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Thanking Our Writers

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A Letter from the Editors Dear readers, We want to take this opportunity to thank our regular contributors. As many of you know, Obiter is a publication powered by volunteers. We do not offer a salary, volunteer hours, or academic credit. Nonetheless, each issue we receive high-quality submissions on diverse topics from diverse voices. We are very proud of this. This year, we have made a lot of...

Our Editorial Policy

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A Refresher Dear readers, Obiter Dicta is deeply committed to freedom of expression. We make an effort to present divergent viewpoints on a number of contentious issues. We also welcome responses – particularly written ones – by readers. It may be self-evident that the management of the paper does not endorse all of the viewpoints expressed in our pages, but we feel the need to reiterate that...

2L Big Law Prospect Renounces Class

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Overconfident 2L Brooke Moon renounced the need to engage meaningfully with her classes in any way last week after her OCI schedule became available on the award-winning legal platform, MyCareer.    “Sixteen clicks and three log-in pages later, and there they were,” Moon said.  “When I saw I had interviews, I knew this was it. I knew I would never have to go to class again.”...

Background Noise

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Preamble:             Obiter Dicta welcomes anonymous submissions from our community, to be published at the absolute discretion of the Editors. We accept submissions on almost any topic, whether you are seeking to share an opinion or a personal experience. Anonymity can be requested in the subject line or body of any submission sent to our inbox, obiterdicta@osgoode.yorku.ca. —  “You...

Jordan’s Principle: Canada and its False Promises

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Osgoode Health Law Association: Perspectives in Health       With tragic cases such as those of Tina Fontaine and Colten Boushie recently coming to a close, Canadians are becoming aware of the effects that governments and their institutions have on Indigenous people, and in these cases specifically, Indigenous youth. These two cases illustrate the failure of government, its...

Osgoode and the Picket Line: What does the strike mean for law students?

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Written by the Osgoode Strike Support Committee As of March 5, our campus is on strike. Members of CUPE 3903 voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer presented at the end of last week, and regrettably, York declined the union’s offer to continue bargaining over the weekend. While all indications are that the university administration is attempting to maintain academic activities, the reality is...

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) Offering 141 Placements for Osgoode Students

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Osgoode has long been a leader in experiential education. Administration, Faculty, and student leaders understand that it is critically important for students to gain the competencies and skills they need for the practice of law during their time at law school. Today, Osgoode offers a wide array of opportunities for students to hone their legal skills during their studies while also addressing...

Eva Marszewski

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A Trail-Blazer in Alternatives to Conventional Lawyering   We are surrounded by messages in law school about preparing for our future careers in law firms or government offices. Have you ever wondered if there is another possible path to take with your law degree? If so, you are not alone. Alternative Careers Week is happening at Osgoode from February 27 to March 3 to give students...

People Who Got Cs and Lived to Tell the Tale

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Compiled by Ian Mason   When you received your acceptance to law school, you were elated. The positive energy continued right through O-Week, when you met your new friends and colleagues, and began the path to becoming a lawyer. Your first semester was a grind, but you made it. Then grades came out, and maybe you feel like you didn’t make it at all. You might be feeling discouraged. You...

Rogue Scientists Speak Out

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The Science Community’s Movement Against Trump   During President Trump’s first week in office, his administration has already started affecting the United States’ stance on climate change, including an examination of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine which information will remain on their website. As part of the examination, EPA employees have also been instructed not...

Perspectives in Health: Nursing and the Law

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The Similarities Between Nursing and the Law: What Can Law Learn From Nurses?   Many people are surprised when they hear that we are nurses in law school, frequently commenting on how different the nursing profession is from the legal profession and wondering why we made the switch. In fact, nursing spans beyond stereotypical hospital positions and touches on aspects in every area of...

Perspectives in Health – Big Pharma’s unbranded campaigns

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Do we always know when we’re being marketed to? Every day on our way to school, work, or home, when we are watching TV, listening to the radio, or are surfing social media, we may be exposed to pharmaceutical industry marketing campaigns, whether we know it or not. Is there anything wrong with being exposed to industry marketing? Well, it depends.   In order to answer this question, we must...

A Welcome Message from the Osgoode Hall Law Journal

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On behalf of the Osgoode Hall Law Journal (OHLJ) Editorial Board, welcome to the 2016-2017 academic year! To those students returning: welcome back, you made it through another year. To the incoming 1Ls: congratulations on choosing Osgoode.   We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate those selected as Associate Editors. The applicant pool was extremely competitive this...

Ethiopia’s Hunger Crisis Cannot Be Ignored

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Drought and high temperatures are killing people, crops and livestock – we must speak up by Maha Mansoor and Hilal Elver   Troubles in the Middle East and Europe have distracted world leaders from tackling the growing hunger in Ethiopia caused by the country’s worst drought in at least thirty years. For example, at the most recent UN World Humanitarian Summit that took place in May the...

Editors’ Note — Correction from 23 February, 2016

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It has come to our attention that in Lisa Bush’s article, “Indigenous Stories, Settler Bodies: Why ‘Reconciliation’ is not a Commodity” a paragraph preceded the article that was a mistake.  The paragraph read: “This article is not for everyone.  If you are looking for an in-depth analysis of a Supreme Court case, or a cover on how to secure that Bay Street interview, move right along!  If...

Like Going to a Knife Fight Armed with a Stick

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by Barbara Captijn, former self-represented litigant, blogger and consumer advocate I was pleased to be invited to Osgoode Law School’s “Bring a Self-Represented Litigant (SRL) to Law School Day” on March 14th. Thanks to Dr. Julie Macfarlane of the University of Windsor Law School and Dean Sossin of Osgoode Hall for this opportunity to interact with students and law professors, and share...

The Retention of Women in Private Practice: The Challenge is Intersectional

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By: Andrea S. Anderson, PhD Candidate, Osgoode Hall Law School There is nothing quite like being a defence lawyer—walking into a criminal courtroom with a nice suit on, pulling your litigation case, proceeding to the front to sit at counsel table ready to advocate for your client—only to be stopped by another member of the bar who advises you that the general public are to sit in the body of the...

R v Ghomeshi and its Impact on Nonstranger Sexual Assaults

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Bringing Awareness to the ‘Gap’ A brief look at how stereotypes, myths & seduction affect the application of law in sexual assault cases By Jessica Zita Law has power in constructing knowledge and ideology, yet it functions in dynamic tension with social structure and systems that affect its operation. –Ruthy Lazar If the outpouring of dialogue inspired by Ghomeshi indicates anything, it is...

So you want to be an international lawyer…

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By Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights – Osgoode Students interested in international law often ask what it takes to find a career in this highly competitive and amorphous area of law. What is the recipe for success and where do I find the ingredients? At last month’s International Law Career Panel, hosted by Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights – Osgoode (CLAIHR-Osgoode)...

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