Since 1997, the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies (CFLS) has brought students, scholars and activists together to advance feminist legal perspectives and address social justice issues.
Today the Centre continues to attract leading feminist scholars, students and legal practitioners to collaborate on research and share new ideas through regular events, workshops and conferences that connect our law school with the larger feminist community.
In this Q&A, we speak with law students and professors about the impact and the importance of the continuing work at the CFLS.
Sofia Cornejo, Allard Law PhD Candidate
How have you been involved with the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies? What impact has this involvement had on your studies?
I’ve been involved with the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies since I started my graduate studies at Allard Law in 2019, attending the speaker series and other events and serving as the graduate student representative since 2022.
The CFLS has been instrumental in shaping my academic journey, inspiring my research, providing mentorship and introducing me to a vibrant community of feminist legal scholars. It has offered me a supportive space to grow, develop my ideas and engage in meaningful conversations about law, gender and social justice. The CFLS has also helped me find a sense of belonging and support as I continue to navigate my academic path.
Why is the work done at the CFLS important?
The Centre for Feminist Legal Studies plays a vital role in sustaining and advancing feminist legal scholarship at Allard by fostering an inclusive space for critical research and advocacy. In a time when feminist progress faces challenges worldwide, the Centre ensures that these essential conversations continue to happen. The Centre fosters connections between students, scholars and feminist organizations locally and internationally, creating opportunities for collaboration to advance gender equality and social justice. By supporting research, advocacy and community, the CFLS helps shape the next generation of feminist legal scholars and ensures the continued growth of feminist legal thought.
Régine Tremblay, Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Feminist Legal Studies
What made you decide to work with the Centre? And what do you find most rewarding about your work?
Je suis impliquée au Centre depuis 2017. D’abord comme membre du comité de direction et ensuite comme directrice. Le Centre a été un élément de taille dans ma décision de me joindre au corps professoral de la Faculté de droit à UBC ! C’est un lieu d’effervescence intellectuelle où l'on s’intéresse à des enjeux importants et actuels à propos de l’égalité.
La partie la plus gratifiante de ce travail est l’aspect humain. Le Centre est un endroit unique où naissent des relations de mentorat et des collaborations de recherche ou d’activisme entre professeurs.e.s, chercheur.e.s, étudiant.e.s. et plus encore.
I’ve been involved since 2017. First as a member of the steering committee and then as the director. The CFLS was a key factor in my decision to join UBC. It is a place of intellectual effervescence where we engage in important and current issues about equality.
The most rewarding part of this work is the relationships. The CFLS is a unique place where mentoring relationships and research or activist collaborations are born between professors, researchers, students and more.
How can the general public get involved with the Centre and show their support?
Tous les évènements du Centre sont accessibles au public et en format hybride. La communauté peut aussi nous contacter pour organiser des collaborations en matière de recherches féministes. Le Centre distribue des bourses pour les étudiant.e.s et a mis sur pied de nombreuses initiatives pour soutenir les étudiant.e.s à tous les cycles.
La plupart des activités du Centre sont financées par des dons. Si vous pouvez faire un don, il fera une réelle différence! Merci!
All of the CFLS's events are open to the public and are offered in a hybrid format. The community can also contact us to organize feminist research collaborations. The Centre offers student scholarships and has put forward numerous initiatives to support students at all levels (such as the Graduate Student Competition).
Most of the Centre's activities are funded by donations. If you can make a donation, it will make a real difference! Thank you!
Tiffany Chang, JD Student
How have you been involved with the CFLS?
I started attending CFLS events in 1L and became the CFLS student coordinator in 2L. I've loved the opportunity to get involved with the feminist legal community at Allard Law and across Canada and learning about topics I might not otherwise get exposed to in law school.
I've also made some of my best law school memories in the Marlee Kline Room & Library. I love meeting friends there, enjoying CFLS student-run events like crafternoon and browsing the lending library.
Why is the work done at the CFLS important?
The CFLS provides a space for students, faculty and the wider Allard community to learn about topics from inclusive feminist perspectives.
From a student perspective, the CFLS has also been active in building feminist community at the law school. Connections are created between disciplines, between academia and activism, and between generations. I love how open the CFLS is to supporting student initiatives, from book clubs to craft events and beyond!
Debra Parkes, Professor
How are students and members of the legal community involved with the CFLS?
Building community – both within the law school and in the broader feminist legal community – is central to the Centre’s work. The Marlee Kline Room is primarily a place for feminist students to gather. Many of the events, workshops and conferences that the Centre hosts forge connections between students, faculty, alumni and those who work on feminist issues in the community. CFLS faculty affiliates hire student research assistants to support their work and the Centre administers a number of awards and scholarships to JD and graduate students who are working for gender justice in their research and community advocacy.
Why is the work done at the CFLS important?
One of the objectives of the Centre is to foster, support and showcase feminist research in all its diversity and engagement with law and society. From family law to criminal law to refugee law, constitutional law, environmental law and more, CFLS faculty and students bring feminist insights to the study of law and ask important questions about the gendered impact of law and its intersection with other forms of marginalization. The orientation of much feminist research and teaching is focused on how we might build a more just, inclusive and equitable world… and the role that law plays in all of that.
From the beginning, the Centre has fostered feminist legal research and promoted its reach to a variety of audiences – courts, policy-makers and advocates who can use the research to seek progressive change in a range of legal and policy venues.
I recently did a quick search on CanLii of the names of my feminist colleagues here at Allard and I found dozens and dozens of cases in which our research was relied on in court decisions, including many in the Supreme Court of Canada. That is just one way that supporting the CFLS has an impact.
Susan B. Boyd, Professor Emerita
How have you been involved with the CFLS and what made you choose to work with the Centre?
I’ve been involved with the CFLS since its inception. I was the first director of the CFLS (1997-2012) and worked with a group of faculty members and the first woman Dean of Law, the Honourable Lynn Smith, to create the Centre. Our goal was to consolidate the teaching and research efforts of feminist faculty members and students.
What would you say to someone considering providing support to the CFLS?
The Centre provides essential support and space to those who offer crucial feminist and critical analysis regarding pivotal issues of our times, including violence against women, sexual assault and the intersections of systems that generate sexism, racism and other social and economic inequalities.
The Centre is unique in the way that it connects students and faculty members who are dedicated to bringing feminist approaches to legal issues. It offers students insights into alternative approaches to which they may not otherwise be exposed, as well as essential tools for critical thinking and debate across differences.
