Who are we?
The Centre for Feminist Legal Studies team includes the Chair in Feminist Legal Studies, Director, Steering Committee, and Student Coordinator.
Chair in Feminist Legal Studies
The Faculty's endowed Chair in Feminist Legal Studies, established in 1992, plays an integral role in reinforcing and strengthening feminist legal studies in the Faculty and helps foster and support scholarship and learning directed toward the ongoing process of social change in relation to the position of women in Canadian society.
Professor Susan B. Boyd was the first incumbent of the Chair, and was also Director of the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies from 1997 until 2012. She retired in 2015 and continues to be involved in the Faculty and the CFLS as Professor Emerita.
The Centre welcomed Professor Debra Parkes as Chair in Feminist Legal Studies in July 2016. She served as Director of the CFLS from January 2017 to June 2021.
Director
The Director is responsible for the overall direction, budget, and operation of the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies and its activities. Although much of the day to day workload of operating the Centre is facilitated by the Student Coordinator and student volunteers, the Director actively supervises and provides direction to these students; organizes events; chairs monthly Steering Committee meetings; answers questions from students, faculty and the public; and hosts visiting scholars. The Director also reports on the Centre’s activities and promotes its interests alongside the Steering Committee.
The Centre welcomes Professor Margot Young as the new Director of the Centre as of September 2022.
The Centre provides an opportunity to interact with academics, lawyers, and community leaders who are making a difference on feminist issues. Professor Young has worked with women's equality-seeking groups on NGO reports for the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is comprised of the Director, Student Coordinator, Graduate Student Representative and three to four faculty members. It provides advice, support, and direction to the Directors and Student Coordinator in running the Centre.
Current Steering Committee Members:
Margot Young (Director)
The Honourable Lynn Smith, OC, KC
Aki Kamoshida (J.D. Rep.)
Sofia Cornejo (Graduate Student Representative)
Student Coordinators
The Student Coordinators of the CFLS assist the Director in planning the weekly lectures and other events, publicize CFLS activities via email and social media, organize joint events with other student groups, and serve as a contact for visitors of the Centre. Additional duties include maintaining the Centre's space, coordinating the Centre's volunteers, and conducting occasional research for the Centre or the Director.
The current Student Coordinators are Devon Mark (she/they) and Jameelah Ali (she/her). Devon and Jameelah are currently in their second year at the Allard School of Law. They have been actively involved in the Allard Law community, working with Pro Bono Students Canada and acting as the former 1L Academic Representative of the Law Students' Society, and the current Vice President of Academics, respectively. Devon and Jameelah are thrilled to be joining the CFLS team this year and look forward to seeing everyone at upcoming events!
