Word from Dean Robert Leckey

Dean’s Word

by Dean Robert Leckey

@DeanLeckey

When saying goodbye, our emeritus professor Bill Foster always says, “Take good care.” As the Torts class he taught me proceeded, my grasp of the legal implications of this statement deepened. The COVID-19 pandemic adds a further dimension, as we think of physical distancing, washing hands, and wearing masks. I hope you have been taking good care and that you and your loved ones are as well as possible.

Je consacre beaucoup de temps à réfléchir à la manière de prendre bien soin de votre Faculté de droit et de notre communauté étudiante. Cette année, notre sollicitude s’exprime largement à distance. Au moment où vous lirez ce magazine, notre corps professoral et notre communauté étudiante se seront habitués à un environnement d’enseignement principalement virtuel. Les heures de bureau des professeur.e.s, le soutien au développement de carrière et le support au bien-être étudiant auront migré vers des plateformes en ligne. Bien que la distanciation soit une forme de bienveillance à l’heure actuelle, nous sommes enthousiastes à l’idée de saisir les occasions de rencontre en personne que les directives de santé publique permettent. Nous priorisons nos cohortes entrantes au BCL/JD et aux programmes de cycles supérieurs pour le déploiement d’activités présentielles en groupes restreints. Malgré les changements que nous vivons, le programme de droit de McGill suscite un fort engouement chez les étudiant.e.s. En effet, une plus grande proportion des offres d’admissions au BCL/JD ont été acceptées comparativement aux dernières années.

The pandemic has confirmed for me the exceptional value and importance of a McGill legal education. We prepare our graduates to solve problems creatively, to cross borders of jurisdictions and legal tradition, and to navigate conditions of uncertainty. Individuals are crossing borders less than before, but major challenges confronting our world — from climate change to the pandemic — are doing so more than ever. It’s no surprise that our scholars have secured funding for research on the pandemic and are actively contributing to public debate on its legal, social, and ethical aspects.

Another such problem is racial injustice, including anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. As law teachers, my colleagues and I are keenly aware of the challenges in inaugurating students into a profession that will powerfully equip them to bring about change, but one that has also played a central role in establishing and maintaining racist structures. We need to ensure that the Faculty of Law’s longstanding pluralism retains its firm foundations in civil law and common law — and that it evolves to reflect the changing societies our graduates will serve.

Until we can meet again in Chancellor Day Hall or a regional event, take good care.

Robert Leckey

On 10 December 2020, McGill’s Board of Governors reappointed Dean Leckey for a second term of five years beginning 1 July 2021.