Faculty of Law

Jim Phillips named honorary fellow of American Society for Legal History

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:42:11 +0000

Jim Phillips named honorary fellow of American Society for Legal History

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rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 11/13/2024 - 12:42

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Faculty of Law

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Jim Phillips (photo by Dewey Chang)

Jim Phillips, a professor in the Faculty of Law who is cross-appointed to the department of history and the Centre for Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been elected an honorary fellow of the American Society for Legal History.

The highest recognition conferred by the society, honorary fellowships are given to distinguished historians whose scholarship has shaped the discipline of legal history.

Phillips was recognized for his contributions to Canadian legal history as a teacher, scholar and editor-in-chief of the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. A leading figure in the field of Canadian legal history, Phillips has made the history of law a dynamic tool for interrogating Canada’s past, present and national identity.

"Congratulations to Jim on this recognition from the American Society for Legal History," said University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair. "His contributions to Canadian legal history scholarship extend far beyond our borders and it is wonderful to see his work recognized with this honour."

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Douglas Sanderson to receive honorary doctorate from Concordia University

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:07:35 +0000

Douglas Sanderson to receive honorary doctorate from Concordia University

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rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 09/20/2024 - 11:07

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Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii), a professor, Prichard Wilson Chair in Law and Public Policy and decanal adviser on Indigenous issues at the Faculty of Law, will receive an honorary doctorate from Concordia University.

The university awards honorary doctorates recognizing the exemplary contributions of distinguished individuals. Sanderson is recognized for his expertise and leadership in Indigenous and Aboriginal law.

Sanderson, who is Beaver Clan from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, completed his juris doctor (JD) at �山ǿ�� and went on to become the managing editor of the inaugural edition of the Indigenous Law Journal. He has served as a senior advisor at what is now Ontario’s Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, as well as Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General.

He's also the co-author of the award-winning book, Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation, co-written with his former student, Andrew Stobo Sniderman.

“As the decanal advisor on Indigenous issues at our faculty, Douglas's work has had far-reaching impact beyond the classroom to the very core of our community and the law's role in reconciliation,” says University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair. “An honorary degree from Concordia University is a wonderful recognition of his expertise and scholarship.”

Sanderson will address graduates and receive his honorary doctorate at Concordia’s Faculty of Arts and Science ceremony on Oct. 15.

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Caeleb 'Rae' Goff awarded Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize by Royal Society of Canada

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 18:36:28 +0000

Caeleb 'Rae' Goff awarded Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize by Royal Society of Canada

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rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 09/10/2024 - 14:36

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St. George

Faculty of Law

Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize

Royal Society of Canada

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Caeleb "Rae" Goff (supplied image)

Caeleb "Rae" Goff, an alum of the Faculty of Law's juris doctor (JD) program, has been awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize for 2024.

The annual award, valued at $1,000, is given to a graduating law student from each of Canada's law schools who is poised to positively influence equity and social justice in Canada or globally. It is named in honour of University College and Faculty of Law alum Rosalie Abella, a retired Supreme Court of Canada justice who is celebrated for her visionary intellectual contributions and commitment to equality and equity.

Goff, who graduated from the JD program this past spring, was recognized for her ongoing commitment to helping others navigate barriers to accessing legal education, while recognizing socio-economic challenges and the need for mentorship and support.

As vice-president, student life for the Students' Law Society (SLS), she served on the dean's committees for admissions and financial aid. She also established the friendship committee, aimed at helping students find a support network in law school, and was an executive of the First-Generation Network and the Peer Mental Health Support Program.

Goff, who has a background in social work, was a caseworker with Advocates for Injured Workers and is now completing a clerkship with the New Brunswick Court of Appeal.

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18 faculty members elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:58:49 +0000

18 faculty members elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

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rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 09/09/2024 - 12:58

Faculty

St. George

Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies

Department for the Study of Religion

Department of Biochemistry

Department of Computer Science

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures

Department of Medicine

Department of Physics

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Arts and Science

Faculty of Law

Faculty of Music

Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design

Medical Biophysics

OISE

Royal Society of Canada

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

�山ǿ�� Mississauga

�山ǿ�� Scarborough

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Eighteen faculty members from across the University of Toronto have been appointed Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada – a prestigious distinction given to the country’s most distinguished scholars, artists and scientists.

“The University of Toronto is immensely proud to see such a high number of our faculty members elected to the Royal Society of Canada,” said Leah Cowen, �山ǿ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “These researchers are at the forefront of disciplines that span the arts, social sciences, humanities and sciences, and their work stands to have a significant impact on academic inquiry, policy and societal well-being.”

