming out of the maelstrom of war, some of them are liable to go on the rocks and when they

become public charges, we have to keep them for the balance of their lives.”

Blair would later go on to compare the Jews fleeing Nazi Germany to pigs in a feeding frenzy at a trough, and to work successfully to prevent European Jews from finding sanctuary in Canada.

Chinese economic migrants, Sikhs, Jews escaping Hitler's regime or Tamils.

In 1938, Frederick Blair, Canada's Director of Immigration, wrote that Canada had fought to keep people out who had become stateless as a result of

Van-Exodus: Scrooge McDuck Likes to Party in the Money Booth

BY MIKE HAMATA (3L)

You walk into a bar. Familiar music is playing, you brought your dancing shoes, and you just got your party pants back from the drycleaners.You walk up to get a drink, notice a gorgeous human being, and think to yourself: “hey, maybe I’d like to get to know that a little bit better...”

This person is really put together, I mean like Padraic Ryan good-looking, with every aesthetic you’d look for in a mate: mountains, beaches, temperate winter climate, and more vegan yoga than you can shake your asana at.

“Hey, I’m Mike, I’m in law school – what do you do?” - Future You / Past Me “Hi Mike, have you ever really watched paint dry – I mean, where does the wetness go?” – Hot Stranger (HS)

“Umm no, but sorry, what was your name?” – FYPM “Last night I played one-person scrabble for a sensible amount of time, but I didn’t use any of the extra point bonuses, because they make me uncomfortable.” - HS At this point the vapid beauty reaches into its pocket, pulls out a fistful of what appears to be topsoil, and begins to chew it. And suddenly you realize: poor Vancouver, you have the looks of a supermodel, but the soul of an unused traffic cone.

“But hey!” you think; those Olympics sure looked fun! I was there. All the good people were visiting from Toronto. Unless you plan on leaving the office every night to a warm glass of milk and one of those old-timey pajama hats then you might be disappointed by the west coast post-work scene. But hey – maybe singles night at theYMCA is your thing. Say hi to Brendan for me.

Oh yeah, the office.You’ll be leaving it late. Don’t listen to what recruiters tell you about the laid back legal culture in Vancouver – it’s a myth, just like the assertion that Kits Beach is frequented by anything other than rejected extras from Jersey Shore. I’ll tell you what’s not a myth: getting half the paycheck that your friends in Toronto get, while doing more work. Put that one in your half-pipe and smoke it, brah.

In response to my critics, if you think no-pants Fridays is a degenerate idea, then I don’t want to know what generate is. I don’t even know the meaning of the word. Also, “Brendan” isn’t a real name for anyone who doesn’t have a recurring role on Beverly Hills 90210.

In summary, if you’re content to do the same work for less pay in a city whose only benefit is its shallow beauty, then Vancouver may be a good articling choice for you. If you’re not a dial tone, I’ll see you on Queen this summer. We can buy really sweet bikes. the First World War "for the reason that coming out of the maelstrom of war, some of them are liable to go on the rocks and when they become public charges, we have to keep them for the balance of their lives.” Blair would later go on to compare the Jews fleeing Nazi Germany to pigs in a feeding frenzy at a trough and work successfully to prevent European Jews from finding sanctuary in Canada.

THE DEAN SEARCH COMMITTEE WANTS YOUR INPUT!

If you have any issues or concerns that you think should be brought up from the students' perspective during the dean search committee meetings, please contact atbeen.aminzadehdezfuli@utoronto. ca

18 Dear Mayo:

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Open letter to the Dean from Jim Phillips

I only recently heard of the decision to terminate the employment of Effie Koutsogiannopoulos. I did not initially believe that you would treat Effie in this way, but it is apparently true, and I am frankly appalled by this decision.

Effie has been at the law school for over twenty years. During that time she has been a hard-working, dedicated and very loyal employee, and has done a fabulous job as the “human face” of the admissions office and, indeed, of the “front line” administrative structure more generally. Hundreds, indeed probably thousands, of our former and current students have greatly appreciated the advice, friendship and help she gave them.

