EDI Office

The Office of the Assistant Dean, EDI oversees the implementation of our EDI strategies.

Meet the Assistant Dean, EDI

Ada Maxwell-Alleyne leads our EDI strategic plan: one that incorporates the social, academic and professional aspects of law school and supports the goal of integrating EDI as a fundamental component of legal education and practice.

Faculty members present at Law in a Changing World: The Climate Crisis

Vision

U of T Law is committed to cultivating an institutional culture that values, supports and promotes equity, individuality and belonging among faculty, staff, and students.
We encourage and support individual and collaborative efforts to identify and address inequities and systemic racism.
As an academic environment, we respect academic freedom and welcome diverse perspectives.
We apply a critical equity lens in our pursuit of inclusive excellence for the future legal profession.

U of T Law alumni awardees in 2022, honoured at a ceremony in 2023.

Mission

We commit to achieving equitable access and opportunities in admissions, student experience, career development, academic excellence, employment and advancement.
We approach EDI with rigor and evidence-based decision making so that equity principles enhance the overall experience of legal education at U of T Law.
We support faculty in embedding EDI principles into teaching and learning.
We strive to identify and address formal and informal obstacles, barriers, and biases that impact equitable access and opportunities.
We pursue equity initiatives to embed equity principles in our structures, programs, policies, and practices.

Goal: Build a community that draws on the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity. One that fully embraces individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.
- Strategy 1: Maintain and strengthen diversity in our student recruitment and admissions efforts.
- Strategy 2: Build a community that draws on the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity. One that fully embraces individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.
- Strategy 3: Build inclusive and anti-bias approaches into faculty and staff recruitment.
Goal: Promote a community of belonging for students, faculty, staff and the law school population. Build EDI into community architecture.
- Strategy 1: Create affinity resources, spaces and events.
- Strategy 2: Support and engage student affinity groups in the planning and execution of EDI events.
- Strategy 3: Leverage law school spaces as affirming and welcoming spaces for diverse campus communities.
Goal: To enhance systems and resources to support data-informed and evidence-based EDI-related planning, decision-making and practice.
- Strategy 1: Enhanced data collection regarding Black applicants.
- Strategy 2: Qualitative information on Black student experience.
- Strategy 3: Expand student climate survey.
- Strategy 4: Introduce a staff climate survey.
Goal: To build more diverse, equitable, and inclusive internal communities and teams
- Strategy 1: Senior administration inclusive leadership and EDI training.
- Strategy 2: Student leader and student group EDI training.
- Strategy 3: Accessibility & Accommodation management resources.
- Strategy 4: Leadership and staff professional development and succession planning.
Goal: To enhance and embed inclusivity into teaching and curriculum at the law school.
- Strategy 1: Online inclusive teaching resources.
- Strategy 2: Area studies synergies.
- Strategy 3: EDI-related learning outcomes and pedagogical resources.
- Strategy 4: EDI coaching and training offerings for faculty.

Want to learn more about EDI at U of T Law?

Contact the Assistant Dean, EDI, Ada Maxwell-Alleyne at ada.maxwellalleyne@utoronto.ca.

EDI Office

Meet the Assistant Dean, EDI

EDI strategic plan

Vision

Mission

Inclusive Excellence Theme #1

Community of Belonging Theme #2

Evidence Based EDI Theme #3

Inclusive Team Building Theme #4

Inclusive Teaching and Curriculum Theme #5

Want to learn more about EDI at U of T Law?