Social Justice at UofT

[user108086]

Hi, 

Since UofT is more of a big law school, I was wondering what it's like to follow the social justice career trajectory at UofT?

Thanks in advance!

Edited February 10, 2023 by Leo530

[piranesi]

I think everyone has a different understanding of what social justice looks like, so maybe you could share a bit more about what kind of career you'd be interested in? Does social justice look like legal aid work, government work, working in a progressive firm, working as a prosecutor, or something else? (I understand that you're currently applying, so it's super fair if you don't know this yet.)

As a current UofT student, I'm hopeful that it's possible to study here and still pursue a career that focuses on social justice. But here are some things to be aware of:

• Most students will have debt to pay off after graduating, and so they don't have the freedom to pursue the kind of work they came to law school to do.
• Most classes teach the law without discussing how outside elements (e.g. the race of an accused person in a criminal law case, etc) impact the law. Sometimes I've heard this referred to as legal formalism VS legal realism. So far, my professors have tended to focus on what the law is; they haven't really shared any criticisms or thoughts on what the law should be. Nothing wrong with that, but it's definitely a change from other disciplines which take a very critical approach to their own subject matter.
• In my experience, the faculty are either quite academic (and not in a "social justice" direction lol) or practitioners from the biglaw world. I think Osgoode, for example, has more faculty members who were involved in legal aid work, etc. I can imagine that having faculty from that background might open your eyes to different career paths / they might be better placed to mentor you.
• There's also some subtle/not so subtle pressure to go to bay street, do recruits, etc from fellow students and admin. When everyone you know is looking for biglaw jobs, it's tough to resist that pressure and figure out what you're actually interested in.

With all that being said, I think UofT is still a great school and I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from going. You'll still get a solid education, and, like most other law schools, UofT has lots of opportunities to get involved in "social justice" oriented work -- for example, with clinics like Downtown Legal Services or organizations like Pro Bono Students Canada. UofT also hired a new career advisor recently who has been balancing things out with panels, etc related to public interest. But I would recommend going in with your eyes open, because you'll probably have to be proactive in seeking out these opportunities.

Hope this helps -- I'm still in school so I hope you get some responses from people who are further along in their career and have more context! You can always feel free to DM me if you have any further questions. Good luck!