The University of Toronto Faculty of Law Alumni Magazine Spring/Summer 2012 Picking Winners Countries craving glory dangle passports for elite athletes aching for Olympic gold—as the meaning of citizenship continues to tarnish Plus Angel Advocates Envisioning a Better World Patently Universal University of Toronto Faculty of Law 84 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C5 Publications Agreement Number: 40064892 CAN I TO SO BEST COLLECTIVE FINANCIAL HOW REPUTATION OUR TURBULENT KATE GENEST RELATIONSHIPS Class of 2013 IN IN THE THE EFFECTIVE .” FURTHER OF .” UNDERSTAND ING .” TO HAS MUST TIMES L CONSUMERS WE COMMUNITY WORLD PROFESSIONALLY K “I CAME TO U OF T BECAUSE ESTABLISH GOALS OF ITS REPUTATION FOR BELIEVE FINANCIAL PROTECT REGULATION UNDERSTANDING PROVIDING “I IA OFFERING A HIGH LEVEL OF SCHOOL THE LEADERSHIP MY ME INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE. TO T WHAT I DIDN’T EXPECT TO DEVELOP LAW FOR NAND ’96 NAND FIND, THOUGH, WAS INSTANT HELP A MEMBERSHIP IN A SUPPORTIVE HE NITA T TO AND ACHIEVE A AND INSPIRING COMMUNITY AROUND VISION markets regulation “ Leading expert in capital THAT EXTENDS BEYOND THE ROF. EN P THIN WALLS OF THE SCHOOL.” AND DEDICATED T ORAn ’99 LTRAN M E EDUCATION O Y A Class of 2013 GO B ARE O E M I D Dean of the Faculty Law PAUL MARTIn ’61, ’64 E st ANADA Canada’s 21 Prime Minister ROF. P BEST W C P INTEGRITY “ “ IT IS MORE URGENT THAN EVER THAT WE SHIP REFORM THE OLD INSTITUTIONS OF GLOBAL “MY LIFE STARTED IN A COUNTRY WHERE GOVERNANCE AND THAT WHERE NECESSARY, THERE HAD BEEN NO DEMOCRACY, NO RIGHTS, R WE BUILD NEW ONES. EVEN MORE TO THE JUSTICE ROSALIE NO JUSTICE. IT CREATED AN UNQUENCHABLE POINT, WHEN WE DO SO, IT IS LAWYERS WHO SILBERMAN ABELLA ’67, ’70 MUST SET THE CONTEXT.” Supreme Court Justice THIRST IN ME FOR ALL THREE.” EADE L DEVELOPMENT “THE ROLE OF LAW AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONS IN PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD’S POOREST COUNTRIES IS ONE OF PROF. MICHAEL TREBILCOCK THE GREATEST CHALLENGES THAT LAWYERS EVERYWHERE MUST ALBERT LIN ENERGY DAVID ASPEr ’07 Global authority on law and economics, “CHARTER RIGHTS, FREEDOMS AND IVE Class of 2013 Constitutional Rights Advocate trade and international development GRAPPLE WITH AS OUR PROFESSION’S CONTRIBUTION TO MAKING TOMORROW’S WORLD A BETTER PLACE.” THE RULE OF LAW ARE EVERYTHING T IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE ENDURING S “AT U OF T SUCCESS AS A CIVILIZATION. THIS K .” GOAL DOES NOT HAPPEN WITH THE WAL L LAW, WE FLICK OF A SWITCH. IT TAKES DEEP LAWYERS LIFE ALL COMMITMENT TO TEST, STUDY AND PARTICIPATE TO SEE THE TO EVALUATE OUR STATE OF FREEDOM “THE U OF T EDUCATION FORCES YOU TO DAVID SHORE ’82 PUBLIC FROM IDEAS THEM THINK ABOUT THINGS HARDER AND PUSH Creator of House BIGGER ON AN ONGOING BASIS.” IN YOURSELF. I LEARNED HOW TO THINK SE CRITICALLY, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT PICTURE.” AS A WRITER.” POTENTIAL STUDENTS SPEC CONNECTING LEADERSHIP THEIR E BY HELPS Z OPPORTUNITY R “FROM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE TO RIGHt ’00 W PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SCHOOL LL RECOGNI KARL BJURSTROM E E Corporate Lawyer THE LAW SCHOOL OFFERS Class of 2013 DEMONSTRATE CONTRIBUTE LAW UNRIVALED EXPOSURE TO THE ORN LIFE C ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN HE OF AND WHO COUN “T P THE STUDY OF LAW.” SINCE 1887, THE FACULTY OF LAW HAS EDUCATED LEADERS OF BOUNDLESS VISION. THROUGH A MAJOR EXPANSION OF OUR FACILITIES, WE WILL STRENGTHEN THIS GREAT TRADITION AND BUILD A WORLD-CLASS ENVIRONMENT FOR CANADA’S PRE-EMINENT LAW SCHOOL. YOU CAN BE PART OF IT. WWW.LAW.UTORONTO.CA/LAWBUILDINGCAMPAIGN FULLpage-Law Ad-Nexus.indd 1 12/7/2011 3:43:54 PM Dean’s Message Spring/Summer 2012 Volume 22, Number 1 Editor in Chief Kate Hilton, JD 1999 Executive Editor Lucianna Ciccocioppo Art Director Levi Nicholson Copy Editor Dylan Reid Advertising & Production Assistant Nancy Reid T/ 416.978.1355 F/ 416.978.7899 [email protected] Editorial Office Local talent, global leadership T/ 416.946.0334 nother fantastic academic year has come to a close. In typical fashion, a myriad F/ 416.978.7899 of activities have kept the law school humming these past months: a wonderful [email protected] A Distinguished Alumnus Award dinner honouring Justice Ian Binnie and Jean Fraser; Letters to the Editor an innovative Transformative Human Rights exhibition celebrating 25 years of fieldwork F/ 416.978.7899 for the ihrp; and a stimulating National Health Law Conference, which looked at global [email protected] health challenges and the role of law. We are very proud of our co-curricular programs, which give students opportunities to Visit us online at www.law.utoronto.ca, and find us on: apply their studies in the broader world. You can read about one such