During my own twenty two years here I have been told repeatedly by students how much they like and appreciate Effie.

The fact that within days of its creation a Facebook page devoted to trying to reverse this decision had hundreds of students signing up is testament to her popularity – a popularity that results from the exemplary service she has performed for our students. One has only to read that Facebook page to see the esteem and affection in which she is held by current and former students. It is also worth noting that this is a two-way rela-

tionship. Effie is so good at her job in part because she enjoys it so much – enjoys interacting with the students and helping them.

Given all this, it is not surprising that I would think this decision the wrong one.

To be clear, there are two principal reasons why it is wrong. First, it is a terrible way to treat such an employee, who has shown such dedication and who has poured her heart and soul into the job.

The law school should be rewarding the qualities Effie has brought to her job, not terminating her. Even worse, she was terminated just a couple of years before she could have taken advantage of the University's early retirement proposals.

Second, this decision has removed from the law school a very valuable resource, for future applicants and students who will, without knowing it of course, not have the benefit of her guidance.

Again, look at the Facebook page, and see how many students said that they found her to be the best thing about the law school administration. This decision is therefore not only a terrible way to treat a long-term employee, it is also very much “against interest”' for the law school.

I have two other points to make. First, it seems to me that this treatment of Effie and this ignoring of what the stu-

dents regard as valuable is not atypical of the drift that has been going on here for some time – a drift away from caring much about students and the everyday running of the academic programme, and caring more and more about faculty research and good P.R. etc.

Second, in the rather opaque letter you sent in reply to the one sent to you by over 250 students, you state that this was done "after much consideration" and "extensive consultation." Whatever consultation was done was certainly not extensive enough to include members of faculty, including your principal advisory committee, the Course Assignments Committee. That letter also states that Effie has been fired following a process to "ensure that our relatively scarce staffing is best designed to ensure the functioning of the law school going forward." While it is not easy to discern what this means, it seems to be a refer-

ULTRA VIRES

ence to some kind of what is commonly termed "restructuring." How can it possibly be good for the law school to eliminate the position Effie now holds? I would have thought that the very high regard in which she has always been held by applicants and students suggests this is a very important position. And if the position is important, you could not, as I have already said, find anyone better at the job. Frankly I find any arguments relating to "restructuring" quite unconvincing. And judging by the number of more senior staff personnel hired over the last few years, as well as the intention to hire more faculty, the law school is not short of money. I believe that something else is behind this decision.

Yours truly, Jim Phillips

SLS president’s address - continued from page 3 mental things that will make our lives a such as reclaiming the Osgoode v. U of little bit more comfortable.

T Basketball Challenge crown, defending As you can see, it’s going to be a busy our glorious Law Games Soccer Chamyear, and this is all in addition to the pionship, and growing moustaches to great events we have lined up like the better mankind. Welcome once again – Halloween Party, Law Ball, and the ski it’s going to be a fantastic year! Best of weekend. There is also much to be done luck!

D I V ER S I ON S

Sex,TIFF, Mario, and duck fat...what a quartet!

Top 5 Canadian Legal Sex Scandals

If there’s anything Mad Men has taught me, it’s that sexual intrigue has been ingrained in North American professional culture since at least the 1960s. The legal field – at least in Canada – has for the most part managed to avoid the landmines that are sex scandals. This past summer however, the Canadian legal field exploded with an orgy of sexually-charged water cooler fodder.

Without further ado, UV presents the top 5 Canadian legal sex scandals of the past 5 years.

