LEEANNE FOOTMAN
<Contributor>
On October 19, six representatives of your Legal and Literary Society and Student Caucus attended a two-day conference at Queen’s University, put on by the Queen’s Law Student Society. The conference invited representatives of student government from all six of Ontario’s law schools with a goal of creating a draft constitution for a new body – the Law Students Society of Ontario (LSSO).
Despite some very intense deliberations and “make or break” issues put forth by various schools, by the end of the conference we were able to unanimously ratify a draft constitution for the LSSO. Having done so, the next step is for all of the delegates present at the conference to bring the draft constitution back to their respective student bodies to discuss potential amendments and generally get student input. A “second round” of the conference is to be held in late February in Toronto. At this time the delegates will present the various results of their respective student bodies’ reviews of the constitution. It is hoped that at this time a constitution will be ratified and the LSSO will come into being so as to begin tackling the issues that pertain to the thousands of law students in Ontario.
So what is the LSSO, and what does its existence mean to you?
The LSSO, as it is currently envisioned by the draft constitution, is:
“An advocacy body representing students attending Ontario law schools for the purpose of articulating their needs to, and building relationships with, the member organizations that govern their professional interests, the universities administering their legal education, and government bodies.
The LSSO formulates evidence-based policy that is member-driven and research-based. The LSSO is intended to connect, rather than replace, the member law societies it represents. It does not act as a substitute for student positions on other advocacy bodies. The LSSO is an inclusive, equitable, welcoming and safe organization for all individuals. The LSSO strives to be a bilingual organization, both in the composition of its council and its official communications.”
Essentially, the LSSO seeks to be the medium through which law students in Ontario can present a unified position (even if that position has a majority and minority opinion) to the Law Society of Upper Canada and to government, solely on issues that pertain to law students. With the ongoing discussions on articling reform, the need for a means through which to present student feedback to the Law Society is greater than ever before. The LSSO, should it be ratified, will work to solicit student opinion on various issues pertaining to articling reform and ensure a direct line of communication to the Law Society.
How can you be involved? Student Caucus will be holding a Town Hall to discuss the mandate of the LSSO and obtain student feedback on the proposed organization early next semester. Before that time, the draft constitution will be circulated to students for comments and consideration. Keep an eye out for emails with further details.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me (legalandlitvpi@osgoode.yorku.ca), or Student Caucus Chair Tom Wilson (thomaswilson@osgoode.yorku.ca) with any questions or feedback you may have.
Leeanne Footman is the Legal and Literary Society’s Vice-President Internal and sits ex officio on Student Caucus.