Class B Organizations

(last updated: 08/24/2025)

Animal Justice Western

(formerly Western Animal Law Association)

Western’s Animal Law Association (WALA) is dedicated to both educating its members about the reality of how animals are treated in the legal system, and providing opportunities to advocate for the rights and protections of animals under the law.

Animal Law focuses on the rights of nonhuman animals, including companion animals, wildlife, and those used for food production, research and entertainment. Current issues in this field of law include the standards of animal welfare in factory farming, the restraints imposed on animal activists by recently enacted “ag gag” laws, the ongoing debate about whether animals should be considered mere property, and assessing Canada’s global standing with regards to animal treatment.

Through events that include research, advocacy, and raising awareness, WALA hopes to influence positive change in the legal landscape for animals.

Chairs:

Annika Fotheringham (afother2@uwo.ca)

Juliana Wiggins (jwiggin4@uwo.ca)

Jenny Chen (jche492@uwo.ca)

Sandy Hotke (ahotke3@uwo.ca)

Abby Liznick (aliznick@uwo.ca)

Barristers & Baristas

Barristers & Baristas offers a unique blend of coffee culture and legal camaraderie at Western Law. Our club focuses on enhancing community bonds and mental well-being through coffee-related events, including chats with professors, law firm-sponsored gatherings, and a signature ‘Coffee Barista Challenge.’ It’s the perfect place for students to network, share skills, and unwind. Join us for a fulfilling break from the books and a chance to enrich your law school experience.

Chairs:

Daniel Torch (dtorch@uwo.ca)

Joelle Somogyi (jsomogy2@uwo.ca)

Black Law Students’ Association

The Western Black Law Students’ Association (BLSA) is a dynamic student-led organization at the Faculty of Law, dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for Black law students. Our mission revolves around promoting diversity within the legal field, advocating for social justice, and ensuring the academic and professional success of our members. Through mentorship programs, networking events, community outreach, and social gatherings, we aim to bridge the gap between Black law students and professionals in the field, fostering relationships and facilitating opportunities. Join us to be part of a community that values diversity, equity, and empowerment, and is committed to making a difference in the legal community and beyond. Western BLSA welcomes you with open arms.

Chairs:

Deborah Mensah (dmensah6@uwo.ca)

Amina Dirie (adirie4@uwo.ca)

Business Law Society

The Business Law Student Society (“BLSS”) is dedicated to helping Western Law students discover what the area of Business Law has to offer them. BLSS hopes to eliminate the perception that you need to have a business background in order to go into Business Law. Business Law overlaps with many other areas of law including Contract Law, Intellectual Property Law, Labour Law, and Criminal Law (just to name a few!). It also covers fascinating issues such as insider trading, mergers and acquisitions, and white collar crimes. Join the BLSS this year as we provide students with the opportunity to take part in competitions, network with industry professionals, and learn more about Business Law through social events.

Chair:

Kennedy Borland (kborlan2@uwo.ca)

Canadian US Law Institute

The Canada – United States Law Institute (CUSLI) was founded in 1976 as a joint creation of Western Law and Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. The institute is a bi-national, non-for-profit, multidisciplinary entity that acts as a forum for the discussion of legal issues arising in the Canada-U.S. context. The organization sponsors conferences, forums, research opportunities, student internships and academic competitions.

The CUSLI Student Forum offers students the opportunity to compare the differing Canadian and U.S. approaches to different legal issues. Past topics have included the opioid crisis, firearm regulation, marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage. Students are also encouraged to apply for positions on the editorial board of the student led Canada-U.S. Law Journal.

Chairs:

Simran Bartia (sbartia@uwo.ca)

Edward Rabinovich (erabino2@uwo.ca)

Waleed Alshurafa (walshura@uwo.ca)

Christian Legal Fellowship

The Christian Legal Fellowship provides a place for students to gather together for prayer, Bible studies, and discussions about faith and law. CLF hosts several events throughout the year where students can get to know each other, and organizes some community volunteering opportunities. There is also an annual CLF student conference, where members from all 18 CLF law school chapters gather to learn more about practicing law as a person of faith.

