How can students learn about new and exciting legal developments taking place in the real world beyond discussions in class? They can get involved with the student-run Queen’s Venture Law Society (QVLS).
“Our goal is to encourage students to think outside the box about business law and get excited about their future careers,” says Heather Bonnell, Law’20, QVLS co-founder and co-President. “We want to provide as many mediums to do that as possible.”
QVLS facilitates connections for students within the startup, venture capital and innovation space. Through activities, students are exposed to everything the field has to offer – from a big-firm perspective to a community-centred style of social entrepreneurship.
The ambitious club is entering its second year, after receiving the 2019 Law Students Society’s Camaraderie Award for its initiative, contribution, participation and organization of events and activities to further the Queen’s Law community spirit.
There is lots in store this year for inquiring business law minds.
“We’re expanding the scope of our lunch-and-learn events now known as our ‘Innovation Series,’ which will include such topics as emerging industries, alternative legal careers and new legal technology,” says Marc Vani, Law’21.
Complementing the “Innovation Series” are QVLS’s online presence and digital “Industry Focus” series of events designed to curate and create relevant and thought-provoking content for students to engage with. “For example, this month we’re focusing on the cannabis industry,” says Emma Wall, Law’21. “We’ve posted on our Facebook page about Ontario’s plans to possibly change its cannabis distribution system, CannTrust, and we will be conducting interviews with industry insiders to share with our club members.
“We’re aiming to break down the issues for students who might not know a lot about these industries or areas of law and inspire them to come to our events, ask questions, and explore different legal career paths,” she adds. “So far, we are seeing great engagement, both online and offline.”
There is a special perk for students to get involved with QVLS through its partnership with Blakes Nitro, a program powered by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP that is specifically designed to meet the legal needs of emerging technology companies. “We recognize Blakes Nitro is a leader in the startup space and are thrilled to have them certify our event series,” says Bonnell. “The certification is awarded to students who attend a majority of our events. We found it provides an excellent incentive as students will be able to show that they’ve been an active participant in our club.”
First-year law students interested in business law and entrepreneurship can help local business by volunteering with another of QVLS’s partners: the Queen’s Business Law Clinic (QBLC). Last year’s volunteers each researched and answered a question that a new business owner might want to consider before starting up. The QVLS executive team used this research to create a legal primer PDF and posters. “We hope by providing background legal information, prospective QBLC clients can maximize the legal resources the clinic has to offer,” says Jenna Calderone, Law’20. “The primer PDF will be posted on the QBLC website and we will be putting up posters with our new group of volunteers later this fall.”
The Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC), yet another partner, sponsored the club’s first-year events series and provided opportunities for QVLS executive members to attend international conferences on innovation. “It was incredible,” says Bonnell. “We’ve partnered again with the DDQIC this year and are hoping to generate more opportunities for Queen’s Law students to interact with the DDQIC team and the student entrepreneurs they work with. We hope that mixing future lawyers and entrepreneurs will create interesting collaborations.”
Team QVLS, the club executive that makes it all happen, also includes Sydney Prince, Law’21, Geoffrey Davis, Law’21, Mary Alfredsson, Law’21, Jake Wildman-Sisk, Law’22, Sara Baxter, Law’22, Brook Hiddink, Law’22, and co-founder Nataly Dil, Law’20.
Queen’s Law students can get involved with the QVLS by working on the executive team, joining its first-year volunteer group, attending event series to get certification and keeping up to date with club Facebook posts.
Other Queen’s Law community members can also get involved to spark some thought-provoking ideas about innovation among students.
“Alumni working in emerging industries, startups, or any other exciting and innovative areas of the law – we want to hear from you!” Team QVLS calls out. “If you’re interested in collaborating on an event, interview, or another initiative, send us an email.”
By Lisa Graham