1. The “White Princess” of Manitoba (2010) The most recent scandal came to light after a former client of a prominent Winnipeg lawyer came forward with photos of the lawyer’s wife, associate chief justice of the Queen’s Bench (Family Division) in Manitoba, Lori Douglas, naked, participating in various elements of bondage. Alleging that the lawyer, Jack King, pressed him to have sex with Justice Douglas, the client, Alex Chapman, is seeking $67 million. King is alleged to have pressured Chapman, who is black, into visiting a website devoted to matching people for casual interracial encounters. The website contained an ad posted on behalf of Justice Douglas with her naked pictures under the heading “Our White Princesses” and a caption so filthy that even UV is too embarrassed to publish it. "Over the next month, he tortured me to visit the website and have sex with his wife," claims Chapman. Rightly or wrongly, the ensuing frenzy forced Justice Douglas to be “temporarily relieved of her duties as a sitting judge.”

2. MDC Gets Frisky Post-Moot (2010) Who knew that an ordinary competitive moot could lead to such scandal! This saucy affair took place at the after-party for the Mathews Dinsdale & Clark Labour Arbitration Moot at noted Toronto nightspot, Cheval.

As the Patron started to flow, things moved to the

BY ABRAR HUQ (3L)

dance floor where a Mathews Dinsdale partner, David Cowling, allegedly engaged in “inappropriate sexual conduct.” After a junior associate filed an internal letter regarding the behaviour of Cowling and another unnamed MDC partner, Cowling fired back with a defamation suit. According to the Financial Post, the letter in question “described in detail the events that allegedly took place that night, including allegations of people being ‘extremely intoxicated,’ lap dances, and partners of the firm hitting on younger women. “ In other words, it was no different from your ordinary Gracie’s pub night. Indeed, a statement of defence filed by the junior associate confirmed that a senior associate at the firm was “so intoxicated that he left the club without his coat or keys and vomited in the taxi cab as it left the club.”

3. Nudist SCC Justice (for far too long?)

Many have expressed bewilderment at the Manitoba bondage scandal, shocked that a judge could exhibit such behaviour. However, it should be noted that Justice Douglas is far from the only resident on a Canadian bench with such quirky hobbies. Although technically not a “sex” scandal, per se, the curious case of the nudist SCC judge must be discussed. In 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that “nude cruise” company Bare Necessities had an impressive client list that included “actors, bus drivers, Fortune 500 CEOs, soccer moms, doctors, teachers, priests and at least one Canadian Supreme Court justice." The identity of said SCC justice is yet to be revealed, but after her approach to the swingers club in R v. Labaye, how could we possibly rule out Chief Justice McLachlin?

4. Immigration Judge Blows it (2010) Former Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicator and Toronto city councillor Steve Ellis just needed a

girlfriend because his marriage was “terrible.” So if they “did things on the side, that’s okay.” At least, that’s what he told Ji-Hye Kim, a Korean refugee, at a meeting at an Annex coffee shop, just weeks before Ellis was to decide her refugee status. Kim secretly taped the conversation, while her boyfriend videotaped the meeting from across the street. According to Superior Court Justice Herman, Ellis “undermined the Canadian immigration system” and “breached the significant trust that had been placed in him.” Ellis was found guilty of breach of trust and bribery, and was slapped with an 18 month jail sentence despite his claims that he suffers from bi-polar disorder. Be wary future creepers: despite Ellis’s assertion that he never actually used the word “sex,” Justice Herman confirmed that “‘Doing things on the side’ is a euphemism for a sexual relationship.”

5. George Hunter’s Sexual Interludes (2006) In 2006, Ottawa-based lawyer and then-LSUC treasurer George Hunter resigned and was suspended for 60 days by the Law Society after it came to light that he engaged in an improper sexual relationship with a client he was representing in a child custody proceeding. According to a Law Society tribunal, Hunter “engaged in professional misconduct” during a two and a half year “sexual/romantic” relationship with the client. Said client, identified only as AB, went on to launch a civil action against Hunter in 2008, in which she sought $1.4 million in damages. In the statement of claim, Hunter was alleged to be routinely turning office meetings meant to discuss AB’s custody case into “romantic and sexual interludes.” He also proved to be a legitimate Don Draper, as it came to light in the statement of claim that Hunter was also having affairs with two separate employees at his firm, BLG, concurrently with his affair with AB.

