<p>For Immediate Release MEDIA ADVISORY September 22, 2005</p><p>ATT’N: Assignment, City, News, Education, Legal, Community, and Social Services U of T Law School and Fasken Martineau Unveil New Home for Downtown Legal Services </p><p>(TORONTO, ON) ― Media are invited to a special dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 26 to mark the official opening of the Fasken Martineau Building, the home of Downtown Legal Services (DLS) at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.</p><p>In 2000, Fasken Martineau generously donated $500,000 to provide a new home for DLS at 655 Spadina Avenue. Renovations to the three-storey facility have provided a much needed home for the clinic and its clients. </p><p>"Our Firm is proud to have played a key role in furthering the development of this significant community resource," said David Corbett, Managing Partner in the Toronto office of Fasken Martineau. "The work being done by DLS is extremely important and we sincerely hope that this new building will provide a functioning and welcoming environment for those working in the clinic and the members of the community who rely on their services. Fasken Martineau is committed to the legal education system and to improving public access to justice.”</p><p>“We are grateful to Fasken Martineau for their generous gift that has allowed us to deepen and broaden students’ academic experience through exposure to the realities of the law in action made possible in the clinic setting,” says Brian Langille, Interim Dean and Professor of Law at the U of T Faculty of Law.</p><p>DLS is one of the country’s largest student-operated legal aid clinics. It offers innovative legal services to low income communities and provides law students with hands-on practical legal experience to complement their core classroom studies. Each year, more than 200 law students volunteer their time to work at the clinic, and regularly appear in court and provide legal advice under the direct supervision of the clinic’s staff lawyers. In 2005, DLS students provided legal services to more than 900 clients in seven different areas of the law including Tenant Housing, University Affairs, Employment and Human Rights, Criminal Law, Children's Rights, Immigration, and Notary/Affidavits.</p><p>On September 26, Interim Dean Langille will be joined by David Corbett to officially open the clinic’s building. </p><p>“The renovations, made possible by Fasken Martineau’s generous gift, have been invaluable in providing the clinic with a wonderful new physical environment,” says Judith McCormack, DLS Executive Director. “The new facilities have allowed us to better serve the needs of low income communities in Toronto.” The gift is part of Fasken Martineau’s Legal Education Endowment Program, launched in 2000, which pledged an initial $1 million to support Legal Education in Canada. </p><p>WHO Brian Langille, Interim Dean and Professor, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law David N. Corbett, Managing Partner - Toronto Office, Fasken Martineau LLP Rivi M. Frankle, Acting Vice-President and Chief Advancement Officer, University of Toronto Janet Leiper, Chair, Legal Aid Ontario Mike Pal, President of Student Law Society</p><p>WHAT Launch of Fasken Martineau Building</p><p>WHEN Monday, September 26, 2005 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.</p><p>WHERE 655 Spadina Avenue, Toronto</p><p>RSVP Please confirm your attendance with Kathleen O’Brien, Communications Officer, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, 416-946-8188, [email protected] </p><p>Established in 1887, the Faculty of Law is one of the oldest professional faculties at the University of Toronto, with a long and illustrious history. Today, it is one of the world’s great law schools, a dynamic academic and social community with 55 full-time faculty members and about 25 distinguished visiting professors from around the world, as well as 600 undergraduate and graduate students. </p><p>Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP is one of Canada's leading business law and litigation firms with more than 580 lawyers located in offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, New York, London and Johannesburg. It has a longstanding tradition of involvement with the law schools, and the Legal Education Endowment Program will be an ongoing initiative of the firm.</p><p>- 30 -</p><p>For additional information or to RSVP, please call: Kathleen O'Brien (University of Toronto Faculty of Law) - 416.946.8188 Martha Hartwick (Fasken Martineau) - 416.865.5147</p>