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LAW

Ryerson Law School sets a new precedent

Woman with a notebook sitting with others in the background
PHOTOGRAPHS BY (LEFT) CLIFTON LI, IMAGE ARTS ‘12; (RIGHT) XAVIER ARNAU/GETTY IMAGES

Ryerson is opening a new kind of law school—one that will produce a new kind of lawyer. Graduates will be technologically savvy, as diverse as the city in which they study and champions for ordinary citizens, says Anver Saloojee, dean of record.

“A school starting from scratch has a clean slate, putting technological innovations alongside pedagogical ones,” he explains. “Most law schools are beginning to think about these things. We have the opportunity to start from day 1.”

The Ryerson Law School is scheduled to begin accepting applications this fall, with classes starting in September 2020.

Theory meets practice

Students will learn from both faculty and practicing lawyers who will co-teach required courses, such as Contracts and Torts, to provide a solid grounding in the theory of law as well as real world insights from practitioners.

“In first year, all of our students will have faculty-taught lectures with practitioners. In second year, they will also be put into groups of seven and assigned a mentor, a legal practitioner,” explains Saloojee. “They will meet with their mentor, either in person or virtually, on a regular basis. Almost like their own quasi firm. This is a significant innovation as most law schools focus on individual study rather than team work.”

Third year will include full-semester field placements. “The placements are within the Ryerson tradition of bringing together theory and practice, mind and action,” says Saloojee.

Mandatory weeklong boot camps before five of the six semesters will give students skills in the business of law, technological innovation, finances and coding.

Tech-first approach

Ryerson is well-positioned to have its law students schooled in legal technology, as the law school is an evolution of Ryerson’s innovative Law Practice Program (LPP) and Legal Innovation Zone (LIZ).

The LPP is an alternative pathway to articling, an eight-month program combining online training and experiential learning with a hands-on work term. It’s been very successful, with a placement rate of 100 per cent. The first of its kind in Canada, the LIZ is a legal incubator producing software for workflow, precedents and other legal management solutions.

“The folks at LIZ said, ‘You’ve got to put legal tech in now. If you don’t, you’re already behind the game’,” says Saloojee. “So we’re taking a tech-first approach, embedding legal technology throughout the curriculum.”

Access and diversity

Ryerson’s law school is designed to improve access to justice, and the theme is embedded in such courses as ethics and professionalism, Indigenous law, social innovation and the law, and legal innovation.

To strengthen access and diversity in the student population, the university is building a robust scholarship and bursary program. Ryerson Law has received support for scholarships from donors in the legal community and is engaging with traditional and non-traditional law school supporters.

Substantial awards—some of which were matched by Ryerson’s PACE program and are renewable—are in place for qualified students with financial need who are from historically underrepresented groups, or who demonstrate an aptitude for business and entrepreneurship. A gift to create awards for Indigenous law students is matched through Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards program.

Applicants will be assessed on a number of factors, not just grades and test scores. The admissions process includes an online interview that will address their experiences and competencies in addition to traditional criteria.

“All of these factors differentiate us from other law schools in a big way,” says Saloojee. “The focus on technology, on equity, diversity and inclusion, on access to justice, and all of this on a sound but innovative academic base.”

—Deborah Smyth

RYERSON LAW IS GRATEFUL TO OUR INAUGURAL SUPPORTERS:
- Torys LLP;
- McCarthy Tétrault, LLP;
- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP;
- Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP

Summer 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 9