project, an international initiative to eliminate discrimination against the lgbt communities in the global south, in “Envisioning a better world,” p. 8. Of course, this kind of social activism isn’t new at the Faculty of Law; our award-winning legal aid clinic, Downtown Legal Services, just celebrated Nexus magazine is published semi-annually by the Office its 40th birthday. You’ll read about the impact of volunteering at dls throughout the decades of Advancement, with a circulation of 8,000. It is distributed from a variety of alumni in “Angel advocates,” on p. 12. to alumni, faculty, students, staff and friends of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. All material is copyright © 2011, Our building campaign continues to gain momentum, thanks to all of you who supported, and may not be reprinted without the express written and continue to support, the future of this great law school. You can read profiles of alumni who permission of the author. have chosen to give back starting on p. 20, “The generosity continues.” We are also excited All correspondence and undeliverable copies: to announce a transformative gift of $1M from Teva Canada, which will support academic Nexus magazine, Faculty of Law, 84 Queen’s Park, 112-C research and public education in the area of patent law (“Patently universal,” p. 11). Toronto, ON M5S 2C5. We head off for our summer vacations with a nod to the Olympic Games, delving into the Do we have your correct address and contact details? meaning of citizenship and the fascinating research of Prof. Ayelet Shachar (“Picking winners,” Please let us know of any corrections: 416-978-1355 or p. 16). Take a few minutes to check out our fabulous new website at www.law.utoronto.ca, with email [email protected]. its fresh, clean design and powerful search and news features. We hope it helps keep you Publications Agreement Number: 40064892 connected to your law school, wherever your travels may take you. And finally, a heartfelt ISSN 1923-5011 (Print) congratulations to the members of the class of 2012, as they join the global alumni community that makes us so proud. Printed in Canada by Laser Reproduction. University of Toronto Faculty of Law Nexus 3 Contents Features Departments 08 Envisioning a better world: gay rights in the global south 03 Dean’s message How UTLaw is part of a landmark project to eliminate life- threatening discrimination 06 Contributors By Brent Ledger 27 Nota bene 11 Patently universal One mentor in one particular program made quite the impression Teva Canada gift establishes a leading-edge patent law program on Renatta Austin, JD 2012. Now it’s her turn that goes beyond the world of pharmaceuticals By Lucianna Ciccocioppo By Lucianna Ciccocioppo 28 Opinion 12 Angel advocates Dangerous liaisons Stepping in when the down-and-out had nowhere else to turn, By Vincent Chiao law student volunteers in the activist ’60s and ’70s—and beyond—planted a radical seed from which Downtown Legal 30 On the stand Services sprouted A Q & A with Melanie Aitken, LLB 1991 By Sheldon Gordon 32 Convocation 2012 16 Picking Winners 34 Class notes Countries craving glory dangle passports for elite athletes aching for Olympic gold—as the meaning of citizenship, says this law 38 Final submissions professor, continues to tarnish By Karen Gross 20 The generosity continues Alumni give and volunteer to be part of the future at the Faculty of Law By Karen Gross and Lucianna Ciccocioppo “ I think precisely because I didn’t take citizenship for granted, because I had gone through the process of immigration and naturalization, I became much more aware of how difficult it might be to acquire, how precious citizenship is, and how lucky people are to have it as a natural born right.” —Prof. Ayelet Shachar, Page 17 Michelle Yee Michelle Cover Illustration: Jack Dylan Photograph: 4 Nexus University of Toronto Faculty of Law Contents Meet Renatta Austin, JD 2012, in “The power of one” Page 27 Michelle Yee Michelle Photograph: University of Toronto Faculty of Law Nexus 5 Contributors Brent Ledger A freelance writer, Brent Ledger specializes in the arts and gay culture. He was a columnist with Xtra! magazine for more than 15 years and also wrote ‘Queer Culture’ for the Toronto Star. He contributed to Toronto Life magazine for many years and has written for everyone from Quill & Quire to Maclean’s, the National Post and the Globe and Mail. He is writing a book on an influential Toronto eccentric. Ledger wrote “Envisioning a better world: gay rights in the global south,” on p. 8 Vincent Chiao Our opinion piece this issue, “Dangerous liaisons,” p. 28, was written by Assistant Professor Vincent Chiao. Chiao researches and teaches primarily in the area of criminal law and criminal justice, with a particular interest in the philosophical examination of its doctrine and institutions.