Welcome to Windsor Law

Welcome to Windsor Law. We are a community of staff, students, scholars and alumni who share a passion for law and justice.

For more than 50 years, Windsor Law has had a rich history of upholding an access to justice mission. We define ourselves as a justice-seeking, people-centred and community-engaged law school. While we are not immune to the challenges raised by the world around us, from a worldwide pandemic to social discord, our institutional and personal commitments to championing our mission and supporting the success of Windsor Law students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters remains strong. These commitments will guide us in challenging times such as those in which we continue to find ourselves.
 

I am deeply honoured to be Windsor Law’s Dean and am proud of our faculty. They produce justice-seeking research. Professors Danardo Jones and Sujith Xavier, for example, as part of the Transnational Law and Justice Network, are planning a workshop and conference in the fall of 2022 to examine the impact of the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in R. v. S. (R.D.), [1997] 3 S.C.R. 484 on anti-Black racism and equality in the law. We come together in a spirit of inquiry and shared commitment to our access to justice ethos.
 

I am equally proud of our students! Despite the uncertainties and harms brought on by the health pandemic, anti-Black racism and other inequalities, our students continue to innovate and demonstrate compassion for those around them. To give you just a few examples of their leadership and commitments to access to justice, Windsor Law students organize an annual Justice at Work Conference and volunteer through ProBono Students Canada. One 2022 ProBono project sees Windsor Law students working with children whose parents are incarcerated with the goal of giving them hope for the future.
 

We welcome students into our program who have varied life experiences in the belief that excellence is served when diverse voices are heard. Our commitment to inclusive excellence is reflected in the diversity of our student body. Last year, for example, half of our incoming class identified as racialized and 53% spoke a language beyond English.
 

Our alumni number over 8,000 strong and have risen to tremendous heights in their professional careers. Windsor Law has produced great leaders. You will find our alumni have gone on to become social justice advocates, associates, and managing partners of national and international law firms, legal aid and human rights lawyers, in-house counsel, government and policy advisors, sports executives, and entrepreneurs. In addition to their impressive achievements, our alumni carry on the Windsor Law ethos of giving back to their community and advancing access to justice in their fields.
 

One of my greatest joys as Dean is seeing how our alumni support current students, from mentoring to hiring to teaching in the classroom and contributing to scholarships. The class of

1981, for example, supports a scholarship that this year provided $17,500 to a student who exemplifies Windsor Law’s values and commitments to academic excellence.
 

We also have a team of staff who show unparalleled care for our students and alumni. They will help you with career planning and placements, health and wellness, academic planning and extra-curricular engagement.
 

A Windsor Law degree will open a world of career possibilities for you. From the day you begin your studies at Windsor Law, you will be surrounded by intelligent, hard-working, creative, and social-justice oriented students. For the next three years, you will be immersed in a learning journey that focuses on law in action. Our rich academic programs and experiential learning opportunities will allow you to explore your interests and prepare you with the resources and skills to achieve your goals.
 

The Ron Ianni Law Building is undergoing a massive renovation and we expect to retake possession early in 2023. A $35 million investment, our Transforming Windsor Law campaign, will instil further pride in Windsor Law and allow us to continue to be leaders in legal research and pedagogy.
 

If you are a prospective student and our access to justice theme, our people, our programs and our environment resonate with who you are and what you hope to accomplish, I hope that you will apply to our programs. If you are a current student, thank you for choosing Windsor Law for your legal education. I look forward to welcoming you to our new, completely renovated building and including you in the next phase of Windsor Law’s history.

Sincerely,
Reem Bahdi, Dean