Introducing Andrea Burke, your new Law Alumni Association president

LC:  How do you stay connected to the U of T Faculty of Law?  

AB:   For the past 10 years, I’ve been a member of the Law Alumni Association Council. I’ve been involved in fundraising for the law school. I’ve participated in the mentoring program for JD students. I've done some presentations on interviewing skills to help students during their job search process. I also taught a course in the Global Professional LLM program a year ago.

LC: What is mentoring like? 

AB: Really great! I'm on my third mentee right now and my approach is a bit different. Even though the mentoring program is advertised as a one-year commitment to a first-year student, I've actually mentored my mentees all the way through from first year to graduation, and even beyond. We talk about finding a summer job, or an articling position. These are some of the big focuses. We also talk about what kind of courses they should think about taking.  We’ve also debated the merits of looking for a job in New York or in Toronto. I was a sounding board for my first mentee when she was looking for jobs after articling, and even later, when she moved to another position. I still have lunch with her every once in a while; she's terrific. I stay in touch with my mentees and help them maneuver the politics in the articling year, such as what rotations they should be thinking about doing. They appreciate outside objective views and advice.

LC: And you’re also a dedicated volunteer with the Law Alumni Association Council. Why do you do it?

AB: I got a phone call in late 2009 asking whether I would be interested, and of course, I was interested. I assisted with the building renewal campaign by spearheading, along with two of my partners, a fundraising initiative within my firm. I enjoy feeling connected and knowing what's going on at the law school. It's great to have Dean Ed Iacobucci seeking out alumni views and input. 

LC: What are your main priorities as LAA president?  

AB: I see my principal role as president, as well as the role of all members of the Alumni Council, as encouraging and maintaining connections between the law school and its alumni. I want to build on the focus and work of the past two or three Alumni Council presidents in this regard. The Jackman Law Building has made this job easier because it has brought people back to the school and rejuvenated alumni interest in the Faculty of Law. It's the perfect gathering place for events to welcome alumni back to the school.

Alumni can come back to the school and give of their time. The benefits of volunteering at the law school flow both ways. Alumni can do a wide range of things; it's not necessarily something that requires an ongoing time commitment. It can be one-time participation, such as being involved in a presentation to students, or acting as a sounding board for students who are going through the interview process. It can involve support for the financial aid program or the student experience at the law school. Mentoring has been extremely personally satisfying to me and I would encourage everyone to do that.  

LC: What kind of impact do you think the mentoring program is having on students? 

AB: The students I have mentored have been extremely appreciative. I think it's helped them demystify things. Not all of the students at the law school have connections to lawyers who can help guide them through the process of seeking summer and articling positions. For many of them, they're the first in their family to pursue a legal career.  Sitting down and having a conversation with an established lawyer might be a little scary for them. Being able to do that before they start interviewing helps ready them for the process.

LC: What do you think are the hidden gems of the law school?  

AB: The people that I have had contact with through the LAA have just been extremely impressive. Dean Ed Iacobucci is simply terrific to work with. The other people in the Faculty who support him and provide support to the LAA have also been remarkable. Chantelle Courtney has been a wonderful ambassador for the Faculty of Law as well as Wasila Baset and the entire advancement team. I think the hidden gems are the people: the faculty, students and staff that the school has attracted.

LC: How do you see the LAA supporting Dean Iacobucci's priority of student financial aid? 

AB: The LAA has given the dean and law school significant support including by sharing their thoughts on best ways to message the dean’s priority to alumni and the legal community and how to approach strategy.  Additionally there are a number of members of the LAA council who have been on various advisory committees for the fundraising initiative or are leading a particular fundraising initiative. For example, a number of people in my year are working on a special Class of 1994 gift; the timing is great because this is our 25th anniversary.

LC: There are lot of demands on everyone from various charities and worthy causes. How would you convince alumni to give to the student financial aid campaign? 

AB: I think it's a two-fold argument. The first compelling argument is to look at your own life and consider how significant your law degree and your experience at U of T, in particular, was in your own life. What opportunities were presented to you as a result of your degree? What doors opened as a result of your degree? Consider how much you owe to the law school for what you have been able to achieve. Second, the law school is really great and continues to be great because of the people who pass through it. It's all about the people, the professors and the faculty, and also the law students who are there.  Financial aid is just so critical to continue to allow the best and the brightest regardless of financial means to attend the U of T law school and ensure that it remains the number one law school in Canada.

LC: What message would you like to send to new and young alumni? 

AB: Every little bit matters, and the school will be fully appreciative of anything that you can give. It's important to get in to the habit of giving back early, and then it will hopefully become a life-long habit. And it doesn’t have to be money. The law school genuinely wants alumni to remain connected. The intangible value of having alumni involved and interested, giving of their time and continuing to contribute to the school cannot be overstated. 

LC: What made you want to go to law school? 

AB: I think a lot of people decide to go to law school before they really know what the practice of law entails, or what other opportunities a law degree can provide. I thought law would be interesting, and I had always been a debater and enjoyed problem-solving, so law school was a natural next step. I am fortunate that my choice turned out to be the right one for me given how little I actually knew about what a lawyer does. I am even more fortunate that I made the (right!) choice to come to U of T.  

LC: What activities did you participate in while you were in law school? 

AB: I did competitive mooting. I was also a member (and subsequently an organizer) of what, in my view, was the very best club: the “Supreme Cork” – a fantastic wine-tasting club. We had a lot of fun and learned a critical life skill – how not to be daunted by a wine list! More importantly, I made life-long friends. I was also involved in Downtown Legal Services for a while and volunteered on the Law Review.  

LC: What's a little-known secret about Andrea Burke? 

AB: My one big (but only partial) regret is that I never mailed my completed application to study at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. I won’t tell you what year that was!