There’s a long-standing tradition at Osgoode Hall Law School called “Coffee with the Dean”. Almost every Wednesday from 10:20 to 10:40am students can – and do – join Dean Patrick Monahan outside the law school’s Moot Court for coffee and a chat.
This Wednesday’s “Coffee with the Dean” was very special, thanks to the presence of James Cade (LLB ’73), Alan Mark (LLB ’80) and David Vincent (LLB ’79), senior partners in the Toronto office of Ogilvy Renault LLP.
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| Above: From left, James Cade (LLB ’73), Alan Mark (LLB ’80) and David Vincent (LLB ’79), senior partners in the Toronto office of Ogilvy Renault LLP, and Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan hold banner |
The partners were at Osgoode on behalf of their firm to hear Monahan officially announce to the Osgoode community that Ogilvy Renault has made a gift of $300,000 to the Building Osgoode Campaign for the creation of a technology-enhanced classroom.
“We’re hoping that this is the start of a long-lasting relationship between Osgoode and Ogilvy Renault,” said Vincent. His remarks to the gathering were greeted with loud, sustained applause.
He recalled that it has been almost 30 years since he graduated from Osgoode, and during that time he has seen the law school continue to attract “an incredible diversity of students” and its reputation soar in Canada and internationally. “That has made me very proud to have been a student 
here,” said Vincent.
Right: David Vincent
The Ogilvy Renault Classroom, which will involve the refurbishment of an older, existing classroom on the ground floor of the law school building, will feature a professionally designed 95-seat classroom with excellent acoustics and lighting, comfortable furniture, and electronic learning tools that allow instructors to produce high-quality sound and images.
It is the latest in a series of classroom upgrades Osgoode has undergone in the past 10 years and one of several building projects associated with The Building Osgoode Campaign, a major fundraising campaign launched in May 2007 to raise money for the renovation and expansion of the law school’s 40-year-old building as well as programs and student financial aid.
Monahan thanked the firm for “demonstrating leadership” and “setting a benchmark I hope other firms will follow.” He also noted that the creation of the Ogilvy Renault Classroom “will provide a richer learning experience for Osgoode students. Ogilvy Renault has demonstrated a strong 
commitment to Canadian legal education and we are very grateful to the firm for helping to ensure that our students have a learning environment of the highest quality.”
Left: A sweet celebration for Osgoode
“We are committed to helping Osgoode’s students learn and build their future in today’s technologically demanding, global marketplace,” Jacques Demers, managing partner of Ogilvy Renault’s Toronto office, said in a statement.
“We are indeed fortunate as many of our firm’s leaders are Osgoode alumni and places like the Ogilvy Renault Classroom are where tomorrow’s leaders in law will come from. We are very pleased to invest in them,” said Demers.