Chair:

Eric Flowers (eflower@uwo.ca)

Western Law Climbing Club

Chair:

Kristian Mendoza (kmendo2@uwo.ca)

Western Law Court Sports

Chairs:

Emily Halman (ehalman@uwo.ca)

Anton Konach (akonach@uwo.ca)

Criminal Law Students Association

The Criminal Law Students’ Association strives to bridge the gap between academic studies of criminal law and life as a criminal lawyer. Our aim is to increase interest in criminal law and to provide information and experiences to students already interested in this area through events such as our criminal trial moot program, detention centre tours, career panels and social events.

Chair:

Juliana Wiggins (jwiggin4@uwo.ca)

Construction and Infrastructure Law Association

(formerly Western Law Construction Club)

Chairs:

Brayden Mulhern (bmulher@uwo.ca)

Sean Ryan (sryan66@uwo.ca)

East Asian Law Students Association

East Asian Law Students Association (EALSA) is committed to fostering an inclusive, uplifting environment for East Asian law students and those interested in East Asian culture.

Chair:

Nigel Chang (nchang29@uwo.ca)

Entertainment & Sports Law Association

The Entertainment & Sports Law Association (ESLA) aims to introduce students to the legal opportunities in the entertainment and sports industry. The ESLA is composed of students interested in combining their legal studies with their passion for all aspects of this exciting industry: music, film and television, sports, media, and more. The entertainment and sport industry creates unique legal challenges that require specialized knowledge in substantive areas of the law including civil procedure, contract law, corporate law, copyright law, labor law, and real estate law. ESLA’s mission is to expose our members to these areas through networking and speaker events. We also hold an annual internal moot competition with the winners representing Western Law at the Hockey Arbitration Competition of Canada. Email: eslawesternlaw@gmail.com

Chairs:

Angela Vastis (avastis@uwo.ca)

Max Gao (mgao227@uwo.ca)

Matthew White (mwhit232@uwo.ca)

Michelle Tanner (mtanner9@uwo.ca)

Environmental Law Association

The Western Environmental Law Association (WELA) aims to promote environmental awareness and explore opportunities in the field. WELA will invite guest speakers to present their research to students, and hold educational seminars to inform students about environmental legal issues. We also aim to connect students with other individuals who hold an interest in environmental law. WELA encourages all students to apply, as well as attend events throughout the year at Western Law.

Chair:

Max Walman (mwalman@uwo.ca)

Family Law Students Association

The Western Family Law Students Association (FLSA) is Western’s leading club for law students who are interested in practicing, learning, or exploring opportunities within the area of family law. The FLSA will invite practicing family lawyers and legal researchers to hold educational seminars and inform students about how to enter the family law field. Further, we will explore the pressing issues facing family law’s legislative development. We also aim to create a space to connect Western Law Students who are interested in family law. The FLSA encourages all who are interested to apply!

Chairs:

Thea Hoaken (thoaken@uwo.ca)

Kira Kuttis (kkuttis@uwo.ca)

Western Law French Society

The Western Law French Society’s mission is to showcase and promote Francophone culture in Western Law. We aim to highlight the culture and the benefits of speaking French, as well as introduce you to the francophone opportunities Western Law has to offer. Come join us for movie nights, trivia events, and more!

Chair:

Caleb Scargell (cscargal@uwo.ca)

Gender and the Law

GALA believes that gender and the law are inextricably linked. We work to raise awareness and advocate change in gender-based injustices in law and in the legal profession. GALA aims to approach this change with an intersectional feminist lens. We encourage people of all genders to join our anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and anti-colonial efforts. Some of our work includes: organizing an annual internal moot competition, hosting various speaker events, arranging a trip to Yale Law School’s Rebellious Lawyering Conference, organizing #LawNeedsFeministBecause campaigns, updating the community about relevant court cases and current events, and sharing other gender-related resources. GALA is one of the few student organizations at Western Law to regularly welcome first-year students to serve as executive members . Visit us on Facebook or Twitter (@uwogala) to learn more about our activities.

