Fresh faces pass improvements to the LLM program
On October 26, 2022, Faculty Council met for the first time in the 2022–23 academic year, mostly for housekeeping items. The October 5 Faculty Council meeting was cancelled. As usual, Dean Jutta Brunnée kicked off the meeting. She began by recognizing the passing of Professor Karen Knop and said more details will be announced soon on how the Faculty will recognize her contributions and scholarship.
In lighter news, Dean Brunnée welcomed the new 1L class, touting their geographic, gender, and sexual diversity. She celebrated the return to in-person classes and in-person events, and thanked faculty and staff for this successful transition. Dean Brunnée welcomed the addition of three recent faculty appointments: Assistant Professor Abdi Aidid, SJD Candidate Jean-Christophe Bédard-Rubin, and Professor John Borrows. She also welcomed the appointment of the Faculty’s first Assistant Dean, Equity, Diversion and Inclusion, Ada Maxwell-Alleyne; Interim Assistant Dean, JD Program, Eleonora Dimitrova; and Director, International Human Rights Program, Sandra Wisner. Dean Brunnée said the Faculty is looking to hire five new faculty members this hiring cycle: two in business law, one in international human rights, and two in any area of law.
Students’ Law Society (SLS) President Meaza Damte (3L) then gave remarks. She welcomed the 1Ls and the successful SLS executive and representative candidates following the conclusion of the SLS Fall General Election from September 21–23, 2022. SLS President Damte said the SLS was looking forward to working with the Faculty this academic year and communicated two concerns the SLS has repeatedly heard from students. First, upper year students are disappointed that the diversity of courses has declined from 131 in 2013–14 to 76 in 2022–23. Second, students are pleased with the change in the Faculty’s Lecture Recording Policy but are concerned that the policy is not being implemented uniformly.
Newly-elected Graduate Law Students’ Association President Jasween Singh Gujral (GPLLM) gave remarks. He said that many U of T graduate law students are foreign-trained lawyers trying to become licensed in Ontario. He asked the Faculty to expand their webpage on licensing.
After a few late attendees enabled the Faculty Council to make quorum, the meeting moved onto items for approval. Minutes of the March 30, 2022 Faculty Council meeting were approved.
Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Emily Orchard, moved three minor modifications to the Master of Laws (LLM) Program, that were all passed, effective September 1, 2023: (1) increasing the writing requirement for the course work-only LLM from a minimum of 3,500 words to 5,000 words, (2) creating a full-year Directed Research Project course, and (3) allowing a Directed Research Project to satisfy the writing requirement. The modifications are intended to make the LLM more rigorous and give students more writing options.
Assistant Dean Orchard sought approval for a new Trial Advocacy LLM Course and an Employment LLM course. Both were approved, effective January 1, 2023. The new courses are intended to meet the increasing number of LLM students and their post-LLM career interests.
The second Faculty Council Meeting of the academic year, and the last one of the calendar year, was held on November 16, 2022, and is covered in a separate article in this issue. This academic year, the University Budget Presentation will be presented at the January 11, 2023 Faculty Council meeting instead of the November meeting due to conflicts with the presenters’ schedules.
The Faculty Council is the governing body of the law school and makes policy decisions relating to U of T Law, usually on recommendations from special and standing committees. Membership of the Faculty Council includes all full-time faculty members and elected student representatives from the JD and graduate programs. Faculty Council Agendas, Minutes, Reports, and meeting schedules are published on the e.Legal Faculty Council page.