10 Simple Rules For Studying In The Library

In a perfect world, I would never set foot in the library. I dislike the poor lighting and the spotty Wi-Fi connection, and I absolutely detest the cheap and uncomfortable chairs. More than anything else, I hate the collective stress of super keeners that seems ever-present in the air.

Fortunately for me, I can get everything I need - save for a few obscure and outdated sources -online. I’ve also worked out my schedule so that I can minimize gaps between class times and do most of my studying at home. But alas, despite my efforts, I’ve still ended up with a 2 hour gap between classes on Tuesday afternoons.

In keeping with my goal to do more studying and less socializing this school year, I decided to spend my first Tuesday afternoon break of the year in the library. Within ten seconds of sitting down near the back, I heard whispering.

BY THE ANONYMOUS RANTER

As anyone who's spent time in the library knows, whispering in the library is more irritating than talking loudly, because no matter how hard you try to ignore it, your nosy side strains to hear what the conversation is about. And then you get angry when you realize that they (fellow law students!) are cutting into your study time to talk about something idiotic and/or irrelevant. Ughhhhhhh!

Anyway, back to the story. Thinking that it was a couple of 1Ls who didn't know any better, I decided to give the two chatty patty's a minute to wrap up their conversation. Well, a minute turned into ten. I got up to see what their issue was, and to my surprise, discovered that that the two offenders were upper-year students. To make matters worse, they were students that I know and like, but that I don't know and like well enough

to tell them to put a cork in it without coming off as law school's version of Naomi Campbell (famous for her angry outbursts).

After taking a few seconds to consider whether to sacrifice my reputation for less than two hours of study-time, I decided that it wasn’t worth it and sank back down into my uncomfortable chair.

Just as I had forced myself to drown the chatter (which had not stopped) out and concentrate on my readings, the guy beside me proceeded to eat a muffin. The chewing, finger licking, and crinkling of the paper bag were too much for me to handle. I gave him a quick "I'm so irritated with you" look, gathered my things and left, vowing to never return to the library again.

I spent an entire day brooding about the incident, but I eventually decided to take a more optimistic view. Perhaps law

students simply do not understand library etiquette. After all, I suppose that it is possible to do well enough in undergrad to get into U of T Law, without ever having learned or appreciated the value of quiet study time. If you’re one of these (un)fortunate people, I've put together 10 simple rules for studying in the library to help you out. I'm sure that if you follow them, hanging out in the library will be a productive experience for both yourself and fellow law students. I won't be returning to Bora, but I'm sure the guy that gives you dirty looks every time you chow down on treats from Second Cup will appreciate it.

CONTINUED at page 22

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DIVERSIONS

The best of in-class gaming

So you’re sitting down in your first constitutional class.

You have a new textbook on the table next to the new laptop that your parents bought you, and a Word document ready with the cursor blinking in anticipation of the flurry of notes you’re about to write. You’ve just finished Orientation Week, and you’re eager to begin exploring the exciting world of Canadian law. The professor enters and a hush comes over the classroom. She walks to the front and the lecture begins.

At first you type everything, dutifully transcribing every detail and aside, every off-topic ramble and the answer to every annoying keener question asked by your classmates. Then your notes become more haphazard: you write only the more emphatically repeated phrases. You zone out for five minutes, then ten minutes, then twenty. It’s only 9:45. Or is that 9:44? By the end of the class, you realize you’ve written only two pages, and the last few lines of your notes are an indecipherable mess of stray words picked up when you momentarily roused yourself from daydreaming. A few more classes go by, with much the same result.

It is clear you’re incapable of paying attention in class. Yet you’re expected to go to almost every lecture.

You can either work to improve your notes (which we all know isn’t going to happen), or you can waste your time more productively by playing video games on your computer. But what games to play? The internet is full of boring, stupid games that just infect your computer with malware. How are you to sift the wheat from the chaff ? We’re here to help you.

