The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is pleased to announce the appointment of former faculty members, Justice Russell Brown, Justice June Ross and Justice James Stribopoulos as Honorary Professors.
"I am delighted that the Law Faculty Council has seen fit to honour Justices Brown, Ross and Stribopoulos by appointing them as Honorary Professors," said Dean Philip Bryden. "Each of them served our Faculty with distinction while they were professors. One of the special characteristics of the University of Alberta is the value we place on bringing the knowledge generated within the University to the service of the larger community. Justices Brown, Ross and Stribopoulos exemplified this commitment while they were members of this Faculty, and we are proud of the fact that they have gone on to dedicate their professional expertise to the service of the public as members of the judiciary. Their appointment as Honorary Professors enables us to celebrate their many accomplishments, and serves as a tangible reminder of the ways in which they remain connected to the Faculty where they began their academic careers."
Justice Russell Brown, Alberta Court of Queen's Bench
Justice Brown practiced law in British Columbia from 1995 to 2004 when he joined the University of Alberta Faculty of Law as an Assistant Professor. He served as a member of the Faculty of Law from 2004 until his appointment to the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in 2013. He was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. The Faculty Evaluation Committee had approved his promotion to the rank of Professor in 2012 for effect on July 1, 2013 had he not been appointed to the Bench. He served as Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) from 2011 until his judicial appointment.
Justice Brown is the author of a book entitled Pure Economic Loss in Canadian Negligence Law and numerous journal articles and book chapters in the areas tort law (and in particular causation, economic loss, medical malpractice and government liability); regulatory "takings" of property; and civil procedure. He has presented his work at numerous conferences and seminars held across Canada and internationally (including presentations in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the United States).
In addition to his service to the Faculty as Associate Dean (Graduate Studies), Justice Brown was very active in Faculty, University and community service. While a faculty member he was a member of the Board of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Chair of the Board of the Health Law Institute, and a member of the Credentials and Education Committee and the Civil Practice Advisory Committee of the Law Society of Alberta. He maintains an active connection with the Faculty of Law through his involvement with competitive mooting and he has indicated an interest, when his schedule permits, in teaching for the Faculty as a sessional lecturer.
"Thanks very much indeed for this kind recognition, and please convey my thanks to the Faculty," Justice Russell Brown said. "I am truly grateful to have this continued association with the Faculty."
Click to read more: The Hon. Justice Russell Brown sworn-in at the Law Courts, Edmonton
Justice June Ross, Alberta Court of Queen's Bench
Justice Ross practiced law in Alberta from 1981 to 1988 when she joined the University of Alberta Faculty of Law as an Assistant Professor. She served as a member of the Faculty of Law from 1988 until her appointment to the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in 2003. She was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in 1994 and promoted to Professor in 2002. She served as the Associate Dean of the Faculty from 1999-2001.
Justice Ross is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters in the areas of constitutional law (and in particular freedom of expression, equality rights and remedies) and human rights law. Prior to her appointment to the Bench she was very active in Faculty, University and community service. She was a Bencher of the Law Society of Alberta from 2002-2003 and served on a variety of Law Society committees, including the Pro Bono Committee which she chaired and the Credentials and Education Committee of which she was vice-chair. While a faculty member she was a member of the Board of the Canadian Forum for Civil Justice, a member of the Board of the Centre for Constitutional Studies and played a lead role in the Alberta Law Reform Institute's Rules of Court Project.
Since her judicial appointment, Justice Ross has been active in judicial education, through her work as Co-Chair of the Court of Queen's Bench Education Committee. She has been a member of the Advisory Board of Pro Bono Law Alberta since 2007. She has maintained her connection with the Faculty of Law though her involvement with competitive mooting, her membership on the selection committee for the Tevie Miller Award for Teaching Excellence and the Pringle - Royal Award for Sessional Teaching Excellence, her work with the Alumni and Friends of the Faculty of Law and her membership on the Board of the Centre for Constitutional Studies.
"My years at the law faculty were the truly formative years of my career; I was lucky to have the time and opportunity to pursue my academic and professional interests," Justice June Ross explained. "To receive this recognition of my time there and the ongoing connection that I feel with the faculty is very special to me."
Justice James Stribopoulos, Ontario Court of Justice
Justice Stribopoulos was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1996 and practiced law in Ontario before pursuing graduate studies and joining the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 2002 as an Assistant Professor. He moved to Osgoode Hall Law School as an Adjunct Professor in 2005 and became an Assistant Professor in 2006. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2008. He was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice (the Ontario equivalent of the Provincial Court) in October 2013. At the time of his appointment, he was the Associate Dean and an Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School where he taught Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence and Evidence and Proof: Theory and Practice in Osgoode's JD Program, while also serving as Co-Director of the Part-Time LL.M Program Specializing in Criminal Law.
As a criminal law academic, Justice Stribopoulos researched and published on topics related to criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, comparative criminal procedure, the legal profession and the legal process. He has published extensively in these areas, including a textbook (Criminal Procedure in Canada, with Steven Penney and Enzo Rondinelli, casebooks (Evidence: A Canadian Casebook, 3rd ed., with Hamish Stewart, Ronalda Murphy, Marilyn Pilkington, and Steven Penney and Criminal Law and Procedure: Cases and Materials, 10th ed., with Kent Roach, Benjamin Berger and Patrick Healy, and collections of essays (New Canadian Perspectives in the Philosophy of Domestic, Transnational, and International Criminal Law, with François Tanguay-Renaud and The Charter and Criminal Justice: Twenty-Five Years Later, with Jamie Cameron.
Before becoming a full-time academic Justice Stribopoulos had extensive practical experience as a criminal trial and appellate lawyer, having argued cases regularly before the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. While a member of Osgoode's full-time faculty, in association with Kapoor Barristers, Justice Stribopoulos maintained a small appellate court practice with a focus on Charter litigation. He has maintained his connection with the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta through his research collaboration with Professor Steven Penney, most recently giving a presentation on "The Rule of Law on Trial" as part of the Centenary Legal Forum Speakers Series in October, 2013.
"Thank you so very much, I am truly touched to be honoured by the faculty in this way," Justice James Stribopoulos said. "I look forward to a long and mutually rewarding relationship with the law school."
Faculty of Law talk by The Hon. Justice James Stribopoulos (Oct, 3, 2013)