Legal Philosophy Research Group
Legal philosophy asks basic questions about the nature of law. Among other things, it examines the relationship between law and morality; the grounds of legal authority; the source and content of legal obligations; and the normative structure of legal doctrine in different domains of law.
Western Law’s faculty has substantial expertise in numerous areas of legal philosophy, covering many aspects of analytic jurisprudence, private law theory, public law theory, and the theory of international law. Established in 2021 the Legal Philosophy Research Group is dedicated to encouraging collaboration among our colleagues through reading groups and workshops, connecting our faculty and our colleagues to leading legal philosophers from around the world through talks, workshops, and conferences, and supporting JD and graduate students who have interests in this area through public events, specialized courses, curricular development, and mentoring.
Upcoming Events
- Legal Philosophy Workshop Series: papers presented by scholars such as Jen Nadler (Osgoode Hall Law School); Terry Skolnik (Ottawa Law); Leora Katz (Hebrew University Faculty of Law); and Jacob Weinrib (Queen’s Law)
- Weekly Reading Group on Rawls’ A Theory of Justice
Members
- Prof. Andrew Botterell — private law theory, criminal law theory
- Prof. Dennis Klimchuk — private law theory, equity, history of political philosophy
- Prof. Joanna Langille — private international law, international trade law, private law, legal theory
- Prof. Ryan Liss — criminal law theory, International criminal law theory
- Prof. Margaret Martin — jurisprudence, constitutional law, constitutional law theory, legal positivism
- Prof. Jason Neyers — private law theory, contract law, tort law
- Prof. Manish Oza — legal theory, contract law, property law
- Prof. Zoe Sinel — private law theory, restitution, remedies
- Prof. Andy Yu — jurisprudence, constitutional law, Administrative law, property law
News and Events
On Monday, November 7, 2022, Western Law’s Legal Philosophy Research Group held its Inaugural Annual Public Lecture. The Lecture was given by the Dean of Queen’s Law, Professor Mark Walters, who is a leading expert in public law. The Lecture was on the topic, “Reconciling Sovereignty and Legality in Canada: Is A.V. Dicey Relevant Anymore?”