There are many excellent gaming options available depending on your attention span and academic ambition. The difficulty and time commitment required for each game is inversely proportional to how seriously you take the class. This guide does not purport to be an exhaustive list, but every game mentioned is a timetested (and time-wasted) favorite.

What to avoid: Though many of the games discussed below are juvenile and simplistic, not all games are equal. Almost anything you can play on Facebook is likely to make people think less of you, with the possible exception of Scrabble and chess. Two notorious examples are Farmville and Mafia Wars. If anyone catches you playing either of these, you deserve to go to Cooley. Also, avoid games such as World of Warcraft and the ilk for obvious reasons.

For the casual gamer: These games require very little of the user, and can be played while still successfully paying attention to the important points in class. Many of them can also be played offline, which comes in handy in the cold, internet-less wasteland of the Moot Court Room.

Basic Windows games - everyone knows about the suite of simple games available in Windows. You can shuffle coke-dusted cards in Solitaire, or clear out an Afghan playground in Minesweeper, or even just aimlessly click the start button (they all require about the same mental effort). But for novelty - or if you have a Mac - you might want to try a few other classics.

Entertainment Rating: Three and ½ exploding mines out of five.

Where to find it? In your Windows games folder.

Bubblespinner - The king of casual games. This is the ultimate procrastinator’s tool. It combines simple,

BY ANDREW PFLEIDERER (2L)

colourful graphics and addictive gameplay, and it is very easy to play using a laptop trackpad. As you learn about the importance of law you can enjoy some vigilante retribution as you blast bubbles out of existence in this interesting twist on classic bubble shooter games. You play it in your web browser and there’s no time pressure. If you load it up beforehand, you can play it in MCR where there’s no internet connection. Because it is so low-stress, players almost never swear loudly in a quiet classroom when they lose. The law school champion of Bubblespinner is currently Joe Ensom (2L) with a score of 66,758 according to the Toronto Law Bubblespinner Appreciation Society. 1Ls, please attempt to surpass this score, as Ensom has been riding pretty high lately and is in dire need of a takedown.

Entertainment Rating: Five burst bubbles out of five.

Where to find it? www.deadwhale.com/play.php?game=774

Chess – Windows 7 includes a rudimentary chess program, and Macs have a version of this as well. Chess can be played at various levels of difficulty. I recommend medium to easy, in order to preserve an inflated sense of superiority. After all, you got into U of T Law - “The Yale of the North.” Getting beaten at a simple child’s game by some lousy computer only shows that your acceptance letter was a mistake. Yet playing an opponent so unskilled that anyone can beat it is just as pathetic. So make sure you set it low enough that you can win, but high enough that it takes you more than 4 moves. The people in the rows behind you are watching… and judging. Multiplayer options are also available if you play on Facebook.

Entertainment Rating: Four pawns thrown across the room in anger out of five.

Where to find it? Windows Vista or 7, Mac OS X, or any of several thousand websites.

ULTRA VIRES

expert Justin Nasseri (2L) take over: “Being the Faculty of Law's Persian Prince, I can't help but enjoy this game. This franchise has enjoyed longstanding success since the late 80's, and while now there are sophisticated 3D games and a corny movie with Jake Gyllenhaal, I still like to kick it old school with my classic Prince of Persia. Enjoy moving your sideways profile character with the arrow keys through a random dungeon maze, where you'll drink potions, pick up weapons, and fight dudes in brightly colored robes. I think at the end you save the princess and... well, you can figure the rest out.”

Entertainment Rating: Four scimitars through the heart out of five.

Where to find it? www.crazymonkeygames.com/Prince-of-Persia.html

Nasseri also recommends Capoeira Fighter 2: “This is an intense and brightly colored game, which will either captivate or annoy the students sitting behind you.

If you feel like a fighter game where you can do all kinds of ridiculous things, like magically back flip in the air four times while kicking your opponent, this is the game for you!”

