Welcome message from Dean Jutta Brunnée

Dear Law School Community,

On August 18, I stepped into classroom J250 for the Orientation kick-off event for our incoming 1Ls. The room was abuzz with excitement, and our newest JD students were chatting and connecting with each other. It was a wonderful, energizing moment and I do hope that all of you – upper year students, graduate students, faculty, and staff – will share this sense of excitement as we embark on the new academic year. A very warm welcome, and welcome back, to you all! I hope you had a great summer. I am very much looking forward to seeing you at the Dean’s BBQ, scheduled for Thursday, September 4 at 4pm. Also, please drop by and say hello during “J’s Java,” the monthly coffee hour socials, which will kick off on Wednesday, September 10 at 12:30 pm in the Atrium.

Last year we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the modern law school and its founding vision of academic legal education. It is fitting that, during the year leading up to our milestone anniversary, faculty, students, staff and alumni came together through a series of consultations to develop a dynamic new Academic Plan (2023-2028). Anchored in the Faculty’s founding vision, it sets priorities that will help us cement and extend Jackman Law’s reach as a global leader in legal education and scholarship, positioning our students and scholars to excel in a diverse society and a world of fast-paced change, providing impactful leadership and catalyzing positive change. This year, as we complete the self-study document that will be provided to the external reviewers who will visit our Faculty later in the fall, we again have opportunity to examine and refine our efforts to continuously refresh our founding vision.

Returning to our incoming 1Ls, I am delighted to extend a very warm welcome to another exceptional and diverse cohort of students, the JD Class of 2028:  

•    56% of the class is female-identifying;  
•    19% of the class is LGBTQ2S+-identifying;   
•    45% of the class identifies as racialized; and    
•    29% of the class is born outside of Canada

In addition to impressive academic credentials, our first-year students bring wide-ranging academic backgrounds and life experiences to the law school. For example, our community now includes students with experience as a Freelance Journalist, Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, Philanthropy Coordinator, Professional Hockey Player, Technology Sales Associate, Assistant Preschool Teacher, First Nation, Metis & Inuit Court Worker, AI Data Trainer, Manufacturing Specialist & Behavioral Therapist!

Likewise, our incoming graduate students are again an outstanding group, comprising young legal scholars in our LLM and SJD programs, as well as legally and non-legally educated professionals in the GPLLM program. This year's students hail from more than 36 countries, including Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Colombia, China, Egypt, Israel, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan and Turkey, among many others. As in past years, our graduate students have been awarded highly competitive external grants, such as the prestigious Trudeau Foundation, SSHRC CGS Master and Doctoral Awards, Connaught International Scholarship, Vanier, Governor General’s Gold Medal, and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. In addition, we also convened nine SJD final oral examinations during the 2024-2025 academic year, and will be celebrating two more completions early this fall. We are so proud to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our current and graduating doctoral students, many of whom have secured faculty positions in Canada and elsewhere. We are thrilled also to welcome a remarkable GPLLM cohort. Students in this program come to us with experience in accounting, banking, construction, finance, law enforcement, education, healthcare, telecommunications, management consulting, public service and law, to name but a few industries. We could not be more pleased to welcome such an outstanding group across our graduate programs and look forward to seeing the many ways in which these students enrich the law school in vital ways.

Our new JD students have just completed an orientation program designed to familiarize them with the law school and our community. A big thank you to all the volunteers and staff who contributed to O-Week, including especially the student coordinators, Harleen Grewal, Paul Kim, and Madura Muraleetharan; and our Student Programs Manager, Sako Khederlarian. Many, many thanks also to the Graduate Program staff for enthusiastically preparing to welcome our new LLM, SJD and GPLLM students to campus and planning a rich series of orientation events, commencing today.

