(Last updated: 2023-09-21)

3YP Committee

What’s 3YP? Third Year Party! One last chance to celebrate the end of 3 years of summaries, moots, and, of course, Dennings. Say goodbye to Western Law and 3LOL with 185 of your closest friends.

Chairs:

Matt Wronko (mwronko2@uwo.ca)

Admissions Committee

The Admissions Committee helps establish policy and internal guidelines concerning admission to Western Law. Further, members of this Committee review and make recommendations on applications for admission.

Chairs:

Pooja Patel (ppate427@uwo.ca)

Holly Allen (hallen28@uwo.ca)

Raza Husnain (rhusnain@uwo.ca)

Note: Another way to get involved with Admissions is to apply to become an Admissions & Recruitment Student Ambassador. Watch for an email from the Admissions Office later in the Fall semester!

Advocacy Committee

The Western Law Advocacy Committee is committed to teaching, promoting, and supporting law students who aspire to develop strong oral advocacy skills. We aim to accomplish this goal through coaching and mentoring students who choose to compete in internal and external mooting/trial competitions. Additionally, we liaise with London and Toronto litigation firms to host advocacy related seminars. The Western Law Advocacy Committee is also responsible for organizing and judging the Lerners LLP Cup, Cherniak Cup, and First Year Appellate Advocacy Competition.

Chairs:

Meghan Hawa (mhawa@uwo.ca)

Kirsten Sullivan (ksulli46@uwo.ca)

Community Outreach Committee

Even while in law school, we are important members of the community in which we live. This committee attempts to raise awareness of that fact by organizing community outreach programs and fundraisers. As future lawyers, we must be aware of our ability to become leaders in our communities. Therefore, it is important to spend time now creating a positive image for the Law School through involvement with community agencies that can benefit from student assistance. Without your participation, these goals will be hard to reach.

Chairs:

Ivy Duong (iduong2@uwo.ca)

Justin Malamis (jmalamis@uwo.ca)

Distinguished Speakers Committee

The Distinguished Speakers Committee (DSC) invites prominent members of the legal profession and related fields to lecture at Western Law and share their extensive knowledge with law students and faculty. Our speakers are all at the top of their respective professions and include members of the judiciary, high-ranking politicians, and experienced practitioners. Topics vary widely and can involve current social and ethical issues in the legal field, valuable advice to take into practice, as well as unique perspectives from specialists outside of law, such as medicine or international politics. Recent speakers have included the Right and Honorable Chief Justice Richard Wagner, Netflix’s “Making a Murderer” attorneys Dean Strang and Jerry Buting and criminal defence lawyer Marie Henein.

Chairs:

Meghan Hawa (mhawa@uwo.ca)

Justin Malamis (jmalamis@uwo.ca)

Diversity Committee

We have an amazing team to help diversify our faculty by celebrating the view that diversity and merit are two sides of the same coin. Our committee seeks to research and model a law school environment at Western Law that is welcoming, safe, and inclusive for all our administrators, staff, and students by viewing differences in nationality, race, religious belief, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and ablebodiedness as opportunities for understanding, learning, and growth. This year our focus will be on hosting events and activities aimed at recognizing and celebrating diverse perspectives and experiences to foster meaningful and respectful engagement in all aspects of life at Western Law. We look forward to meeting you all in September!

Chairs:

Sophia Khalil (shahed.khalil@uwo.ca)

Sahiba Badyal (sbadyal4@uwo.ca)

Law Ball Committee

Experience Law Ball, the most anticipated night of the year. As Western Law’s premier semi-formal, we welcome you to an evening of excitement, dressing-up, dancing, great food, and celebrating with your friends. This night is about recognizing the contributions you make as students and leaders to the Western Law community. Join our dynamic committee – applications open this September. We look forward to meeting you and celebrating together!

Chairs:

Allen Hujic (ahujic@uwo.ca)

Trisha Matasaran (tmatasar@uwo.ca)

Hanye Chen (hchen972@uwo.ca)

Law Games Committee

Each year at the beginning of January, law schools from across Canada gather for Law Games, a four-day competition comprised of several activities including sports, a moot, trivia and a talent show, all for the highly-coveted Law Games Cup, Sports Cup, and Spirit Cup. The team is comprised of students across all three years with interests in playing sports, mooting, participating in a talent show, or producing a closing ceremonies video.

Last time, the Universite de Montreal and the City of Montreal hosted this unforgettable week. Joining the team is not only a great way to get to know students from all years at Western Law, but also to meet students from across the country. Most Western Law team members claim that this one-of-a-kind experience is a highlight of their time in law school. Be on the lookout in September for more information on how to apply, and in the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about applying or just in general, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Co-Captains!

