Local alumni got together with Dean Bill Flanagan, faculty, staff and student reps to kick off the holiday season and celebrate the spirit of giving. Good cheer filled the University Club on December 5 at a reception, where guests caught up with old friends, made new ones and learned about recent developments at the school. 

For Kristin Smith, Law’07, counsel with Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General–Civil Law Division (Health and Long-Term Care Branch), the occasion had special meaning. “Having recently moved my practice to Kingston, the reception was a very nice opportunity for me to re-connect with Queen's Law and to connect with Kingston lawyers all at once,” she says. “I was impressed with the attendance at the reception (no small feat during the busy holiday season!) and it was nice to hear about the specific initiatives being undertaken by Queen’s Law to connect with the Kingston law community.”

Those initiatives were announced by Heather Cole, Law’96 (Artsci’91, MPA’00), who began her appointment as Assistant Dean of Students in June. Having volunteered extensively in the local community during her student days, she’s on a mission to give current law students the same opportunities to become community leaders – and alumni can help. 

Student organizations and clubs have a long history of doing charitable work, but now they’re doing it in conjunction with the Faculty and Cole put out the call for grads to join a new Alumni Advisory Committee. “We want to get your ideas and feedback on how members of the Queen’s Law community – students, alumni, faculty and staff – can get involved with the Kingston community and vice versa,” she said. “There are lots of things happening in the law school and in the city for which there are some obvious partnerships. I hope some of you might be interested in joining our group.”

The first combined student-Faculty event was September’s “Fall Classic,” a golf tournament for which $1,500 was raised by students alone for Pathways Kingston. Up next is a “Winter Classic” in partnership with the Kingston Frontenacs Hockey Club and the Queen’s Law hockey team. Members of the Queen’s Law community can purchase tickets to cheer on their hometown Fronts together in a reserved section of the K-Rock Centre, take a pre-game skate with the school’s intermural team and enjoy a private reception. Proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston & Area. 

Next summer will see an educational–recreational camp for 11-13 year-old youths in the Boys and Girls Club. It will culminate in a mock trial involving Kingston police officers and being judged by members of the local judiciary. “This is all part of building on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, but also on reports aimed at increasing diversity in law schools and in the legal profession,” explained Cole. “If we get kids thinking at an early age that university is not just an option but a real possibility, it will create a pipeline that leads to real access and real opportunities later on.

“Our students are very excited about more chances to volunteer,” she continued. “As lawyers, it’s part of our professional responsibility to be leaders within our communities, so we can start by getting students involved when they’re here and hopefully they’ll transfer that commitment to wherever they end up in the future.”

Stating that he is looking forward to more collaboration with alumni, Dean Flanagan also outlined more of the school’s exciting developments, including welcoming the school’s largest contingent of Indigenous students, being in the process of recruiting up to seven faculty members, shortlisting candidates for the Faculty’s Indigenous Art Project that will be prominently displayed in the school’s glass atrium, and expanding the number of courses in the popular undergraduate Certificate in Law program. He pointed out Queen’s Business Law Clinic Director Morgan Jarvis, Law’10, who is designing an Intellectual Property course. 

“The reception was a wonderful event that allowed me to re-connect with familiar faces and learn more about the Faculty’s continuously expanding involvement within the local community,” says Emma Cotman, Law’16, who articled in Toronto and returned to Kingston as an associate with Cunningham Swan Carty Little & Bonham LLP. 

“I appreciate that many of these new initiatives provide opportunities for alumni to join students, faculty and staff to become more engaged within the Kingston community, and am particularly impressed with the new ‘Winter Classic’ event,” she adds. “It promises to be a fun evening and an excellent way to support the Boys and Girls Club.”