The Faculty of Law has launched a new Family Law Clinic that will give students more hands-on learning opportunities.

The new clinic received financial support from Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), which is allocating more than $2 million over three years to six university-operated legal clinics to provide family law services for low-income Ontarians.

“For more than 30 years, Queen’s law students have served the local community by providing legal advice and representation to low-income residents,” says Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “With LAO’s wonderful support, the Faculty of Law will expand these legal services and give law students a broader range of experiential learning opportunities, which is a commitment of the university.”

The Family Law Clinic joins four existing legal aid clinics: Queen’s Legal Aid (QLA), the Prison Law Clinic, Queen’s Business Law Clinic, and the Elder Law Clinic. When the Family Law Clinic is fully operational, at least 50 per cent of law students will have the opportunity to take a clinical law course while at Queen’s, in addition to more than 90 students who volunteer with QLA every year.

“At Queen’s, we share Legal Aid Ontario’s commitment to enhancing family law services for low-income residents,” says Faculty of Law Dean Bill Flanagan. “Queen’s has long been a national leader in teaching and scholarship in family law. We are delighted that, with LAO’s generous funding, we will be able to add a Family Law Clinic to our existing four legal aid clinics.”

The Family Law Clinic will see review counsel and law students working with LAO’s duty counsel, clinics and other agencies in Kingston to support low-income residents. Karla McGrath (LLM’13) will serve as the director of the Family Law Clinic.

“Family court is a busy and dynamic work environment that can be challenging for even the most experienced lawyers,” says Ms. McGrath. “The Family Law Clinic will provide myriad learning opportunities for students both with applying the law and providing services to clients. Combine this with the opportunity to provide some very real help to low-income families at their most difficult time and the students of the Family Law Clinic can look forward to a year that is both enriching and rewarding.”

All of Queen’s legal aid clinics will move into the LaSalle Mews Building in downtown Kingston in November.

With a global reputation as one of Canada’s top law schools, Queen’s Faculty of Law offers unique experiential and international opportunities that produce graduates who are leaders in the legal profession. The faculty distinguishes itself through its innovative programs, excellence in teaching, and research that advances the theory and practice of law.

By Communications Staff

Flags on campus are lowered in memory of Professor Emeritus Bernard "Bernie" Adell, a former dean of the Faculty of Law and an internationally recognized scholar in the employment and labour law field.

Bernard Adell

Dr. Adell joined Queen’s Faculty of Law in 1964. He served as associate dean of the faculty from 1969–1971 and as dean from 1977–1982. He was appointed an emeritus professor in 2004.

During his career, Dr. Adell published extensively and developed and delivered a wide range of courses around employment and labour law. From 2005 to 2009, Dr. Adell was academic director of the Professional Development LLM Program in Labour and Employment Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. In 2010, he co-ordinated a master’s course in comparative labour law, taught by several leading British and European labour law scholars, at the Bader International Studies Centre in England. More recently, he was closely involved in the planning and launching of the Queen’s Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace.

He conducted numerous studies for government commissions and international organizations and had many years of experience as a labour arbitrator and mediator. He was the Canadian Industrial Relations Association’s H.D. Woods Memorial Lecturer in 1996, and he was one of the principal researchers in a nation-wide study on strikes and lockouts in essential services. Dr. Adell was editor of the Canadian Labour and Employment Law Journal and a long-time faculty advisor to the Queen’s Law Journal.

A memorial service and reception to honour Dr. Adell and his legacy will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 1-4 pm in Grant Hall on Queen’s campus.
 

By Nancy Dorrance, Senior Development Writer

Thinking on their feet, improvising under pressure and working as a team – these important skills enabled law students Emily Evangelista, Law’15, and Ben Snow, Law’14, to help their Queen’s teams capture first place at two key mooting competitions this spring.

Now, as the result of a $100,000 gift from Toronto litigation firm Lenczner Slaght, Queen’s will be able to further expand and deepen the range of mooting opportunities it can offer its students, giving them the chance to hone their courtroom skills in a real-life environment.

Law students hone their courtroom skills by preparing for moot competitions. A $100,000 gift by Toronto litigation firm Lenczner Slaght will allow the Faculty of Law to deepen the range of mooting opportunities it can offer students.

