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The University of Toronto Faculty of Law (UofT Law) believes that legal education should be accessible to talented students from all segments of Canadian society.

Black Future Lawyers (BFL) is a groundbreaking collaboration between UofT Law, our Black Law Students Association, members of our Black alumni community, and the broader legal profession. BFL offers supports and engagement opportunities to Black undergraduate students who aspire to go to law school and become lawyers. BFL’s goal is to increase the number of Black students who attend law school and join the legal profession.

BFL’s programming for Black undergraduate students includes:

Mentoring and job shadowing with Black lawyers, judges and articling students
Invitations to attend special workshops, lectures and other events at UofT Law
Admissions and financial aid info sessions for Black students
Our annual Black Future Lawyers conference
Access to our free LSAT prep course, where eligible
A special application process to UofT Law for Black candidates

To sign up to participate as a BFL undergraduate student, or volunteer as a mentor or job shadowing host, please see below.

PARTNERSHIPS
Black Future Lawyers thanks our generous donors who have invested in the long-term stability of our program. Our Partners ensure that BFL will grow and expand in strategic and thoughtful ways. A 2021 partnership of 14 leading Canadian law firms — Blakes, BLG, Cassels, Davies, Dentons, Fasken, Goodmans, Gowling WLG, McCarthy Tétrault, McMillan, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, Osler, Stikeman Elliott and Torys — through their combined $1.75 million commitment, will provide operational funding to BFL over 10 years. BFL also thanks Scotiabank, UofT Division of the Vice-President & Provost, UofT Faculty of Law and La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso.

To donate to BFL please visit https://donate.utoronto.ca/give/show/617

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“Without my mentors, I would have struggled to navigate the complexities and unwritten rules of academic and law firm settings. I am grateful for the opportunity to offer this support to the next generation of legal professionals. ”

Waleska Vernon, LLB (Osgoode) 2002, MEd (Western) 2013 Director, Professional Recruitment & Development, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP

“Mentorship in various forms, either from University of Toronto professors and alumni or members of the profession in general, has contributed immensely to my transition from a foreign-trained lawyer to the Founder and Managing Lawyer of a firm in private practice. ”

Dominic Alfred, GPLLM (UofT) 2019 Founder and Intellectual Property & Technology lawyer, Alfred Law

“Law school amazed me with its opportunities and people, who were absolutely first-rate, warm, supportive and driven to success. I had the pleasure of learning something new and exciting from a peer every day. ”

Solomon McKenzie, JD (UofT) 2019

“I believe that quality mentoring greatly enhances students’ chances for success. A mentor can help to shorten the learning curve and open your mind to new ideas and opportunities for personal growth and development. ”

Kandia Aird, LLB (UofT) 2003 Crown Counsel, LEAD Division, Dept. of Justice

“I am a strong advocate of quality mentoring because it has been crucial to my development and success. Students and young lawyers cannot achieve excellence unless they are provided with support, guidance and meaningful opportunities for learning and practice development. ”

Paul Davis, LLB (UofT) 1986 Partner; National Chair, Capital Markets & M&A; member of Board of Partners, McMillan LLP

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