Our Mission:
LAWS is an education engagement and support program for high school students facing barriers to postsecondary access. Guided by equity and possibility, LAWS exposes program participants to legal thinking and the justice system through workshops, mentorship and employment programs.
— Why It Matters
6.8
The legal system is one of the core institutions in a democracy. Only 6.8% of legal leaders in the GTA are visible minorities. (DiverseCity Counts 3: A Snapshot of Diverse Leadership in the GTA. 2011)
— Our Goals
To provide a positive and engaging exposure to legal issues, the justice system and the legal profession.
To use legal education as an academic tool to encourage students to graduate from high school and access post-secondary education.
To increase the diversity of the legal profession in order to better reflect, serve, shape and strengthen Canadian society.
Our vision is accessible postsecondary education and an inclusive legal profession that represents the diversity of the people it serves.
— Since 2005: Our History
LAWS was the innovation of Ron Daniels, the former Dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. It was developed in response to Daniels’ recognition that although the law school was a well resourced institution with considerable expertise and engaged staff, faculty and students, it was located in the same community as high schools with diverse student bodies who faced significant challenges to succeeding in high school, accessing post-secondary education, attending law school and joining the legal profession. LAWS expanded to Osgoode Hall Law School in 2011.