Entertainment Rating: Three boots to the face out of five.

Where to find it? www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/capoeirafighter.jsp

Mario – Without question the greatest of all Super Nintendo games, Super Mario World is still revered today as one of the most addictive and fun games in history. You star as Mario, hero of the Magic Mushroom Kingdom, and you basically run around stomping turtles and jumping over platforms. That’s all there is to it. As a result, dozens of copyright- and trademark-infringing internet pioneers have created their own versions of this classic. Some come close to perfectly mimicking the physics and sound of the original, others less so. Just Google it and find a version you like. And if you need a truly authentic experience, download a ROM of the original SNES game, load it into a decent emulator, and stomp your way to a B in constitutional.

Entertainment Rating: Five crushed magic mushrooms out of five.

Where to find it? Anywhere, but here is a fairly good flash version www.mariogame.info/ Mario: Slightly more interesting than learning about federalism

For the intermediate gamer: Intermediate games require more attention and time commitment than casual games.

Tetris – This old stalwart can be played on numerous websites. Depending on the version you use, the colourful, slightly frenetic classic can either be a subtle way of ignoring the substance of the lecture you’re in, or if it is full screen and flashes brightly every time a line is destroyed, it can also force everyone behind you to ignore the lecture too.

Entertainment Rating: Five stacked Eastern Blocs out of five.

Where to find it? Just Google it; you’ll find something.

Prince of Persia – For this game I’ll let the resident

For the hardcore gamer: Largely the stuff of legend (by which I mean I have no evidence whatsoever that anyone plays them), successfully playing immersive 3D games in class is a pretty bold accomplishment, but more advanced first-person shooters and real-time strategy games are especially impressive. If you can play Bioshock or Medal of Honor or Starcraft with a modicum of skill even without sound (wearing earbuds is a dead giveaway) while the professor remains blissfully ignorant, you win. You will lose on exams, but you’ll have the eternal ‘respect’ of your peers as that guy who failed out of law school because he spent all his time playing Half-Life 2 in lecture.

Entertainment Rating: Six failed first year courses out of six.

Where to find it? Bittorrent, USENET, or at a computer game store near you.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

DIVERSIONS

UV at TIFF: How far would you go for justice?

Once again, Hollywood has managed to breathe cinematic life into a real-life legal drama while doing its story, characters, and messages justice. Conviction may not have been the most anticipated, or even most impressive, film that premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. However, Hilary Swank’s unabashed portrayal of Betty Anne Waters, a high school dropout who spends nearly two decades working as a single mother while putting herself through law school as she tirelessly tries to beat the criminal justice system to overturn her brother’s (Sam Rockwell) wrongful murder conviction, works better than you might expect for a film that doesn’t require you to be a law student to predict its emotional climax.

Conviction is not based on a true story – it is the story.

Charged with the brutal stabbing murder of Katherine Brow, Kenneth Waters (Sam Rockwell), one of the most popular usual suspects of Ayer, Massachusetts, was convicted in a slanted trial based primarily on misleading testimony from Kenneth’s ex-girlfriends – who have scores to settle – and imprecise serology evidence gathered from a poorly contained crime scene. Sentenced to life at Walpole State Prison, and out of money while exhausting all of his appeals, Kenneth loses hope. Following this pivotal event in the film, marked by a stirring scene demonstrating the love and inseparable bond between the film’s two lead characters, Kenneth’s sister, Betty Anne, begins her miraculously successful 20-year journey to exonerate her brother by first earning her GED and then graduating from law school at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

BY BLAIR MESTEL (3L)

Through a series of non-linear flashbacks, Director Tony Goldwyn effectively depicts both the genesis of the pair’s unique relationship, while providing the viewer with an opportunity to see the process of how Betty Anne, even as a young girl when the stakes were not as high, planted the seeds of faith, trust and conviction in her brother, Kenneth. The film is as much a story about what we do for our loved ones as it is an illustration of the unintended, and sometimes detrimental, consequences our quests can have on ourselves and loved ones. As such, Goldwyn implicitly challenges his viewers to stop and wonder: at what point have we sacrificed too much in attempting to fulfill our own fantastic hopes?

