The Dean's Excellence Fund: Supporting Students' Educational Activities

Photo By Alison Josselyn

Dean Bill Flanagan with three co-chairs of the conference"The Wild West: Multinational Corporations in the Global South": (seated) Jared Giesbrecht, Law '08; (standing) Beth Spratt, Law '08, and Adriana Vaduva, Law '10.

The Dean's Excellence Fund: Supporting Students' Educational Activities

Thanks to the Queen's Law alumni who have made generous donations to the Dean's Excellence Fund, students have been able to enrich their studies by participating in educational activities. In 2007-08, in addition to those students who have completed second-year internships or who attended the Canadian Constitutional Affairs Conference, several students enjoyed rewarding academic experiences with support from the Fund.

Organizing a Conference

Jared Giesbrecht, Law '08, was one of five students who organized "The New Wild West: Multinational Corporations in the Global South," a conference held on March 15, 2008, examining corporate accountability and the law.

"The conference addressed questions of corporate governance and challenged us with wider conceptions of law creation and enforcement," said Jared. "It helped us become more aware of the current and pressing issues of multinational corporate governance that we will continue to face in the years ahead."

Grahame Russell of Rights Action and Ian Heide of Amnesty International kicked off the conference with a panel exploring the double standards employed by multinational corporations. They were followed by Professor Bruce Pardy of Queen's Law and Professor Stepan Wood of the University of Toronto discussing the role of government regulation and legal restraint on corporate operations in developing countries. Professor Stan Corbett of Queen's Law and University of Ottawa professor Penelope Simons then examined the political and legal challenges involved in the development of corporate accountability. The day ended with Catherine Coumans of Mining Watch exploring possible political and legal reforms needed to ensure accountability for Canadian multinational corporations in their overseas operations.

"Sharing practical and political ideas is an important part of our legal education," said Jared. "We would like to thank the Dean's Excellence Fund for all the support."

Ike Awgu, Law '08, with keynote speaker Peter Hogg at the 7th Annual Black Law Students' Association of Canada National Conference.

Empowering the Next Generation of Black Lawyers

Ike Awgu, Law '08, attended the 17th Annual Black Law Students' Association of Canada (BLSAC) National Conference in Vancouver on February 22-23, 2008. Students, academics and legal professionals of diverse backgrounds from across Canada came together to recognize black Canadians' past achievements in law and to discuss present concerns. Many undergraduate and high school students attended for the opportunity to ask questions and discover why they should be interested in a career in law. Professor Emeritus Peter Hogg of Osgoode Hall Law School, now the Scholar in Residence at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, delivered a luncheon address on "The Charter Revisited".

"Attending the BLSAC conference in Vancouver was a great experience," said Ike. "The majority of Canadian law schools had a representative present promoting their law school to [prospective] students considering a legal career. [Participating in] events like this makes Queen's Law more accessible to racialized communities, many of whom have little exposure to Queen's. It was important for us to have a voice at the table and I was proud that Queen's Law decided to sponsor the event."

Adam Freedman (3rd from left), Law '08, with other student participants at the 21st Annual Canadian Jewish Law Students' Association Conference.

Joining the Fight for Humanity

Adam Freedman, Law '08, attended the 21st annual Canadian Jewish Law Students' Association conference in Montreal on March 7-9, 2008. Speakers included Supreme Court Justice Marshall Rothstein, human rights lawyer Richard Warman, civil libertarian Julius Grey, human rights attorney and Nazi war criminal expert David Matas, and other notable members of the Jewish legal community.

"The Canadian Jewish Law Students' Association conference was an engaging and informative event which enhanced my awareness regarding the challenging history that some of Canada's ethnic minorities experienced when the bedrock of our current multicultural society was in its infancy," said Adam. "I learned about the importance of human rights advocacy in a world of hate speech and internet-based cruelty. The conference revealed to me that, as lawyers, we must do our utmost to seek justice in a world where justice is often challenged by marginalization and racism. I am deeply grateful to Queen's University's Faculty of Law for sending me to this event, and I hope more students of all backgrounds will attend next year."

 

 

 

Queen's Law's 2008 Vis Moot Team: Oralists Bruce Karn, Law '09, Tim Robbins, Law '08, and Anas Youssaf, Law '09, and researcher Lindsey Forester, Law '08 in Vienna.

Other Student Experiences

Other students benefited from the Dean's Excellence Fund in the past year as well. Lauren Wihak, Law '08, presented a scholarly article at the interdisciplinary graduate studies conference, "Crime, Law and Regulation" held at the University of Toronto. The article has now been accepted for publication in the forthcoming issue of the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice. Also, Megan Edmiston and Pamela Sidey of Law '10 participated in the Women's Court of Canada Symposium in Toronto. Additionally, Law '09 students Monica Chohan and Heather Webb attended the Junior Scholars' Conference in Montreal, at which assistant professors presented their research on a variety of topics.

In addition, the Fund covered some additional expenses for the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot team. The team, sponsored by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, travelled to Vienna to compete. Oralists Tim Robbins, Law '08, Bruce Karn, Law '09, and Anas Youssaf, Law '09, and researcher Lindsey Forester, Law '08, coached by Professor Tanya Monestier, finished in 24th place in the competition, competing against 204 law schools from more than 50 countries.

Queen's Law thanks all donors for their generosity in enhancing students' educational experiences.