Chair:

Chloe Leguard (cleguard@uwo.ca)

Golf Club

The Western Law Golf Club is diligently committed to cultivating a vibrant and inclusive community where members and guests alike are encouraged to explore, empower, and enrich their passion for the game of golf. We are dedicated to creating a place where law students find not only a sanctuary for their love of the game but also a platform for personal growth and a stronger sense of belonging.

Chairs:

Peter MacDonald (pmacdo9@uwo.ca)

Shawn Thomson (sthoms54@uwo.ca)

Gavin Taylor (gtaylo9@uwo.ca)

Health Law Association

The Health Law Association organizes events and activities designed to introduce students to the field of health law. We aim to facilitate connections between students and practitioners and to make students aware of potential career opportunities in health law. We host events on a variety of health law related topics such as medical malpractice, health law policy and professional discipline. The Health Law Association is proud to hold the annual Legate Medical Malpractice Moot. The moot provides 32 students with practical trial-level advocacy experience in the health law field.

Chairs:

Catherine Grace Ott (cott@uwo.ca)

Reeya Mittal (rmittal8@uwo.ca)

Western Law Hockey Club

Chairs:

Lyndon Pelletier (lpellet4@uwo.ca)

Daniel Torch (dtorch@uwo.ca)

In Vino Veritas

In Vino Veritas (IVV) aims to educate our student body about the intricate and fascinating world of wine, including wine appreciation, the wine making process, and wine etiquette. IVV is committed to promoting sustainability and supporting the local economy by familiarizing students with the quality of Ontario wines and creating awareness for the wine-making regions of Canada. IVV’s goal is to organize events where alumni and students can network in a relaxed atmosphere. This year, IVV will be hosting in-person events to help 1Ls and upper year students come together for safe and responsible wine education.

Chairs:

Niloofar Nikimaleki (nnikimal@uwo.ca)

Vivienne Zhang (vzhang22@uwo.ca)

Indigenous Students Association

The Indigenous Students Organization at Western Law is a student run organization supporting the Indigenous law students within the faculty. The ISO is dedicated to sharing community, professional and academic opportunities with its members. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to get involved!

Chairs:

Abbigail Barrette (abarre26@uwo.ca)

Lyndon Thomas Pelletier (lpellet4@uwo.ca)

Western Intellectual Property Association

Western Intellectual Property Association (WIPA) is a student-run organization dedicated to helping students who are interested in pursuing a career in the IP practice area. WIPA acts as a liaison between the law school and student body to provide information on Western Law’s Intellectual Property, Information and Technology (IPIT) Area of Concentration. Each year, WIPA hosts multiple events, such as panels with established practitioners sharing their experience in emerging areas of IP, and social events to meet others who share a common interest in IP.

Chair:

Hanna Ke (hke7@uwo.ca)

Western International Law Association

Western’s International Law Association (ILA) aims to provide students interested in international law with resources to better understand and seek opportunities in the field. International Law takes many forms and there are a variety of career pathways that can be pursued. Past events have included a panel discussion on careers in international law, a Fireside Chat discussion on international environmental law and a presentation by UN Special Rapporteur (and Western Law Professor) Michael Lynk. We hope you consider joining ILA and are looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Chairs:

Shayanti Neha Roy (sroy232@uwo.ca)

Rachel Lee (rlee436@uwo.ca)

Italian Students Law Society

The Italian law student society’s main purpose is to promote Italian culture within the law school and a place for all law students to gather and celebrate Italian activities. Every year the committee facilitates networking events for students with Italian lawyers and professionals in Toronto to provide a little more insight about working in the legal field as an Italian. Moreover, the committee plans to host a variety of Italian festivals, each year it will be a different Italian festival that will be focused on. We encourage students of all ethnicities to join the club as we would like to welcome everyone to La(w) Famigilia!

