Building
The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is housed in Thunder Bay's historic Port Arthur Collegiate Institute, built in 1909. [19]
| Type | Faculty (law school) |
|---|---|
| Established | 2013 |
| Affiliation | Lakehead University |
| Dean | Jula Hughes |
| Students | Approximately 195 |
| Location | , , |
| Website | www |
The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is the professional school of law of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Lakehead University's Bora Laskin Faculty of Law officially opened in September 2013. Its founding dean was Lee Stuesser. [1] It was the first Canadian law program to integrate licensing into its curriculum, meaning its graduates are qualified to practice law without requiring an articling process. [2] The school and Peter Allard School at the University of British Columbia were in 2015 the only two law schools in Canada that has a mandatory, full year course in Aboriginal Law, as recommended by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)at the time [3] Its founding was endorsed by the Nishnawbe Aski Nation of Northern Ontario. [4]
In 2015, Lee Stuesser completed his tenure as Founding Dean [5] and was replaced by interim Dean Lisa Phillips of Osgoode Hall, while a permanent replacement Dean was sought. [6]
On January 12, 2016, the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law announced Angelique EagleWoman, an Indigenous law scholar, as the new Dean of Law. [4] [7] Her tenure, which began in May 2016, made her the first Indigenous law dean in Canada. In April 2018, EagleWoman decided to resign her position by June 2018, citing systemic racism in the law school. [4] [8] The claim was settled in 2020 "to the mutual satisfaction of the parties. [9]
On June 1, 2018, EagleWoman was succeeded on an interim basis by Patrick Smith, a supernumerary judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice based in Thunder Bay who took leave from the bench. [10] [11] Smith, a seventeen-year veteran on the bench, had served for three years on the Specific Claims Tribunal adjudicating Indigenous damage claims against the government and had authored two volumes meant to guide judges on Indigenous law. [11] In September 2018, Smith left as interim dean, two months before what had been planned. The same month, a conduct review was launched by the Canadian Judicial Council against Smith, to examine whether he violated council guidelines by becoming involved in a situation likely to result in litigation and therefore reduce public confidence in the justice system. [12] [13] After a finding that Smith had engaged in misconduct, the council referred the matter to a council to determine a sanction. [11] Prior to a sanction being issued, Smith successfully challenged the decision before the Federal Court, arguing that the council had acted unreasonably. [14] The Canadian Judicial Council chose not to appeal the decision. [15] Smith was replaced as interim dean by David Barnett, the university's acting provost and academic vice-president. [16]
In 2019, Dr. Jula Hughes was appointed Dean of the Faculty. [17] [18] She was previously a professor at the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law.
The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is housed in Thunder Bay's historic Port Arthur Collegiate Institute, built in 1909. [19]
The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is one of only a few Canadian law schools, in addition to Windsor Law and Thompson Rivers Law School, that chooses not to publish the average or median LSAT score or GPA (Grade Point Average) for the entering class. [20] [21]
On November 21, 2013, the Convocation of the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) announced that Lakehead University was successful in its application to proceed with an Integrated Practice Curriculum (IPC) model of legal education. Students enrolled in the three year JD program at Lakehead will complete integrated practice training and do placements within their three-year degree. Upon completion of their JD degree Lakehead graduates will not need to article or complete any other course of study. [22] The Faculty was the first law school to gain approval for such a program, which inspired a similar program at Toronto Metropolitan University. [23]
Former faculty members:
Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Province of the Canadian Shield, a vast rocky plateau located mainly north of Lake Huron, the French River, Lake Nipissing, and the Mattawa River. The statistical region extends south of the Mattawa River to include all of the District of Nipissing. The southern section of this district lies on part of the Grenville Geological Province of the Shield which occupies the transitional area between Northern and Southern Ontario.
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population is 108,843 according to the 2021 Canadian census. Located on Lake Superior, the census metropolitan area of Thunder Bay has a population of 123,258 and consists of the city of Thunder Bay, the municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge and Neebing, the townships of Shuniah, Conmee, O'Connor, and Gillies, and the Fort William First Nation.
