President Woodin celebrates U of T graduates at fall convocation 2025
Hal Jackman’s previous giving to the faculty includes a lead gift in support of the state-of-the-art Jackman Law Building.
Henry N.R. “Hal” Jackman has brought his total giving to the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law to $100 million with a new, historic $80-million gift that will amplify the impact and reach of the renowned faculty across the university, Canada and the globe.
This extraordinary benefaction is the largest to any law faculty in Canada to date. It also includes the largest-ever single philanthropic contribution to student support at a Canadian law school, with $35 million of the new gift earmarked for scholarships and student-centred programming.
In gratitude for this transformational support, the university is honoured to announce the naming of the Henry N. R. Jackman Faculty of Law.
The new donation builds on Jackman’s previous giving to the faculty, which counts him among its most distinguished graduates. This includes significant investments in scholarships and a lead gift that kickstarted the construction of the state-of-the-art Jackman Law Building at 78 Queen’s Park Crescent. These gifts are rooted in the belief that the law is more than a profession – it has a deep and broad impact, shaping everything we do. At this historic juncture, Jackman Law is uniquely positioned to drive reasoned scholarship and spearhead initiatives that will prepare the leaders Canada needs to help address the challenges of tomorrow.
“On behalf of the University of Toronto, I would like to express our profound gratitude to Hal Jackman for this visionary gift,” said U of T President Melanie Woodin. “Cutting-edge legal scholarship and education are essential to the success of our society, now more than ever, as humanity faces a number of rapidly accelerating challenges. This incredibly generous support from one of U of T’s greatest champions and benefactors will enable us to prepare a new generation of lawyers and leaders to rise to any challenge, drive innovation and prosperity for Canada, and build a future of greater justice for people everywhere.”
A visionary gift with wide-reaching impact
Jackman’s generous gift will enable the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law – already recognized as Canada’s top law school and one of the best in the world – to enter a bold new era of leadership, innovation and global impact in both the public and private legal spheres.
“I am so grateful to Hal Jackman for this phenomenal gift,” said Dean of the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law Jutta Brunnée. “This donation will elevate every aspect of our programs, from education to research to engagement. It will expand support for our talented students, enable groundbreaking national and international collaborations, and create new chairs in pivotal fields of law, ultimately securing our place among the world’s best and most forward-thinking law schools.”
The gift will generate sustainable impact across Jackman Law by:
- Widening access to an exceptional legal education through the Jackman Scholarship Fund, which will help attract the brightest and most promising students from every conceivable background, regardless of their financial means. This fund will enhance vital bursary and financial aid programs, expand annual academic awards, introduce new graduate student scholarships and create experiential learning opportunities for students to engage in a range of initiatives, including participation in research projects guided by faculty members, dynamic startups, our public interest clinics and programs, placements with NGOs and much more.
- Establishing a Dean’s Strategic Initiatives Fund that will allow the faculty to move nimbly and seize impactful opportunities – such as visiting scholars, international conferences and strategic exchanges – as they arise. The fund will also help launch Lawyers and Leaders for a Changing World, a new co-curricular program comprising immersive training and mentorship dedicated to equipping law students with the competencies they will need to succeed in the 21st century. Students will acquire skills in leadership, entrepreneurship and persuasion, which will empower them with ethical decision-making, a forward-looking perspective and the ability to generate positive impact in professions across the private or public sector.
- Expanding the activities of the Future of Law Lab, which was established in 2020 with the help of a seed gift from Jackman. Through workshops, events, research and cross-disciplinary learning opportunities focused on a wide range of topics such as artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, climate change, privacy, cybersecurity and legal technology, the rule of law, and access to justice, the Future of Law Lab will help keep the faculty at the forefront of innovation in a rapidly changing legal landscape.
- Creating four new named chairs in some of the most critical and foundational areas of legal scholarship today. These include the Newton Rowell Chair in Public International Law and the Newton Rowell Chair in Legal Theory, named for Jackman’s grandfather, a Canadian politician, lawyer and judge who helped achieve a landmark ruling for women’s equality in the “Persons Case,” among many other contributions to law and public policy in Canada. These chairs will enable the faculty to attract, retain and support innovative experts in two foundational areas of modern legal research and practice. The remaining chairs will be dedicated to topics of similarly critical importance to the future of law and aligned with the evolving needs of society. As part of this investment, a research catalyst fund will enable faculty members to pursue research that will strengthen the faculty’s scholarship and bolster U of T’s leadership in shaping discussions, informing policy and framing the decisive questions at the heart of Canada’s future.
Canada’s most innovative law school
For more than 100 years, legal education at U of T has produced remarkable lawyers and leaders for an ever-changing world. Jackman Law’s graduates include a long list of eminent leaders in all walks of life, including the judiciary (The Honourable Rosalie Silberman Abella and The late Right Honourable Bora Laskin), government (The Honourable Anita Anand, The Right Honourable Paul Martin and His Excellency the Honourable Bob Rae), business (John Phillips and Mark Wiseman) and the arts (David Shore and Jean Teillet).
Jackman’s gift will harness that storied legacy of broad and deep impact, empowering talented students, creative faculty members and committed alumni to cement the faculty’s reputation as a fulcrum of the entire U of T community and one of the globe’s most influential schools of law.
An inspiring legacy of impact
As a business leader, public servant and philanthropist, Jackman is one of Canada’s most respected figures and one of the university’s longest-standing donors and volunteers. After earning a BA from U of T’s Victoria College in 1953 and an LLB from its law school in 1956, Jackman built an illustrious career in business with some of the country’s most prestigious financial institutions, including as chairman of the National Trust Company and the Empire Life Insurance Company.
“I’ve been proud to support U of T and the Faculty of Law, and especially the important impact they have on Canada and the world,” said Jackman. “I’m delighted that my family and I can help make U of T’s law school even stronger while expanding access for talented students who will play a significant role in our society through what they learn here and build a more just and thriving Canada.”
Jackman has contributed significantly to public life and civil society, serving as Ontario’s 25th Lieutenant Governor and founding the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for the Arts, as well as serving on the boards of the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Shaw Festival, the Ontario Heritage Foundation and the Canadian Opera Company. Public service is part of his family’s legacy: his grandfather, the respected judge and Ontario Liberal leader, Newton Wesley Rowell, and his parents, MP Harry Jackman and pioneering philanthropist Mary Rowell Jackman, embodied the importance of community engagement and generosity.
In addition to his giving to the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, Jackman helped establish the Jackman Humanities Institute and provided support for Victoria College, Massey College and University of Toronto Schools. As one of U of T’s most dedicated volunteer leaders, Jackman has served as the university’s chancellor, an adviser to the Faculty of Law Building Campaign Cabinet and an honorary chair of the Boundless and Defy Gravity campaigns. He received an honorary degree from U of T in 1993 and one from Victoria University in the University of Toronto in 2011.
“This remarkable gift from Hal Jackman demonstrates the power of philanthropy to create positive change and elevates the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law’s role in generating leaders able to take on tomorrow’s most pressing challenges,” said U of T Vice-President, Advancement David Palmer. “The Jackman name is synonymous with leadership, integrity and a profound commitment to the public good and it’s immensely fitting that it will now grace the Faculty of Law in perpetuity.”
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