I would like to offer a special welcome to all Indigenous 1L and graduate students joining us this year. The Indigenous Initiatives Office (IIO) will provide a rich array of academic and cultural events for our entire community (see here for the August newsletter, which includes upcoming events). Andrea Johns, our IIO Manager, has already welcomed most of our 1L students. I encourage you to visit the Faculty’s beautiful Sacred Medicine Garden, located just outside the Hoskin entrance, south of the library. It’s a great spot for reading and quiet reflection.

As you dive into the new academic year, remember that our Faculty and the University offer a variety of mental health and wellness supports to help you thrive. The Faculty’s Wellness and Student Success Program Manager, Chantelle Brown-Kent, is available to assist JD students in navigating these supports, and will continue to embed wellness across our community in line with our Mental Health and Wellness Action Plan. Furthermore, we are thrilled to be welcoming back Liz Montgomery, who will serve as our new on-location Student Mental Health Counsellor. Liz offers single session and short-term one-on-one psychotherapy and counseling on a range of issues to JD and graduate students.

Turning to our faculty members, they continue to receive prestigious awards and recognitions. Professor John Borrows was named a recipient of UofT’s Jus Memorial; Human Rights Prize (Influential Leader). Professor Brenda Cossman was honoured with the CBA’s Hero Award (Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section). Professor David Dyzenhaus received the prestigious Killam Prize for social sciences and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Professor Trudo Lemmens was named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and has been named a recipient of the King Charles III’s Coronation Medal. Professor Mayo Moran has been named to the President’s Impact Academy Laureate and is the recipient of the 2025 Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award. Professor Martha Shaffer was recognized with the Alan Mewett Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Emeritus Jim Phillips was honoured with the Law Society Medal.

We are thrilled to welcome three accomplished new colleagues to our community: Assistant Professor Robin Morgan, Professor Simone Sepe (the Honourable Justice Frank Iacobucci Chair in Capital Markets), and Assistant Professor Nathalie Smuha.

Our remarkable staff are dedicated to fostering a strong sense of community and belonging, and to supporting students to thrive. They support our students at every step of their law-school journey, prepare our graduates to become exemplary leaders, and help address inequities in the legal profession. We are delighted that their dedication and vision has garnered University-wide recognition. This past year, Cheryl Milne, Director of the Asper Centre, won the Chancellor's Leadership Award in the Distinguished Leader category. Emily Orchard, Assistant Dean Graduate Programs, won the Exemplary U of T Ambassador (EUTA) Award. Finally, Pro Bono Students Canada received a EUTA Award, in the Teams/Groups category.

Let me now highlight some upcoming events you can look forward to in the coming months.

Always a highlight of the year, the 2025 Grand Moot is scheduled for Monday, September 29. This year’s bench comprises Justice Sheilah Martin (Supreme Court of Canada), Justice Renée Pomerance (Ontario Court of Appeal) and Justice Robert Centa (Ontario Superior Court of Justice), considering a problem on Charter Applicability and Double Jeopardy in Self-Governing Indigenous Communities. Be sure to mark this very special event in your calendars, with more details to follow.

On November 24, Professor Jeff King, University College London, will deliver the Faculty’s inaugural Rule of Law Lecture. The inaugural Eric Salsberg Memorial Leadership Lecture, to take place on January 12, 2026, will feature a distinguished panel of public and private sector leaders. On January 29, the Honourable Marshall Rothstein, C.C., KC, will deliver John A. Tory Lecture. The annual David B. Goodman Lecture will be delivered by the Honourable Mahmud Jamal on February 5, and the annual Cecil A. Wright Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Professor Aziz Huq, University of Chicago, on March 25.

I will conclude by mentioning U of T Law CONNECT, the Faculty’s exclusive digital community created for our students, faculty, and alumni with over 1,700 members (and counting!). Through Law CONNECT, you can seamlessly engage with our remarkable community. I encourage you to sign up at uoftlawconnect.ca.
 
Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead, filled with enjoyment and intellectual growth!

Jutta Brunnée, FRSC
Dean, University Professor and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair
Associate Member, Institut de droit international