“Experiential learning has long been an integral part of our students’ legal education,” says Faculty of Law Dean Bill Flanagan. “Our Competitive Moot Court Program allows upper-year students to develop essential legal research and written and oral advocacy skills. With the generous support of our alumni and friends at Lenzcner Slaght, we will continue to provide a first-class range of mooting opportunites for our students.”

Each year, teams from Queen’s compete in up to 20 national and international mooting competitions in a wide range of legal areas including constitutional law, Aboriginal law, criminal law, international law, tax, securities law, environmental law, trade law, commercial arbitration, IP, labour arbitration, trial advocacy and client counselling. At least one-third of all law graduates participate in a competitive moot during their time at Queen’s: among the highest participation rates of any law school in Canada.

“Lenczner Slaght is committed to the development of our advocates of tomorrow,” says Peter Griffin, Law ’77, the firm’s Managing Partner, past president of The Advocates’ Society and member of the Dean’s Council. “We are delighted to be a strong supporter of the Queen’s Moot Court Program.”

Mooting forced me to take principles that I’d spent hours reading and hearing about, and learn how to communicate them with persuasive precision.

– Ben Snow (Law'14)

For Ms. Evangelista and Mr. Snow, the opportunity to develop their own unique advocacy skills at competitive moots has proved invaluable. “The best way to learn how to do anything is by practicing, and mooting is the best advocacy practice you can get,” says Ms. Evangelista, whose Queen’s team recently won the Canadian rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition – the largest and most competitive moot in the world. (See page 3 of the Gazette newspaper for more details).

“There's no other course in law school like it,” she adds. “And employers also take note of moot participation: every interviewer I've had has asked about my experience on the Jessup team.”

“Mooting forced me to take principles that I’d spent hours reading and hearing about, and learn how to communicate them with persuasive precision,” says Mr. Snow, a member of the Queen’s team that brought home the 2014 Arnup Cup for trial advocacy. “The program connected me with experienced coaches who provided essential guidance and mentorship. Most importantly, mooting created an unparalleled, fail-safe opportunity to take risks, receive constructive feedback and build confidence as I developed these skills.”

The Initiative Campaign is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university’s history. The goal is to raise half a billion dollars to ensure Queen’s future as a destination for exceptional people. The campaign will nurture a supportive campus community, enhance the student learning experience, and secure a global reputation in discovery and inquiry.
 

By Nancy Dorrance, Senior Development Writer

Queen’s law students will have more opportunities to learn about legal ethics and professionalism thanks to philanthropic support from Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault.

Upper-year law students will be required to take a course in legal ethics and professionalism. They will also learn from legal experts in the field thanks to the support from Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault.

Beginning in September 2014, all upper-year law students will be required to take a course in legal ethics and professionalism. The new mandatory course, to be offered in both fall and winter terms, is part of a broader initiative that will help place Queen’s on the forefront of research and teaching in this important field.

“This program demonstrates the law school’s commitment to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism, instilling them in our students from the beginning of their time at Queen’s,” says Dean Bill Flanagan. “The generous gift from McCarthy Tétrault will deepen and enrich our students’ experience, and provide an opportunity for legal experts to share their professional insights and experiences with the Queen’s community.”

The total cost of the three-year initiative is $105,000. Other components of the program include:

• A presentation to first-year students by an expert panel from private practice, the bench and the Law Society of Upper Canada;
• An annual public lecture series;
• A new fellowship program involving research and teaching; and,
• A course prize.

“We are proud to support the Initiative Campaign, investing in the next generation of professionals in their pursuit of excellence,” says Paul Steep, Law’80, partner at McCarthy Tétrault and a member of the Dean’s Council. “We recognize the significant contribution Queen’s Law makes in attracting the best and brightest talent, and are pleased to call many Queen’s alumni our colleagues.”

Dean Flanagan recently announced the appointment of Tom Harrison (Artsci’89, Ed’92, Law’01) as the first McCarthy Tétrault LLP Fellow in Legal Ethics and Professionalism. Mr. Harrison is currently a PhD candidate in Queen’s Law focused on professionalism issues for judges and lawyers. The former Crown counsel has taught a legal ethics course at Queen’s the past two years. He will take the lead on implementing the new program.

The Initiative Campaign is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university’s history. The goal is to raise half a billion dollars to ensure Queen’s future as a destination for exceptional people. The campaign will nurture a supportive campus community, enhance the student learning experience, and secure a global reputation in discovery and inquiry.