Career development office has not been contacted by any employers regarding the censure
Law students across the country have been preparing for the upcoming summer recruit. In addition to the anxieties tied to this process, many U of T law students are concerned that the ongoing Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) censure of the University of Toronto may negatively impact their employment prospects.
Since the censure was declared on April 22, some independent employers announced their plans to sever ties with the University of Toronto. Sherif Foda, a Toronto-based criminal defense lawyer, and Saron Gebresellassi, a Toronto-based human rights lawyer, are among the employers who indicated they would freeze hiring for U of T law students until the end of the censure. Additionally, a number of organizations including The Shift and the HIV Legal Network have withdrawn from their collaborations with U of T Law’s International Human Rights Program (IHRP).
In light of these developments, Ultra Vires reached out to U of T Law’s Career Development Office (CDO) to understand the impact of the CAUT censure on their students’ employability. We asked whether students should be concerned about their success in the upcoming recruits as the censure continues, and if the censure will result in any lasting impact on their reputation and future employment prospects, especially for those interested in pursuing international human rights work. We also asked whether any employers had contacted the CDO regarding the censure, and how the CDO planned to protect students from the fallout of this censure and the controversy at large.
In response to our questions, a University of Toronto spokesperson responded by email on June 18:
“With the information available at this time, we have no reason to believe that Faculty of Law students should be concerned about employment prospects in the short- or long-term. We also have no reason to believe students who want to practice human rights law will be negatively impacted. The Faculty of Law’s Career Development Office has not been contacted by any employers regarding the censure and at this time we don’t believe the censure will impact the results of upcoming recruits. We will continue to watch the situation closely, and take action if required to protect students from any impact.”
Despite this official response, many members of the legal community have commented that the ongoing censure will impact students in many ways, from cancelled events to lost professional and mentorship opportunities. While students may be assured that their employability will ultimately not suffer, CAUT’s censure of the university appears to have other detrimental effects on University of Toronto students.
To follow more updates on the CAUT censure, you can visit the CAUT Twitter.
Ultra Vires maintains a developing and non-exhaustive list of resources about the IHRP director hiring controversy, including official statements, letters, and opinions about the CAUT censure, available here.
