Law & the Courts
Society
A new face for Canada’s top justice job
Canada’s justice minister and attorney general Arif Virani on tackling online hate, the importance of diversity in the judiciary, and how kicking around a soccer ball can break through partisan divisions even in a deeply polarized Parliament.
Culture
Books to consider for your holiday reading
McGill graduates who have published books in recent months include Claudia Dey, Julian Sher, Mariko Tamaki, and Rosemary Sullivan.
Society
A different way of looking at justice
Alberta judge Anna Loparco, BCL/LLB‘02, MBA’03, and New York attorney Erika Sasson, BCL/LLB’06, are each leading initiatives that reimagine the way courts deal with criminal cases – by incorporating the principles of restorative justice.
Discovery
A more inclusive vision of law
Over the course of her career, McGill law professor Adelle Blackett has never been shy about questioning the status quo. Her work has altered the landscape for domestic workers in dozens of countries and for Black academics in Canada.
Society
An inside look at the highest court in the land
Three of the justices on the Supreme Court of Canada are McGill law graduates. Sheilah Martin, BCL’81, LLB’81, Mahmud Jamal, BCL’93, LLB’93, and Nicholas Kasirer, BCL’85, LLB’85 share their thoughts on the work they do, the way they approach that work, and how their time at McGill helped prepare them for their current roles.
People
An advocate for animals
Alanna Devine, BCL/LLB’06, the former director of advocacy at the Montreal SPCA, heads Devine Animal Law, a firm that works with organizations that are focused on animal protection. “I think [animal law] is gaining traction quickly.”
People
A voice for racial justice
The killing of George Floyd by police last spring sparked protests throughout North America and forced a new focus on how Black communities are treated by the police and the justice system. Anthony Morgan, BCL/LLB’12, has become an important voice advocating change.
Culture
Examining Canada’s opioid crisis
As former prime minister Stephen Harper's justice and public safety advisor, Benjamin Perrin, LLM'07, supported Harper's tough-on-crime stance on drugs in the early 2010s. In his new book on Canada's opioid crisis, though, Perrin argues for a very different approach.
Society
A potential “turning point” for international human rights
McGill law professor Payam Akhavan has been serving as legal counsel for the government of Bangladesh, a country that has received a million Rohingyan refugees from Myanmar. Most of those refugees are occupying Kutupalong, a former wildlife refuge, which became the world’s largest refugee camp in 2018. In April of that year, Akhavan drafted legal […]
People
Film producer’s life has plot twists of its own
He helped turn HBO into a powerhouse with projects like And the Band Played On. He produced award-winning films like Maudie. He opened the first storefront legal aid office in Canada. Meet Bob Cooper, BA’65, MA’68, BCL’69.
Discovery
Research in the era of legal cannabis
The legalization of marijuana in Canada “has really opened the floodgates for cannabis research,” says Carolyn Baglole, the director of the new McGill Research Centre for Cannabis. The new centre, which involves six McGill faculties, will examine cannabis in a comprehensive way, “from plants to people to policy.”
Culture
A lawyer with a knack for suspense
Catherine McKenzie, BA’95, BCL/LLB’99, leads a busy life. As a lawyer, she is challenging the Quebec government’s controversial new secularism law, while I’ll Never Tell, her new suspense novel, is a Canadian best-seller.