Dal 200 Planning Profile: Schulich School of Law

Toward 200: A sneak peek at some of the anniversary events being planned by Dal's Schulich School of Law

- July 20, 2017

Dal's Weldon Law Building, home of the Schulich School of Law.
Dal's Weldon Law Building, home of the Schulich School of Law.

This article is part of an ongoing series highlighting plans in the works for Dalhousie’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2018. For more features, visit our archives and learn more about Dal 200 at dal200.ca.

Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law — Canada’s oldest university-affiliated law school — is getting ready to celebrate Dal’s milestone anniversary with events that are about giving back as much as they are about looking back.

Dean Camille Cameron describes the law school’s plans to mark Dal’s 200th year as examples of bringing communities together and building connections that work for the public good.

“For almost 135 years, the lifeblood of our law school has been the ‘Weldon Tradition’: the idea that as lawyers we can use law, scholarship, and advocacy to serve the public interest and give back to our communities,” she says. “Our anniversary events honour this legacy and we’re excited to celebrate this in ways that reach out and give back.”

Building open, inspired connections across communities


On campus, the law school’s celebrations will showcase the expertise and lasting impact of its graduates and scholars in commemorative editions of the Dalhousie Law Journal and Hearsay alumni magazine, as well as in other archival and artistic displays around the law school. Reaching well beyond the Weldon Law Building, other highlights to look forward to include:

Roadtripping with Mini Law School. The law school will take its popular Mini Law School series on the road in 2018. These free public lectures, delivered by expert faculty and alumni, tackle everyday legal topics ranging from making a will to navigating the legal system to solving the global refugee crisis. In Dal’s anniversary year, these sessions will branch out to visit diverse communities around Nova Scotia and will also be part of Dal’s coast-to-coast bus tour, bringing the Dalhousie spirit across Canada with stops in cities throughout the country. (Look for more details on the tour in the near future at dal200.ca.)

Jane’s Walks, lawyered up. Inspired by city-builder Jane Jacobs, these free walking tours get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities and connect with their neighbours. The law school is organizing walks that will take place in conjunction with the annual Jane’s Walks global festival, exploring notable developments in law that are rooted here in Nova Scotia. Did you know, for example, that Nova Scotia is the cradle of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy? That the sinking of the Titanic led to sweeping changes in international maritime laws and safety standards? That the Joseph Howe libel case was significant in shaping freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Canada? [SC1] In addition to the live events, these walks will also be available digitally for residents and visitors to use for self-guided touring.

#20in2018 Challenge: The law school will be taking its public service from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Together with alumni, staff, faculty, clinicians, librarians and students, the Schulich School of Law community is aiming to complete 20 new public service projects in Dalhousie’s anniversary year. From building community projects to volunteering at soup kitchens and pro bono legal hours at a local shelter to outreach to high-school students[RM2] [SC3] , we’ll be working with partners across the country to serve the communities in which we live and work.

Look for more details on these and other activities from the Schulich School of Law as Dal’s 200th approaches.


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