Across the Twitterverse

The latest member of the Faculty of Law social media community is none other than Dean Daniel Jutras, who is telling the world about the life of a law dean, 140 characters at a time. One of his recent tweets: “22 great lawyers joined #mcgill law faculty advisory bd meeting today from Mtl, TO, NYC, HK, Singapore, Paris, SF and London. U say global?”  Follow him at @DeanJutras

…and while you’re at it, why not follow McGill Law itself, @LAWMcGill?

Jutras tapped as amicus curiæ

Daniel JutrasIn March, Dean Daniel Jutras, Wainwright Chair in Civil Law, was appointed by the Supreme Court of Canada to serve as amicus curiæ in the Reference on the Reform of the Senate of Canada that was brought to the Court by the Governor in Council.

“This promises to be one of the most significant constitutional cases of the decade,” said Jutras, who will be working with Mr. John Hunter of the Hunter Litigation Chambers Law Corporation in Vancouver, also appointed amicus curiæ by the Supreme Court.

Locally, Dean Jutras will be assisted by Ms. Kate Glover, a DCL candidate in the Faculty. The team has been directed by the Court to exercise its “independent judgment regarding the reference questions posed by the Governor in Council, and to make submissions on the merits.”

They will present written submissions by mid-September 2013, and oral submissions will be heard by the Court in mid-November 2013.

Chercheurs Norton Rose en arbitrage et en droit commercial

En avril, Frédéric Bachand et Fabien Gélinas ont été nommés Chercheurs facultaires Norton Rose en arbitrage et en droit commercial pour une période de deux ans. Ces bourses de recherche permettront à Fabien Gélinas et Frédéric Bachand, tous deux membres actifs de l’Équipe de recherche Justice privée et état de droit de McGill, de soutenir un vaste programme d’activités en droit commercial et en arbitrage.

« Fabien et moi continuerons de travailler ensemble pour mettre en synergie les travaux de nos collègues et de nos étudiants dans le domaine, » a indiqué le professeur Bachand.

Les Bourses de recherche Norton Rose ont été rendues possibles grâce à un don important de Norton Rose Canada (anciennement Ogilvy Renault), auquel près de 85% des diplômés de McGill du cabinet ont contribué.

« McGill est devenue une plaque tournante internationale dans le développement et l’échange d’idées sur l’arbitrage et le droit commercial», a déclaré le professeur Gélinas. « Ce don à la Faculté reconnaît ce fait et nous permettra de poursuivre un programme de recherche indépendant et novateur. Je me sens privilégié d’en faire partie. »

Diamond Jubilee Medals

Professors Margaret Somerville and Roderick Macdonald were among the recipients of a Diamond Jubilee Medal.

More than a dozen members of the McGill Faculty of Law community have received Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals this year.

The award, which was created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the Throne, recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canadian society. In total, 60,000 Canadian medals were awarded in ceremonies occurring throughout the year.

The Faculty congratulates each of its Faculty members, including Professor Jean-Guy Belley, Professor Adelle Blackett, Dean Daniel Jutras, Justice and former Dean Nicholas Kasirer, Professor and former Dean Roderick Macdonald (in photo), former Professor Desmond Manderson, Emeritus Professor Nicolas Mateesco Matte (Institute of Air and Space Law), Professor Margaret Somerville (Founding Director, Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law; in photo), and former Professor and Dean Stephen Toope.

Kudos are also due to our alumni, including Stuart H. Cobbett (BCL’72); Robert Couzin (BCL’72); Hugo Cyr (BCL’97, LLB’97); Guy Fortin (BCL’76); Marie Giguère  (BCL’72); Sandra Leduc (BCL’99, LLB’99); Eric Maldoff (BCL’74, LLB’75); Geeta Narang (BCL’00); Vincent Prager (BCL’67); Jeremy Reitman (BCL’69); Michael L. Richards (BCL’63); Liliane M. Stewart (LLD’99); Tamara Thermitus (LLM’13); Martine Turcotte (BCL’82, LLB’83); Manon Vennat (BCL’65); and Peter Villani (BCL’85, LLB’85), each of whom deservedly received a Diamond Jubilee Medal.

If you know of any other members of the McGill Law community who have also received this honour, please contact the Faculty. You may also wish to notify Ms Edyta Rogowska from the McGill Secretariat of the Board of Governors to have their names added to the university’s master list of medal recipients.

Research Week

Professor Jaye Ellis talks about the work of the academic jurist

The Faculty held its second annual Research Week from April 3 to 5, 2013, with several events designed to explore and celebrate scholarly research at the Faculty. “When I was a law student, I remember having no idea what my professors actually did, until I started working for one as a research assistant,” says Me Alison Glaser, now the Research Administrator at the Faculty’s Office of Research, who organized the Week’s events with Associate Dean of Research Frédéric Mégret. “Even graduate students, who work very closely with a professor, might have no idea what other research is happening within the Faculty.”

“Research week was an interesting opportunity for students to talk with their profs outside of the classroom context,” says Professor Mégret. “All profs do research and, regardless of the particular subject matter, there are common traits shared across the board in an academic career. We were able to deepen students’ understanding of legal research and the practice of writing—basically, what we do and how we do it.”

To that end, Research Week featured two “Lunch & Learn” sessions, during which a trio of professors presented different aspects of “What I Do” and set off a lively volley of questions from the undergraduate and graduate students present. On Wednesday, Professors Evan Fox-Decent, Shauna Van Praagh and Daniel Weinstock sketched the evolution of their research interests and discussed certain practicalities of academic life, including the pressure to publish and obtain grants, while the Friday session featured wit and wisdom from Professors David Lametti, Jaye Ellis (shown here, on left) and Allison Christians (on right).

On Thursday afternoon, more than 30 students attended a session about academic careers. Professors Hoi Kong, Alana Klein and Rosalie Jukier described how they came to decide on academia as a career path, the process of getting an academic position, and the many stages of bringing a paper to publication. They also offered advice for aspiring scholars, on everything from finishing a doctorate to carving out your niche in a crowded, competitive field.

 “The Lunch-and-Learn sessions worked well again this year,” says Glaser, “and we’re really happy with the addition of the career session.” For the first time, she adds, DCL workshops were included as a part of research week. Co-organized by the Office of Research and the GLSA, with particular attention from Dia Dabby, this year’s sessions were led by Professor Vincent Forray, Professor Francois Crépeau and course lecturer Mohsen al Attar.

“We wanted research week to give students a realistic vision of what it means to be a legal academic,” says Glaser. “The Professors were very candid, and the students really responded to that.”  In the end, “what was clear was how much the Professors love what they do.”

 

Photo of Dean Jutras: Nicolas Morin.
Photo of Profs Bachand & Gélinas: Lysanne Larose.
Photo of Profs Somerville & Macdonald: Owen Egan.
Photo of Profs Ellis & Christians: Bridget Wayland.