Chair:

Anthony Ierulli (aierulli@uwo.ca)

Jewish Law Students Association

The JLSA is part of a network of Jewish law student organizations across Canada. We primarily serve as an informal source of support and advice for our members, while occasionally organizing educational and social events throughout the school year. Some of our events have included monthly lunchtime seminars, Shabbat dinners, multi-faith programs, and pub nights. We are committed to enriching your Jewish experience at law school and are always open to new ideas for events.

Chairs:

Jorey Zweig (jzweig5@uwo.ca)

Joelle Somogyi (jsomogy2@uwo.ca)

Know Your Writes!

Chair:

Jacob Vanderhoeven (jvand295@uwo.ca)

Labour and Employment Law Society

Western Law’s Labour and Employment Law Society (“LELS”) is a student-run organization promoting the practice and study of labour, employment and everything in between. We organize several career-building and social events throughout the year, including coffee chats, several moots, a career panel and a tour of Toronto’s leading labour and employment firms.

Whether you’re passionate about business or social justice; see yourself representing employers, unions or individual employees; or whether you’re looking for the rush of litigation and advocacy, the intricacies of drafting contracts or the thrill of striking a deal and connecting with others—whatever it was that brought you to law school, chances are you’ll find it in labour and employment law.

Chairs:

Stephanie Naraman (snaraman@uwo.ca)

Muslim Law Students Association

With the number of Muslim students at Western Law growing, the Muslim Law Students Association was founded to provide Muslim students with a platform to connect with one another and to present their views. The MLSA also allows for students to connect with Muslim lawyers across the country through Career Panels and Q&A sessions. Ultimately, the MLSA contributes to Western Law’s mission of advancing equity, diversity and inclusion on campus.

Chairs:

Maha Alam (malam233@uwo.ca)

Zakaria Mahmoud (zmahmou2@uwo.ca)

Western Mining Law Association

Mining Law is committed to creating the connection between law and the natural resources and environment industries. Whether you have a connection to these sectors, or you are merely interested in learning more about law in these areas, mining law wants to help. The club also supports students wishing to complete the Global Sustainability Certificate offered through Western Law. Our primary events in the year are a trip to a mine site, and a trip to Toronto for the annual mining convention: the PDAC.

Chair:

Christopher Young (cyoun94@uwo.ca)

OUTLaws

OUTLaws is a LGBTQ+ educational, advocacy and community support group that provides resources and programming for people both in and out of our community. We aim to support law students through their academic journeys in addition to facilitating independent connections with the broader LGBTQ+ community in London. In addition to our educational and fundraising projects, we prioritize the celebrations of queer joy and community that are preserved at the heart of our community’s resilient history and future.

Chairs:

Ali Marshall (amarsh84@uwo.ca)

Jestina Hajjar (jhajjar@uwo.ca)

Persian Students in Law

Chairs:

Niloofar Nikimaleki (nnikimal@uwo.ca)

Yalda Sinaei (ysinaei@uwo.ca)

Running from the Law

“Running from the Law” is Western Law’s running club. The club organizes two runs every week and occasionally organizes social events for those that participate. Whether you are new to running or a marathon master, all paces are welcome!

Chair:

Sara Ferro (sferro2@uwo.ca)

Runnymede Society

Tired of listening about the law instead of engaging with it? Seeking open discussion of contemporary legal issues? Interested in networking with the largest group of freethinking professors, practitioners, and judges in Canada? Look no further!

The Runnymede Society is a non-partisan national law student organization dedicated to exploring the ideas and ideals of constitutionalism, classical liberalism, and the rule of law. Through on-campus debate and discussion, our mission is to ensure that free speech and intellectual diversity remain an active part of Canadian law school life.