How far is too far? In the case of Betty Anne, we witness her struggle to equitably balance her roles as a mother, wife, and sister, faring better in some spheres than others.

As a law student who has experienced the trials and tribulations of earning a legal education, I left the screening of Conviction wishing I had seen more of Betty Anne’s sojourn through law school. After all, law school is hard enough for even some of the country’s greatest budding legal minds, and given Betty Anne’s preoccupation with exonerating her brother, and raising her two children, the film glosses over this impressive and crucial leg of Betty Anne’s odyssey.

On the other hand, I was impressed with the film’s inclusion and treatment of renowned criminal litigator

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and forensic specialist, Barry Scheck, whose prominent legal work lies in the area of uncovering wrongful convictions as director of the Innocence Project in New York City. Having played an influential role in obtaining Kenneth’s post-conviction DNA exoneration, it was an honour to shake Barry’s hand after the film and share a few words with him outside the Elgin Theatre. Additionally, strong supporting roles from Minnie Driver and Juliette Lewis allow Pamela Gray’s screenplay to inject some tasteful levity into a generally sombre narrative.

There are your popcorn movies, and then there are those movies that liberate, inspire and empower the audience - Conviction irrefutably falls into the latter class. While a legal drama, the scenes you will find most memorable from the film take place far away from the confines of a courtroom.

For example, when Kenneth ecstatically bear hugs a prison guard after learning his DNA does not match the sample taken from the 1982 crime scene, clearly transgressing the penitentiary’s “no touching” rule, it’s difficult to deny that Conviction has touched our inner sense of justice and hope for more real-life heroes like Betty Anne Waters.

Conviction is slated for a very late 2010 – possibly early 2011 – Canadian release date. Until then, be sure to check out a few of my favourite law-related films, including: The Paper Chase, My Cousin Vinnie, A Few Good Men, The Devil’s Advocate, Philadelphia, and Primal Fear.

22

DIVERSIONS

The 1L guide to U of T Law

BY CAROLINE SAMARA (2L)

As we all know, the first few weeks of 1L can be a little overwhelming. You are meeting many new people on a daily basis and can barely keep track of their names (not to worry, you will become very well acquainted with Stalker Guide in no time). You are expected to read cases and be prepared for a class discussion, yet the numerous failed attempts at understanding the material make this task seem impossible. Do not worry, 1Ls! We have all been there, and you will get through this. In the meantime, here are some things you should know that might make your lives a little less complicated: - Do not use the water fountain by the women’s washroom near MCR (Moot Court Room).

- Always bring a sweater (or full blizzard gear) if you have a class in MCR. - Leftover food will be placed in the lower rotunda when there are lunch meetings in Flavelle. Get there early. It goes fast!

- Do NOT leave your laptop in your locker overnight or over the weekend.

- Do NOT leave any electronics unattended in the library (Bora) – it is open to the public and stuff gets stolen.

- Bring a mug to save the environ-

ment and 10 cents on every cup at “Grounds of Appeal,” the law school coffee shop in Flavelle.

- Bring your own teabags and get free hot water from “Grounds of Appeal.”

- Get to Muffin Madness early – the chocolate croissants will not last.

- Use your Fridays off! Don’t let them go to waste.

- Keep a yoga mat in your locker & sign up for morning yoga classes in Flavelle – look in Headnotes for the contact information.

- There is no water fountain in Falconer.

- If you have classes in Falconer or in the dining room in Flavelle, bring a power bar (the electrical one, not the food!). There aren’t very many outlets and you might need to share a power outlet with a few people if you need to charge your laptop.

Hopefully, these notes will help you navigate your way through our little law school world. Despite the stress that you will inevitably encounter at various points throughout the academic year, don’t forget to enjoy yourselves. Go out, watch movies, laugh with your friends, and brace yourselves for what is sure to be an amazing 3 years!

