-
1923 - A New Era
John Delatre Falconbridge (1875-1968) is appointed the Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School. Falconbridge would serve as Dean for twenty-five years, and is second only to Newman Wright Hoyles, who served for twenty-nine years. This is the 1926-1927 Osgoode Hall Student Directory and Handbook. The names, phone numbers (only four digits long), addresses, and articling firms of students were listed in the back.
-
1925 - Champions
The Osgoode Hall football team makes a comeback in the Ontario Intercollegiate Union. The Osgoode Hall Intercollegiate football team, 1925.
-
1926 - How Much Should We Know?
The Law Society of Upper Canada adopts the Canadian Bar Association’s recommendation that two years of university training be a prerequisite to legal studies. York Street from the Osgoode gates, 1927.
-
1927 - Newshawks
The first issue of the Obiter Dicta hits the presses. Cecil Wright, class of 1926, returns to Law School to teach. The Osgoode Hall Literary and Athletic Society, 1928-1929.
-
1929 - Of Good Character
The Law Society makes character references mandatory for students applying to law school. Famed criminal lawyer J.J. Robinette and Frederick Catzman, author of the Bulk Sales Act of Ontario, graduate. Robinette wins the Gold Medal, while Catzman takes Silver. This is the 1929 call to the Bar.
-
1931 - Tough Times
The law firms that do not collapse in the stock market crash of 1929 cut back on staff. To make things worse, student fees have just been raised. Even students with articling positions are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. Recent graduates are thrust into the worst job market in decades. Unemployment was literally waiting around the corner. These men are waiting for a meal outside a mission on Yonge Street.
-
1932 - Changing Admission Requirements
The minimum standard for admission as student-at-law returns to passing marks upon graduation from high school, plus either graduating from high school with Honours or the completion of the first year of university. View of Osgoode Hall and the newly constructed Canada Life building, 1934.
-
1933 - Academia vs. Practical Experience
The Law Society of Canada appoints a special committee in June to consider legal education. They commission submissions from the Osgoode Hall faculty, other law societies, students and practitioners, as well as local and national law associations. Most of these submissions argue for a return to higher entrance standards and for more academic law teaching as a long-term solution. Despite the grim economic climate, students take a night off to watch hockey at the newly opened Maple Leaf Gardens or go dancing at clubs like the Silver Slipper. This is a program from the first game played at the Gardens on November 12, 1931.
Though Osgoode Hall Law School's history dates back to the 1820s, it was first permanently established in 1889 and the first class was held in October. Osgoode's 125th anniversary in the 2014-2015 academic year is an occasion for telling more of our stories to more communities. Enjoy these historical vignettes!
Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.