Orientation 2021
Dear Class of 2024,
Welcome to the Lincoln Alexander School of Law!
We are so excited that you will be joining us in the Fall. We hope that you are having a wonderful spring and that you have been taking some time to rest as our communities slowly transition from quarantine to reopening. We have decided to start orientation and onboarding activities early to connect with you and build a community of support that will carry you through until graduation.
Our formal orientation and onboarding program begins on August 3, and we are so excited to get started! We have an engaging line-up of virtual events planned for you, including panel discussions, guest speakers, webinars about your future career possibilities, and other fun activities. At this point, we plan to offer all these events online, but we will inform you of any changes as we progress through the summer months. And yes, we are also anxious and a bit nervous to hear how the Fall will be. Let’s continue to be patient. We’ve made it this far and the future looks bright.
To make sure we meet all of you, we will host small “Meet & Greet” sessions for groups of 20 or fewer students where we will answer any questions you may have about clubs, clinics, moots, and law school life in general. Check your email after July 10th for an invitation to one of these sessions.
You will notice that our orientation sessions have been spread out over the month of August. We did this to allow you to enjoy the scheduled activities at a comfortable pace (Zoom-fatigue, anyone?) and to give you some time to get to know your classmates, faculty members, and members of our administration before classes begin. We will start with one weekly activity and build slowly to a full week in late August.
Please look out for regular email updates about upcoming events and activities - both inside and outside of the Faculty - that we hope will help you prepare for your first year of law school. Make sure you save these events on your calendar. We do hope that you will participate and engage in orientation as much as your schedule permits.
Finally, remember that schedules do change and sessions get moved around especially during the virtual/in-person/hybrid dance. We will do our best to keep you informed, provide accommodations to facilitate attendance and record many of our sessions.
We look forward to meeting each of you in August.
Warmly,
Tanya (Toni) De Mello
Assistant Dean, Student Programming, Development and Equity, Lincoln Alexander School of Law
Orientation Schedule
Meet and Greet sessions have not been included below. Each student’s assigned group and meeting invite will be emailed to you automatically.
Please use the following form, external link, opens in new window to RSVP for all of the Student Events.
Details regarding each of the google docStudent Events can be found here, external link, opens in new window.
| Date | Time | Event | Registration Details | Type |
| Tuesday, August 3rd | 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. EST | Island Survival Test | RSVP using link above | Student Event (Online) |
| Wednesday, August 4th | 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. EST | The Deans, the Program, and the Future | Register here, external link | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Wednesday, August 4th | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. EST | Online Games Night | RSVP using link above | Student Event (Online) |
| Friday, August 6th | 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. EST | Lincoln Alexander Law-Olympics Vol. II Day 1 | RSVP using link above | Student Event (In-person) |
| Sunday, August 8th | 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. EST | Lincoln Alexander Law-Olympics Vol. II Day 2 | RSVP using link above | Student Event (In-person) |
| Tuesday, August 10th | 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST | Career Development & Professional Placement Office (CDPPO) | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Thursday, August 12th | 12 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. EST | AAS & Learning about Financial Aid | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Wednesday, August 18th | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. EST | Being a Lawyer - Talk & Discussion with guests | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Thursday, August 19th | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST | Casual Meet-Up: Centre Island | RSVP using link above | Student Event (In-person) |
| Friday, August 20th | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST | Casual Meet-Up: High Park | RSVP using link above | Student Event (In-person) |
| Saturday, August 21st | 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. EST | RLSS Social: 1L & 2L Mix and Mingle | RSVP using link above | Student Event (Online) |
| Sunday, August 22nd | 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST | Puzzle Race | RSVP using link above | Student Event (In-Person) |
| Monday, August 23rd | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. EST | Learning about Classes and the Academic Program | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Monday, August 23rd | 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. EST | Training on Unconcious Bias & Anti-racism | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Tuesday, August 24th | 12 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST | Ryerson President and Dean's Welcome to the Class of 2024: Highlights values, expectations and the road ahead |
Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Tuesday, August 24th | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. EST | ThriveRU & Human Rights | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Wednesday, August 25th | 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST | Being a Decision-Maker - Talk & Discussion | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Wednesday, August 25th | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. EST | Consent is part of our practice | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Thursday, August 26th | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST | How to Handle Law School: Reflections from the 2L Class | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Thursday, August 26th | 3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. EST | Learning about the Law Library | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Thursday, August 26th | 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. EST | Learning about the RAMSS & D2L | Same as above | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Friday, August 27th | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST | RLSS Clubs Event | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Student Event (Online) |
| Friday, August 27th | 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. EST | Mentorship, Mental Health, Moots & Clinics | Register here, external link, opens in new window | Faculty Event (Online) |
| Saturday, August 28th |
5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. EST | RLSS Games Night | RSVP using link above | Student Event (Online) |
The Deans, The Program, The Future
Date: Wednesday, August 4th
Time: 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
You’ve likely already met or heard about the Dean of the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Donna Young, but you must get to know Graham Hudson, the Associate Dean for Academic; Sari Graben, the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies; and Tanya (Toni) De Mello, Assistant Dean for Student Programming, Development and Equity. In this session, these Deans will tell you a bit about themselves and some of the things you should know about the next three years of law school.