Anonymous Ranter - continued from page 19

ULTRA VIRES

10 Simple Rules for Studying in the Library 1. Take your inside voice outside of the library -- whispering is annoying.

2. Turn your phone on silent, not vibrate. We can still hear the phone when it vibrates.

3. Put your laptop on mute. Nobody wants to hear the Microsoft chime every time you start your computer up.

4. If you must eat, don't eat things in a noisy paper bag. And do everyone a favour and chew with your mouth closed.

5. Keep your text messaging at a minimum. The constant tapping and giggling because the person you're texting said something funny is disruptive.

6. The walls in the study rooms are not sound proof. The people next door can hear you gossiping, so take it outside.

7. The stairs between the 1st and 2nd floor are not a free zone. We can hear your loud and inappropriate conversations from the other end of the library.

8. Passing gas at your carrel is never appropriate behaviour. There are washrooms on every floor.

9. Take a chill pill super keeners. Or if that fails, go outside and take a walk. Your constant sighing and facepalming--signs that you're stressed --stress everyone else out.

10. Smile at the person sitting near you, even if you don't know them. You'll have someone to watch your stuff if you get up, and you might even get a friend out of it.

O-Week reviews - continued from page 5

Students were split as to what the worst event of the week was, with 16 people citing the Jays game as their least favourite event. The next lowest regarded event was the CDO/Financial Aid presentation. Some students felt as though the CDO aspect was irrelevant at this stage of the year, while several others commented that much of the information presented was regurgitated from Welcome Day. Demonstrating how keen the 1L class is, 66 of the 112 respondents offered suggestions to improve Orientation Week in the future. Common suggestions included having separate events/groups for mature students, having no events on the weekend, having more social events that allow for students to mingle with each other, and having more interaction with faculty during the week.

DIVERSIONS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

UV cooks: duck confit

BY JEREMY ABLAZA (2L)

A word of warning: the problem with this recipe is that it takes three hours of cooking and 24 hours’ marinating. If I haven’t scared you away yet, hear me out. While the recipe takes three hours to cook, you do approximately ten to fifteen minutes of work in that entire time. So you could conceivably hang out at home, and get a lot accomplished while it’s cooking. This is a perfect dish for a lazy weekend dinner.

This dish produces a lot of duck fat, so please don’t freak out when you see how much is rendered from the legs. If you do make this dish, make at least a pair of legs (maybe more). It’s not any more work to make more, as long as they fit in the dish. Save and store the fat, which keeps for quite a long time and will make for amazing roasted vegetables, fried eggs…

Oh, and my cooking style is best characterized as “lazy dude who likes to impress,” so I generally don’t measure anything. I apologize in advance if that gives you problems.

INGREDIENTS: Duck legs (usually come in pairs, $10-$20 for a pair depending on weight) Kosher salt Cracked black pepper Garlic, finely chopped Fresh rosemary, also finely chopped

RECIPE: Pat the duck dry and season it liberally with the salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary.

Put the seasoned duck legs in a Ziploc bag and squeeze out the excess air. Refrigerate overnight.

In an oven-proof pan or baking dish, lay the duck legs skin side down (cut side up) and cover the whole pan tightly with foil.

Put the pan or dish in the oven WITHOUT preheating.

Set the oven to 325 degrees for 2 hours.

Uncover the pan and turn the duck legs over so the skin side is up. It should have turned a nice golden color.

Do not remove any of the fat from the pan; return the pan to the oven for an hour, uncovered, to let the skin crisp up.

Briefly Noted

World transfixed as hillbilly threatens to burn book

U of T janitor appointed new Dean of Windsor Law

Anita Anand lectures from side of class, wanders into outside hallway

SLS: brown guy returns to power

Benson late for class, blames 9-day traffic jam in China Lwam grows Jesus beard to dissociate self from Devil

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