The atrium of the Faculty of Law was buzzing with energy in the morning of March 15, as the team of the L.E.X. Outreach Program by Davies welcomed over 90 high school students, hailing from four different institutions across the greater Montreal region.
Each spring, the L.E.X. Program invites participants on a field trip to McGill and the Faculty of Law. During this visit, current law students, Faculty members, and the Student Affairs team offer the high schoolers a glimpse of McGill Law life through guided tours, informal chats over lunch, and law workshops.
This year’s immensely successful edition was spearheaded by Brittany Williams, Assistant Dean (Students) and Dean’s Lead, Black and Indigenous Flourishing, and the LEX Outreach Student Coordinators, Dalia Tarchila and Gajanan Velupillai. Williams knows firsthand the impact targeted initiatives can have on a young person’s life. While in high school, she also took part in the L.E.X. Program, and would later enrol at McGill Law and earn her BCL/LLB in 2019.
The program was established in 2006 by Charmaine Lyn (BCL/LLB’03) then the Assistant Dean leading the Faculty of Law’s Admissions Office. Today, L.E.X. encourages youth belonging to under-represented communities to consider law school and careers in the legal profession through classroom visits, community engagement initiatives, and field trips to the University.
The L.E.X. Program is one of the initiatives that has contributed to McGill Law becoming one of the most inclusive law faculties in Canada, according to a census report by the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada.
“It’s a thrilling day of the year to open our doors wide and help members of the next generation see themselves here. I’m grateful for our participants’ enthusiastic engagement – we hope to see you at the Faculty in a few years!” Williams concluded.
Photos by Owen Egan and Joni Dufour