Meet the Faculty
Date: Monday, August 16th
Time: 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Get to know the people who will be teaching you next year. Faculty members will provide background on their approach to their courses and initiate discussions that pertain to their area of research.
Meet the Senior Administrative Team Group Sessions
You do not need to sign up for your group. You will receive an invitation after July 10th.
Assistant Dean Tanya (Toni) De Mello and other senior leadership meet with students in groups of 20. It is an opportunity for students to ask questions and get to know each other.
Group OneDate: Tuesday, Aug 3rdTime: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. |
Group TwoDate: Thursday, Aug 5th |
Group ThreeDate: Monday, Aug 9th |
Group FourDate: Tuesday, Aug 10th, |
Group FiveDate: Wednesday, Aug 11th |
Group SixDate: Tuesday, Aug 17th |
Group SevenDate: Thursday, Aug 19th |
Career Development & Professional Placement Office (CDPPO)
Date: Tuesday, August 10th
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Please join us for a session with the Career Development & Professional Placement Office (CDPPO) to learn about the role of CDPPO and your burning questions about work opportunities in the field. The CDPPO will be vital for your success at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. Students will learn from resume editing, through interview techniques, to on-campus hiring. Andre Bacchus, Director of CDPPO, and his team are looking forward to meeting you soon.
Academic Accommodation Support & Financial Aid
Date: Thursday, August 12th
Time: 12 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Learning about Academic Accommodation Support services & Financial Aid.
Being a Lawyer - Talk & Discussion
Date: Wednesday, August 18th
Time: 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
External guests from a range of practice areas are invited to discuss how they got to their role and how they felt when they were starting law school.
Class of 2024
Learning about Classes and the Academic Program
Date: Monday, August 23rd
Time: 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Discussing the structure of the law school program, the co-teaching pedagogical model and the incorporation of practical skills with theoretical concepts.
Training on Unconscious Bias & Anti-racism
Date: Monday, August 23rd
Time: 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Please join Assistant Dean Tanya (Toni) De Mello on an essential and thoughtful training on unconscious bias and anti-racism. Assistant Dean De Mello is a human rights lawyer, former director of human rights at Ryerson University and has working experience with the United Nations.
ThriveRU & Human Rights
Date: Tuesday, August 24th
Time: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Information session about what services are available to students.
Being a Decision Maker
Date: Wednesday, August 25th
Time: 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
This panel will include judges, arbitrators and tribunal members who will discuss how they became decision-makers and how they make decisions.
Consent is part of our practice
Date: Wednesday, August 25th
Time: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
We all have a role to play in preventing sexual violence and harassment. As you know, the Law Society provides high ethical standards for law students and lawyers, outlined by the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Good Character Requirement. As legal professionals, it's important to be aware of ways to recognize, mitigate, and respond to sexual violence and harassment. In this workshop, law students will learn to recognize harm, intervene when they witness sexual violence and harassment, learn how to address disclosures, and make referrals to supports on and off-campus.
How to handle Law School: Reflections from the 2L Class
Date: Thursday, August 26th
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register, opens in new window
Learning about the Law Libraray, RAMSS and D2L
Date: Thursday, August 26th
Time: 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Learning about the ins and outs of the Law Library, RAMSS and D2L.
RLSS Clubs Event
Date: Friday, August 27th
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Interested in joining a club? Learn about the Ryerson Law Student Society and the many student organizations that are at the law school. A list of student organizations and the time they are presenting will be available closer to the date of the event.
Mentorship, Moots & Clinics
Date: Friday, August 27th
Time: 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Students have the opportunity to learn about, mentorship moot courts. experiential opportunities and more.
President and Dean’s Welcome
Date: Tuesday, August 24th
Time: 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Register, external link, opens in new window
Ryerson President and Lincoln Alexander School of Law's Dean welcome the Class of 2024 - Highlights values, expectations and the road ahead.