The University of Toronto Faculty of Law is the law school of the University of Toronto. Maclean's has consistently assessed the Faculty as the highest ranked common law school in Canada and the highest ranked in terms of faculty journal citations. The Faculty offers the JD, LLM, SJD, MSL, and GPLLM degrees in law.
Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate programs, graduate programs, the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, the only internationally accredited (AACSB) business school in northern Ontario, and is home to the western campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Bora Laskin was a Canadian jurist who served as the 14th chief justice of Canada from 1973 to 1984. Laskin was appointed a puisne justice of the Supreme Court in 1970, and served on the Ontario Court of Appeal from 1965 to 1970. Before he was named to the bench, Laskin worked as a lawyer and in academia.
Saul Laskin was a Canadian politician. He was the first mayor of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The Lakehead District School Board oversees all secular English-language public schools in the Thunder Bay CMA and the townships of Gorham and Ware in Ontario, Canada. It administers education at 22 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and an adult education centre.
David Asper is a Canadian lawyer and businessman, and a former acting dean of Robson Hall, the law faculty of the University of Manitoba. Asper is the son of Izzy Asper, the founder of Canwest, and is now the head of the charitable foundation named after his family. As a lawyer, he was on the legal team that overturned David Milgaard's wrongful conviction and later became a professor. From April 2017 to December 2018, he was chair of the Winnipeg Police Board and, in January 2019, he became chair of the Manitoba Police Commission.
Harry William Arthurs is a Canadian lawyer, academic, and academic administrator. He is one of Canada's leading labour law scholars.
Cecil Augustus Wright, often called Caesar Wright, was a Canadian jurist and law professor. He was among the first law professors to import the Harvard case method into Canadian legal education. He was also known for his confrontational and aggressive personality.
The Sopinka Cup is an annual trial advocacy competition in Canada organized by The Advocates' Society and sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers. This two-day event is aimed to encourage law schools to train students in the art of oral advocacy. Elimination occurs in four regional competitions across Canada, leaving eight law schools to represent various geographical areas of Canada and compete in the bilingual National Finals hosted in Ottawa. Universities in the western provinces compete in the MacIntyre Cup. Universities in Ontario compete in the Arnup Cup. Both are mock trial advocacy competitions. Universities in Quebec compete in the Guy Guérin Cup. Universities in the eastern provinces compete in the McKelvey Cup.
The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) is a Canadian professional orchestra based in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Port Arthur Collegiate Institute was a collegiate institute operated by the Lakehead District School Board in Thunder Bay, Ontario from 1910 to 2007. The building was designated a historic building in 1984 and is located at the west end of Waverly Park. The school's teams were named "PACI Redmen". Its amenities included a gymnasium, a 200-seat theatre, a large library and a modern music room. The building was granted Historical Heritage Site status in 1983, and was transferred to Lakehead University in 2008. After extensive renovations, the building became home to Lakehead's Faculty of Law, and welcomed its inaugural class in September 2013.
Don Rusnak is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Thunder Bay—Rainy River in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019 as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Angelique EagleWoman is a Dakota law professor and scholar of Indigenous law. She is a citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation. EagleWoman was the Dean of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada from 2016 until she stepped down in June 2018, alleging issues of systemic racism leading to constructive dismissal.
Lisa Philipps is the provost and vice-president academic of York University.
Thunder Pride is an annual LGBT pride parade and festival, staged in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Marcus Powlowski is a Canadian Member of Parliament who was elected to represent the riding of Thunder Bay—Rainy River in the 2019 Canadian federal election. Powlowski was also named a chief in Ambae, Vanuatu with the title of Vera Liu. He is married to Mirasol Añora Powlowski and has six children.
Jula Hughes is the Dean of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University. She was previously a professor at the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law.
Kevin Holland is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He represents the riding of Thunder Bay—Atikokan as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He was named to the Ontario cabinet as associate minister of forestry and forestry products on August 16, 2024. Holland was previously the mayor of Conmee Township.