Chairs:

Brenda Pasariello (bpassari@uwo.ca)

Natasha Apolonia (napoloni@uwo.ca)

Jake McPhee (jmcphe8@uwo.ca)

Law Library Advisory Committee

Chair:

Pooja Patel (ppate427@uwo.ca)

Merchandise Committee

The Merch Committee helps students show off how much we love Western Law! The regular Western Bookstore choices just don’t cut it, so every year we launch a merch drop of Western Law-branded clothing (hoodies, tshirts, sweatpants, etc) and other items (water bottles, mugs, baseball hats) to be purchased and worn by law students, our friends and families, and staff. Merch Committee members help to create designs, choose items to be offered for sale, coordinate with the supplier, and spread the word about the merch drop.

Chairs:

Emily Lynch (elynch9@uwo.ca)

Obiter Dicta Committee

Obiter Dicta is Western Law’s annual charity talent and variety show. It is a fantastic night where students of all years can dazzle their peers with talents of all stripes; music, dance, comedy, improvisational slam poetry, whatever you’re into! The show also features a contest where each year puts forward a video about what its really like to be in 1L / 2L / 3L! Additionally, all proceeds from the event benefit St. Joseph’s Hospice, a London-based palliative care and bereavement centre run by amazing people.

So if you have a passion for performance, a creative mind for events that can bring people together during this time of distance, or just want to help a great cause, the Obiter Dicta Committee is the place for you!

Chairs:

Emily Vaillancourt (evailla3@uwo.ca)

Pooja Patel (ppate427@uwo.ca)

Orientation Week Committee

Chairs:

Giselle Fiacco (gfiacco2@uwo.ca)

Parham Pourostad(ppourost@uwo.ca)

Madeline Bandak (mbandak@uwo.ca)

Programs Committee

The Programs Committee is chaired by the Associate Dean (Academic), and comprises faculty members and two student representatives. The Committee meets to discuss curriculum-related issues such as program and graduation requirements and grading policies; the Committee then makes recommendations to Faculty Council for approval. The student representatives may solicit feedback from students regarding courses and bring this feedback to the attention of the Committee.

Chairs:

Larissa Zhong (lzhong45@uwo.ca)

Social Committee

The Social Committee is your link to all things social at Western Law, and we strive to make Western Law’s social culture as fun and inclusive as possible. This year we are planning so many new exciting events, but don’t worry, Dennings are back and better than ever! We would love to see you out at our events! It’s a great way to meet new people, hang out with your friends, and take a break from the stressful environment law school can be. Keep an eye out for our events in the SLS and we can’t wait to meet you!

Chairs:

Stephanie Grad (sgrad2@uwo.ca)

Sponsorship Committee

Chairs:

Michaela Wand (mwand2@uwo.ca)

Neethan Selvan (nselvan3@uwo.ca)

Sports Committee

We are your ticket to sports and physical fitness at Western Law. Each semester, the Sports Committee helps students coordinate teams that compete in the Western Intramural League. These Western Law teams are partially subsidized. Last year we offered intramural teams in ball hockey, volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, and many others like inner tube water polo and ultimate frisbee. We also work with other organizations and clubs at Western Law to integrate sports & fitness into their programming.

The Sports Committee aims to provide an inclusive non-competitive environment where all law students can make friends and destress through teamwork and physical exercise.

Chair:

Aitana Robinson (arobi44@uwo.ca)

Student Alumni Committee

The Student Alumni Committee is the bridge between current students and Western Law’s Alumni Relations & Development department and the law alumni community. The Committee helps to support alumni events by working closely with Law’s AR&D staff. The most important events in the Alumni portfolio are Homecoming, an Alumni Awards of Merit Reception, and possible Alumni Dennings in the Fall and Spring months.

Chairs:

Ivy Duong (iduong2@uwo.ca)

Matt Wronko (mwronko2@uwo.ca)

Student Careers Committee

The Student Careers Committee represents the professional interests of Western Law students, and aims to assist students in their career and professional development. The Committee provides assistance to the Western Law Career & Professional Development Office (the “CPDO”), and acts as a liaison between the CPDO and Western Law students.

Chairs:

Sarah Jubas-Bernstein (sjubasbe@uwo.ca)

Meghan Hawa (mhawa@uwo.ca)

Wellness Committee

Law School is a stressful time, and the Wellness Committee is here to promote positive mental, social and physical health among law students. We provide resources and host events, with the goal of having students disengage from the stresses of law school and reengage their self-care routine. Events range from Zumba classes and learning Yoga to visits from therapy dogs and free snack breaks.

New in the 2023- 2024 school year, The Wellness Committee has expanded our mandate to include a Peer Support Centre that we’re working to make operative in 2024.

Chairs:

Sahiba Badyal (sbadyal4@uwo.ca)

Aitana Robinson (arobi44@uwo.ca)

Chloe Holmes (cholme29@uwo.ca) – PEER SUPPORT

Yearbook Committee

The yearbook committee organizes the publication and sale of the yearbook. We are always looking for potential photos from events for the yearbook. Have a photo you think should be in the yearbook? Send it to the chair.

Chairs:

Leila Juriansz (ljurians@uwo.ca)

Reyhaneh Rahimi (rrahimi7@uwo.ca)

USC Counsellor

Chair:

Peter Sypnowich (psypnowi@uwo.ca)