Progress on mental health concerns, mooting updates, and employment statistics
The March 23 Faculty Council was packed with positive developments. Dean Jutta Brunnée began her remarks by noting the Faculty’s progress on student priorities like lecture recordings and coffee at the law school. She also took a moment to recognize two key appointments: Jean-Christophe Bédard-Rubin, who will be teaching constitutional law next year, and Abdi Aidid, who will be teaching a torts small group and an arbitration and dispute resolution course next year. Further appointments are expected to be announced at the March 30 meeting.
Students’ Law Society (SLS) President Willem Crispin-Frei (3L) gave his remarks next. He congratulated all successful SLS executive and representative candidates following the conclusion of the SLS Spring General Election on March 20. Crispin-Frei also noted that the SLS announced its 2022 graduation and community awards. Lastly, Crispin-Frei highlighted two events the SLS had planned, including a pub night on March 24 and the return of Law Ball on April 1.
Director of the U of T Law Career Development Office (CDO) Neil Dennis updated the Council on the CDO’s priorities this year and employment statistics across all years. Dennis stated that the CDO focused on maintaining the same level of service this year, despite being short-staffed, and finding new ways for connecting students with employers. One example of this was the Employer Showcase Series, where over 40 employers spoke throughout the year about their practice and what they look for in new hires.
Employment rates among U of T Law students remained high. For 2021, 97 percent of graduating students who participated in the articling recruit received employment offers, while 99 percent of 2L students secured employment. While 2022 statistics are still being compiled, 2L students secured 21 percent of total jobs on Bay Street, and 1L students secured between 32 and 35 percent. Dennis noted that one trend to watch is the increasing number of students going to New York. In 2022, 15 percent of articling students and 17 percent of 2L students are heading to New York, with some 2Ls splitting their summers with Toronto-based firms.
Professor Hamish Stewart, Co-Chair of the Mooting and Advocacy Committee, presented next. He highlighted two key recommendations from the Committee’s final report. The Committee first recommended that the Faculty join the Child Protection Moot and allow students on exchange at the Centre for Transnational Legal Studies to take part in the program’s Vis Moot team to meet their oral advocacy graduation requirement. The Committee also suggested that the Faculty consider giving students who go on exchange more flexibility in allocating their credits for competitive moots to one semester or the other.
The Mental Health and Wellness Committee was the second committee to submit their final report, with acting co-chair Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Emily Orchard presenting. The Committee’s mandate this year was to monitor the implementation of U of T Law’s Mental Health Action Plan, seek feedback from students, staff, and faculty, and respond to student mental health issues that arise. Assistant Dean Orchard highlighted the importance of its listening session with JD and graduate students on November 11; students’ feedback played an important role in informing discussions throughout the year.
Based on these discussions, the Committee made six key recommendations. Among these was a concern about reading volumes: the Assistant Dean noted that volumes in some classes continue to be too high. She recommended that the Assistant Dean, JD Program remind Faculty members of reading guidelines and that casebook research assistants flag when readings are too long. Another recommended step is a Faculty of Law Master Calendar that could be used to avoid clashes between mandatory training and other key moments in the law school experience. Lastly, Assistant Dean Orchard emphasized the committee’s interest in creating a culture of compassion at the law school. She pointed to the role that faculty and staff play in normalizing the negative connotation around “Ps” as an example of how this culture could promote a healthier student experience.
SLS President Crispin-Frei thanked the Committee for recognizing and validating the comments that students shared about mental health at the law school. He noted that action on reading volumes, in-house counselling, and a culture of compassion would be “quick fixes.” Incoming SLS President Meaza Damte echoed this sentiment but added that reading volume guidelines “lack sufficient teeth” and that when students raise their concerns about particular professors, action is rarely taken.
The final report was the Graduate Program Admissions report, delivered by Associate Dean, Graduate Programs, Malcolm Thorburn. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on graduate programs, which typically rely on international students, Associate Dean Thorburn was happy to report that this had not been the case at U of T Law. Admissions have been steady across the LLM and SJD programs, while admissions to the Global Professional LLM have increased.
The last order of business was a motion to delegate authority regarding graduate programs to Associate Dean Thorburn. Normally, Faculty Council approves minor changes to courses, but this is not possible during the summer when Faculty Council is not meeting. The motion to delegate authority to make these changes passed with full support.
The next Faculty Council meeting is on March 30. As Dean Brunnée indicated, it will be an extremely busy one.
