Working Groups 2024/2025

Working Group #1: AI and its Impact on the World of Law: Workshop Series

This is a workshop series aimed at examining how AI is affecting different areas of the legal profession. This year, we're planning to focus on a mix areas of law that are heavily discussed with respect to AI, and others that tend to slip through the cracks. We’ll be looking at how AI is being used in Climate Law, by working with a legal consulting group known as Manifest Climate. We’ll also explore Competition Law, Intellectual Property, and Legal Design Policy-Making, by bringing in guests from Torys Law Firm, visiting faculty from top US schools, and experts from the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. If you’re interested in AI, this will be an immersive dive into it.
 

Sessions will be held on:

    1. October 25th
    2. November 15th
    3. January 24th
    4. March 14th

 

Working Group #2: The Lifecycle of a Start-Up

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get a start-up off the ground? Do you want to work with one of the emerging technology and start-up groups at a law firm? Then this is group for you. Students will have the opportunity to manage their own start-up over the course of the year, working with industry experts and advisors to develop a business plan, navigate early-stage legal and business challenges, and hone legal skills from the perspective of legal advisors. We’ll start with how you get a company formed and what that requires, then move into financing and raising capital, guide you through an acquisition, and then finally end off with an IPO. This is a perfect primer for anyone interested in working in corporate law, with big tech, or who want experience with start-ups and entrepreneurs.
 
Sessions will be held on:
    1. October 25th
    2. November 22nd
    3. January 31st
    4. March 21st

 

Working Group #3: Data, Privacy, and Canadian Healthcare

If you’re interested in health law and privacy, this project is for you. This is a traditional research group project, where we’ll focus on preparing a white paper report with recommendations on how the Canadian healthcare space can introduce privacy-enhancing technology solutions. Why is this an issue? A surprising amount of patient details are still transferred via fax, text, and unencrypted email. Hospitals are also partnering with 3rd party vendors in an effort to introduce more efficient technology processes, which means more eyes on the data and more opportunities for malicious actors to strike. We’ll look at what other sectors are doing, identify significant challenges, canvass new technologies and existing privacy law, and then propose recommendations to rectify these long-standing issues.

 

Working Group #4: AI Safety & Liability

California recently passed legislation mandating safety training for companies that spend more than $100 million on new AI models. They can be liable for over $500 million in damages. Criticism of the bill has been fierce, with opponents arguing it will end innovation. Should Canada pursue similar legislation? We’ll be examining whether this would be an appropriate move for Canada and what the long-term recommendations should be, with the end product being a white paper report.