Osgoode Hall Law School and DUKE Heights BIA launch free online legal service

Local businesses to benefit from the new legal information service

TORONTO, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018 – York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School and the DUKE Heights Business Improvement Area (BIA) will celebrate the launch of DUKE Law – a free online legal information service for BIA members – on Friday, Feb. 23 from 8:30 to 10:30am at the DUKE Heights office, 2 Champagne Drive, Unit C9, North York.

The new online legal information service is part of a larger initiative to create a Virtual Employment Hub, where both employers and job seekers will find resources to develop their potential. The Virtual Employment Hub will offer one source through the DUKE Heights website where employers, entrepreneurs and job seekers can find resources to help them succeed and grow.

DUKE Heights BIA Executive Director Matias de Dovitiis said the two-year pilot program with Osgoode – officially known as the DUKE Heights/Osgoode Hall Law School Community Impact Project -- is an effort to foster new opportunities for the North York and Toronto employment scene.

“The DUKE Heights BIA has more than 2,500 businesses, more than 31,000 employees and 34,000 people come into the area on any given workday, and is right at the doorsteps of York University,” de Dovitiis said. “We have a mandate from our Board of Directors to develop a relationship that will make our area a hub for innovation and growth and this Osgoode partnership is a step in that direction.”

Osgoode Dean Lorne Sossin said the partnership with DUKE Heights is aligned with one of the law school’s key strategic priorities to broaden community engagement. “We are investing energy and resources in creating and supporting opportunities for students to make community engagement a central and positive part of their experience at Osgoode,” Sossin said.

Six Osgoode JD students and a research assistant, as well as a steering committee from the law school, have been working with DUKE Heights on the development of the online legal information service, which will start with a website page of frequently asked questions and answers.

Sossin noted that employment creation and community-building go hand in hand. “What has become clear over years of working in a variety of community-oriented law school partnerships and outreach programs is that employment is a key to community-building and to overcoming the kind of legal barriers which many face,” he said.

“Additionally, the University itself is a major employer, contractor, and anchor institution, procuring goods and services for a variety of activities. Legal innovations around social enterprise and social procurement can help fulfill the potential of the University to support and strengthen communities.”

For more information, visit dukeheights.ca, call 416-739-1621 or email info@dukeheights.ca

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About Osgoode Hall Law School

Osgoode Hall Law School of York University has a proud history of 129 years of leadership and innovation in legal education and legal scholarship. A total of about 900 students are enrolled in Osgoode’s three-year Juris Doctor (JD) Program as well as joint and combined programs. The school's Graduate Program in Law is also the largest in the country and one of the most highly regarded in North America. In addition, Osgoode Professional Development, which operates out of Osgoode’s facility in downtown Toronto, offers both degree and non-degree programming for Canadian and international lawyers, non-law professionals, firms and organizations. Osgoode has an internationally renowned faculty of 60 full-time professors, and more than 100 adjunct professors. Our respected community of more than 18,000 alumni are leaders in the legal profession and in many other fields in Canada and across the globe.

About York University

York University champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contacts:

Virginia Corner, Communications Manager, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca

Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca