News

Congratulations to second-year Schulich Law student Crystal Witter and her team on organizing a successful Black Law Students’ Association of Canada’s (BLSA Canada) National Pre-Law Expo held at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto on September 21.

BLSA Canada is a national student-run organization committed to supporting and enhancing academic and professional opportunities for Black law students and Witter is its National Mentorship Director. Since being elected to her role in February, she has been responsible for facilitating a Canada-wide mentorship program that connects Black law students with Black lawyers and pre-law students with law students.

The National Pre-Law Expo is one of the organization’s flagship events and this year’s was the largest of its kind in Canadian history, providing over 200 prospective Black law students with the mentorship and knowledge needed to successfully navigate the law school application process.

Over 200 prospective Black law students attended the 2024 event.
 

“Our mission to support pre-law students is personal for me as a first-generation law student. I know, based on my own experience, how difficult it is to navigate the admissions process and to find resources,” Witter shares. “When I first began researching law schools, I didn’t have anyone with a legal background in my immediate family to guide me.”

She also recalls having specific questions that she needed answered before she made her decision about which law school to attend. “As a Black woman, it was important for me to choose a community where I felt welcomed, supported, and safe – a place where I could see others who looked like me.”

Witter began planning this year’s Expo in June with the help of the BLSA Canada Mentorship Committee, organizing in-person and virtual sessions such as panel discussions, fireside chats, breakout workshops, and a career fair. The objective was to give attendees the opportunity to engage with leading legal professionals, faculty members, and current law students, empowering them with the insight, knowledge, and tools necessary to navigate the law school admissions process and pursue successful legal careers.

Witter moderates a fireside chat with the Honourable Justice Lori-Anne Thomas.
 

The Expo’s success marks a significant milestone in BLSA Canada’s ongoing efforts to address the underrepresentation of Black students in Canadian law schools. “We are deeply committed to creating pathways for Black students to enter and thrive in the legal profession, and events like the Pre-Law Expo are contributing to a more equitable and inclusive future in the legal field,” she says. “We are providing resources to students that we did not have access to ourselves when we started exploring careers in law.”

The Schulich School of Law was also represented at the conference by Randi Livingstone, the law school’s Admissions Coordinator, who facilitated a virtual law school application workshop, and Zindzi Azubuike, a third-year JD student and Vice President of the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ Association, who shared details of her journey to law school as a member of a panel.

“The National Pre-Law Expo is just one example of how BLSA Canada is contributing to building a more diverse and culturally competent legal community. Not only are we helping more young people to see themselves as future lawyers, but with ongoing support, programs, and advocacy work, we are also helping them have successful legal careers,” says Witter.

BLSA Canada Mentorship Committee (from left): Eugene Anekwe III, Witter, Chika Duru, Ange Mugisha, Kezia Ayume (missing Frankline George).
 

BLSA Canada would like to thank event partners Osgoode Hall Law School and BLSA Osgoode, as well as key event sponsors Gowling WLG, Bennett Jones LLP, DLA Piper, Aird & Berlis LLP, Stikeman Elliott, Dentons LLP, Legally Bright, and 7Sage, for their support.