The 2024 Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada are:

Kamari Clarke of the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Simon Coleman of the department for the study of religion in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Susan George of the University Health Network and the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Willi Goetschel of the department of Germanic languages and literatures in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Aiyun Huang of the Faculty of Music
Hae-Young Kee of the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Kang Lee of the department of applied psychology and human development in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Ren-Ke Li of the University Health Network and the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Mathieu Lupien of the University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Mark McGowan of the department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Kent Moore of the department of chemical and physical sciences at �山ǿ�� Mississauga
Jim Phillips of the Faculty of Law
John Rubinstein of the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Brigitte Shim of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
Raquel Urtasun of the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Balint Virag of the department of computer and mathematical sciences at �山ǿ�� Scarborough
Lucan Alan Way of the department of political science at �山ǿ�� Scarborough
Stephen Wright of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science

Read the Royal Society of Canada press release

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Bruce Durno honoured by Criminal Lawyers’ Association

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:19:52 +0000

Bruce Durno honoured by Criminal Lawyers’ Association

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rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 08/13/2024 - 15:19

Alumni

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Faculty of Law

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Bruce Durno (supplied image)

Bruce Durno, an alumnus of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, has been honoured with a G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal by the Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA), a body representing more than 1,800 defence lawyers in Canada.

Established in 1989, the medal recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to criminal justice.

For 24 years, Durno served as defence counsel for trials and appeals at all levels of court, often working on behalf of legal aid clients. He was appointed to the bench of the Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) in 1998 and later the Superior Court of Justice until 2023. He is also a past president of the CLA.

"In his 50-year legal career, Bruce Durno has been a leader and an inspiration to many," said CLA president Boris Bytensky. "The G. Arthur Martin award is reserved for those who have made the highest contribution to the legal profession, and we are thrilled that someone so obviously deserving and so universally respected has accepted this year’s award."

Durno will be recognized at a special awards luncheon on Nov. 16.

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John Borrows receives 2024 Guthrie Award from Law Foundation of Ontario

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 14:17:09 +0000

John Borrows receives 2024 Guthrie Award from Law Foundation of Ontario

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rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 08/12/2024 - 10:17

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John Borrows (supplied image)

John Borrows, professor and inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the Faculty of Law, has received the Law Foundation of Ontario's Guthrie Award, which recognizes exceptional champions of access to justice.

Borrows was recognized for his transformative impact on how the academic and legal sectors understand and intersect with Indigenous law and for his innovations in teaching that have been recognized both nationally and internationally.

Borrows is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewas of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario. He teaches a course to first-year law students that addresses the intersection of Indigenous Peoples’ laws with Canada's laws. Over the past decade, he has taught an intensive course in Anishinaabe law and legal tradition, often bringing students to his People's Neyaashiinigmiing reserve to meet with Elders, Chiefs, colleagues and teachers and experience Indigenous law in context.

“John has integrated Indigenous law rooted in Indigenous Peoples’ natural and social environment into the very heart of legal education,” says University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair. “His extraordinary work revivifying Indigenous law has also contributed to a re-envisioning of the potential of law and participatory democracy."

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Robert Leckey recognized by Canadian Bar Association

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:15:18 +0000

Robert Leckey recognized by Canadian Bar Association

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rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 07/29/2024 - 09:15

Alumni

St. George

Faculty of Law

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Robert Leckey (Image courtesy of the McGill University Faculty of Law)

Robert Leckey, a doctoral graduate of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, has received the 2024 Hero Award presented by the Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section of the Canadian Bar Association.

The award recognizes excellence within the Canadian legal profession in advancing the cause of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and two-spirit people.

Leckey, a professor, Samuel Gale Chair and dean of McGill University's Faculty of Law, is a renowned expert in constitutional law and family law. His publications have addressed same-sex marriage, recognition of a variety of parenting arrangements and the links between family law and the criminalization of homosexual conduct.

Leckey received his doctor of juridical science from �山ǿ�� in 2006. His dissertation addressed Contextual Subjects: Family, State, and Relational Theory.

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John Borrows and David Walders receive TRC Teaching Awards

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:31:59 +0000

John Borrows and David Walders receive TRC Teaching Awards

Teaching

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 07/22/2024 - 13:31

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L-R: John Borrows and David Walders (Alice Xue Photography; supplied image)

John Borrows, professor and inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, and David Walders, an adjunct professor at the faculty, have received TRC Teaching Awards from the Students’ Law Society and the Indigenous Law Students’ Association.

