Ultra Vires

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Join the Ultra Vires Team for Volume 23 (2021-2022)!

We are looking for students to join our Volume 23 editorial board as well as students interested in ancillary roles for the newspaper. Applications are due Thursday, April 1 at 11:59 p.m. Please email your completed applications to editor@ultravires.ca. If you are applying for more than one position, please indicate your preferences in your email and submit a separate statement of interest for each position. 

If you have any questions about the below roles, kindly contact us at our email above, or message Sabrina Macklai or Annecy Pang, incoming Editors-in-Chief.

Interested in writing for us? While we run pitch meetings throughout the year, we always welcome new writers (or ideas). Contact us anytime at editor@ultravires.ca

Section Editors (5 – News, Features, Opinions, Diversions, Recruit*)

Section editors are responsible for fact-checking and editing all articles submitted under their respective section, following UV’s style guide. They also are the first point-of-contact for the Associate Editors working under their section. They are expected to work with their Associate Editors to pitch and create monthly content for their section (whether through writing this content themselves, delegating articles to their Associate Editor(s), or finding external writers). Section editors are also expected to attend all monthly pitch meetings (around 1 hour) and monthly editing meetings (around 5-6 hours). They will work closely with the EiCs to plan the direction of the paper and will contribute to a monthly Editors’ Corner. Section editors may also be responsible for drafting short social media copies of each article they edit (which will be passed on to the social media coordinators). Please submit a short statement (250 words) explaining your interest and any relevant experience, as well as your resume. In this statement, please include the section(s) you are interested in being the Section Editor for. 

* Special Responsibilities of Section Editors

  • The News Editor ensures UV is covering timely news and events within the Faculty and the legal profession. This may include LSO shenanigans, proposed 1L curriculum changes, and Faculty Council meetings.
  • The Features Editor has a broad portfolio which may span law school pets, wine reviews, and advice to 1Ls . They are also responsible for reviews of the Faculty’s major events, including the Promise Auction, Follies, Law Ball, and the Grand Moot.
  • The Opinions Editor is responsible for canvassing and soliciting op-eds on subjects of topical interest to the student body and broader legal community.
  • The Diversions Editor ensures that the satirical section of UV is at least somewhat funny. They are responsible for writing “Intra Vires” and for collecting Follies’ discarded jokes.
  • The Recruit Editor publishes within the News section but is solely responsible for any recruit-related articles, including facilitating the Toronto 2L recruit survey and contacting firms regarding formal recruits’ hiring numbers (Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, NYC). 

Online Editor (1)

This is a new role. The Online Editor will be responsible for maintaining and updating the Ultra Vires website. This includes the monthly uploading of our articles using WordPress. Depending on interest, the Online Editor may also create training materials (ideally short screencasts) on how to upload articles and maintain the website. We are also in the process of revamping our website, including cleaning up and making tags. This project will likely occur throughout summer and ideally, the Online Editor may help contribute to this revamp with their ideas and expertise. Knowledge of WordPress is therefore an asset, but not required. There is an estimated time commitment of 6 hours a month (to upload all the articles). Please submit a short statement (250 words) explaining your interest and any relevant experience, as well as your resume.

Business Manager (1)

The Business Manager is responsible for securing UV’s advertising revenue by reaching out to firms and organizations, including new and historical partners. The bulk of this role takes place over the summer. Throughout the school year, the Business Manager ensures that the ads are received by each publication deadline. In addition, the Business Manager is encouraged to brainstorm and lead initiatives for alternative revenue streams to ensure UV is financially stable. Please submit a short statement (250 words) explaining your interest and any relevant experience, as well as your resume.

Social Media Coordinators (3)

Social media coordinators are responsible for writing, editing, scheduling, and posting consistently across our social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook). Working together, social media coordinators are expected to create a consistent schedule for posting UV content using Hootsuite or another social media management platform. They will also work with section editors to review drafts of social media copies that may then be adapted. Ideally, we would promote every article that we publish on each platform to increase our online presence. Social media coordinators may also assist in sharing new issues of UV and any surveys we produce internally (within U of T Law Facebook groups). Please submit a short statement (250 words) explaining your interest and any relevant experience, as well as your resume.

Production Coordinators (2)

Production coordinators will work directly with section editors alongside photographers to brainstorm and create graphics and visual content for the paper. They may also be responsible for conceptualizing and creating more appealing cover art for new issues of UV. Please submit a short statement (250 words) explaining your interest and samples of your work.

Photographers (2)

Photographers will work directly with section editors alongside production coordinators to brainstorm and take photos for the paper. They may also be responsible for taking the cover photo for new issues of UV. Please submit a short statement (250 words) explaining your interest and samples of your work.

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