Regardless of your personal politics, if you are interested in discussing and shaping Canadian legal culture, then this is the organization for you! To learn more about Runnymede, the benefits it offers, and how to join, please visit our website: www.runnymedesociety.ca

Chairs:

Haneen Bishara (hbishara@uwo.ca)

Petar Bratic (pbratic@uwo.ca)

Western Law Real Estate Association

The Real Estate Association’s primary goal is to help provide education, guidance, and a networking opportunity for those interested in a career in real estate law. Our association will help clarify what career options exist in the field of real estate, such as through speaker panels hosted by Western Law graduates. These lawyers will be from both large and small firms so that students are exposed to the various areas that exist within the real estate practice generally. Given that only one real estate course is offered at Western each year, our association can be a means by which students can better assess whether a career in real estate is right for them.

Chair:

Nicole Bernt (nbernt@uwo.ca)

Western Law Sikh Students Association

Chair:

Harleen Mundi (hmundi5@uwo.ca)

South Asian Law Students Association

The South Asian Law Students’ Association (SALSA) celebrates equity and diversity. We are a student group that is open to everyone in the Western Law community who is curious to learn more about the South Asian community, culture, and cuisine. SALSA aims to add to the diversity of the clubs already present at Western Law by providing students with yet another opportunity to get involved in the school’s community. SALSA respects and celebrates the diversity and multiculturalism of the student body at Western Law and hopes to provide members with networking opportunities through lectures, panels, and social events.

Chairs:

Randeep Thandi (rthandi3@uwo.ca)

Reeya Mittal (rmittal8@uwo.ca)

Shayanti Roy (sroy232@uwo.ca)

Students for Truth and Reconciliation

Our committee strives to elevate Indigenous voices and work towards reconciliation through cultural learning, events, and programming within the law school and with community partners. We recognize the instrumental role lawyers played during colonization, particularly during the enactment of oppressive laws and policies that continue today.

The Committee responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (#27 and #28), which indicate that lawyers and law students have an important role to play in reconciliation efforts. We welcome all students who want to engage in reconciliation both in their personal lives and in their legal careers.

Chair:

Danielle Nicolardi (dnicolar@uwo.ca)

Western Law Tax Association

The Tax Law Association aims to provide more information and clarity about the work of a Tax Lawyer. The committee invites industry leading Tax experts to speak about their work and creates an unique opportunity for law students to learn about the inner workings of Tax Law. Moreover, the committee aims to provide opportunities for students to learn more about Tax Law and hopefully promote more students to consider Tax Law as a career.

Chairs:

Gabe Rhone (grhone@uwo.ca)

Ethan Chin (echin9@uwo.ca)

Western’s Technology Law Club

WTLC seeks to connect students with technology law professionals and expose them to what practicing in this area of law is like. As technology is a growing part of business in all sectors, we are excited for the opportunities that this will present law students. Some key areas of technology law that the club will provide awareness and interaction with for students include the protection of trademarks, patents and copyrights, the raising of capital through loans or investments, employee contracts and other employment issues, the formation of entities such as partnerships and corporations, the navigation of market launches, and the negotiation of commercial contracts.

Chair:

Won Ha (kha9@uwo.ca)

Western Law Union

Chair:

Sukhamrit Singh (ssing886@uwo.ca)

Western Venture Law Society

The purpose of Western Venture Law Society is to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in the Western Law School community by connecting the legal practice with venture capital and startup businesses. Our mission is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and connections that are required to be successful in the intersection of business law related to innovative ventures and venture capital.

Chair:

Lauren Shligold (lshligol@uwo.ca)

Walking Club

The walking club provides law students with the ability to meet once a week with other likeminded individuals to walk, de-stress and talk about our shared experiences. The walking club will occasionally host social events for those willing to participate. Everyone is welcomed!

Chairs:

Makenzie Smeriglio (msmerigl@uwo.ca)

Won Ha (kha9@uwo.ca)

Western Women In Law

Chair:

Yalda Sinaei (ysinaei@uwo.ca)