The awards recognize faculty members who have made an outstanding contribution to the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s Call to Action #28 by teaching course content involving Indigenous perspectives, topics and law, as well as Canadian Aboriginal Law.

Borrows, a member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, began teaching a new course to first-year law students that addresses the intersection of Indigenous Peoples’ laws with Canada's laws. Over the past decade, Borrows has also taught an intensive course in Anishinaabe law and legal tradition, often bringing students to his People's Neyaashiinigmiing reserve to meet with Elders, Chiefs, colleagues and teachers and experience Indigenous law in context.

Walders is Anishinaabe and his family is from Alderville First Nation. In addition to co-teaching a seminar in Aboriginal Law and Policy, Walders was recognized for making a significant impact through his role in the Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Law Moot, a consensus-based, non-adversarial moot that incorporates Indigenous legal traditions alongside federal, provincial and international law.

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Malcolm Thorburn and Kate Mitchell recognized by Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 14:04:39 +0000

Malcolm Thorburn and Kate Mitchell recognized by Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation

Research & Innovation

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 07/15/2024 - 10:04

Trudeau Foundation Fellows

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Kate Mitchell and Malcolm Thorburn (supplied images)

Professor Malcolm Thorburn and doctoral candidate Kate Mitchell of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law have been recognized by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation for their research excellence.

Thorburn was named a 2024 fellow of the foundation. Holding an Innovation Chair in the Legal, Ethical & Cultural Implications of Technological Innovation in the Faculty of Law, his research focuses on theoretical issues in criminal justice and public law including criminal law and procedure, sentencing, policing, constitutional rights and proportionality reasoning. He is an associate editor of the New Criminal Law Review and a member of the editorial boards of Law and Philosophy and Criminal Law and Philosophy.

Mitchell was named one of 16 scholars by the Trudeau Foundation. A doctoral candidate who previously worked as a criminal and prison lawyer, Mitchell is developing a legal framework to protect the rule of law in prisons. As a volunteer with the Canadian Prison Law Association, Mitchell has prepared intervention submissions for two cases that went before the Supreme Court of Canada and various submissions responding to legislation impacting prisoners’ rights. She also appeared before the Senate on behalf of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association on a prisoners’ rights bill.

Martha Shaffer receives Mewett Teaching Award

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 21:16:48 +0000

Martha Shaffer receives Mewett Teaching Award

Teaching

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 07/12/2024 - 17:16

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Law

Mewett Teaching Award

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Martha Shaffer (supplied image)

Martha Shaffer, a professor in the Faculty of Law, has been recognized with the Alan Mewett Award for Excellence in Teaching for the second time in four years.

The annual award is given to a faculty member who exhibits excellence in teaching – as selected by members of the graduating class – at the post-convocation ceremony.

Shaffer, who previously received the honour in 2021, was chosen by the Class of 2024 for her efforts to foster a caring and inclusive learning environment. She is credited with being committed to ensuring students grasped complex legal concepts and encouraging them throughout their law school journey.

Widely regarded as an inspired and dedicated instructor, Shaffer teaches criminal law, evidence law and legal methods, and has taught family law as well as courses on cultural diversity and gender issues. She writes in the areas of family and criminal law, with a focus on gender, violence against women and the use of social science evidence to inform legal reasoning. She holds law degrees from Harvard University and �山ǿ��.

“Thank you, Class of 2024, for honouring me with the Mewett Award and with the opportunity to say a few words of hail and farewell as you leave the law faculty,” Shaffer said.

“You are a remarkable group of people: smart, talented, caring and engaged. It has been a privilege to have gotten to know you during your time at �山ǿ��.”

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Faculty of Law

Jim Phillips named honorary fellow of American Society for Legal History

Read the Faculty of Law story

Douglas Sanderson to receive honorary doctorate from Concordia University

Caeleb 'Rae' Goff awarded Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize by Royal Society of Canada

Read about the Royal Society of Canada award winners

18 faculty members elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Read the Royal Society of Canada press release

Bruce Durno honoured by Criminal Lawyers’ Association

Read the Criminal Lawyers' Association announcement

John Borrows receives 2024 Guthrie Award from Law Foundation of Ontario

Read the Faculty of Law announcement

Read the Law Foundation of Ontario announcement

Robert Leckey recognized by Canadian Bar Association

John Borrows and David Walders receive TRC Teaching Awards

Read the Faculty of Law story

Malcolm Thorburn and Kate Mitchell recognized by Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation

Read more about Malcolm Thorburn

Read more about Kate Mitchell

Martha Shaffer receives Mewett Teaching Award