Five distinguished legal scholars appointed to Faculty of Law

L-R: Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay, Florence Ashley, Rebeca Macias Gimenez, Gerard Kennedy (Photo credit: Ron Scheffler), and Adebayo Majekolagbe

Five legal scholars are set to step into new roles at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law effective July 1.

Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay, Florence Ashley, Rebeca Macias Gimenez, Gerard Kennedy and Adebayo Majekolagbe have been appointed as part of the faculty complement. Each brings with them an extensive record of scholarship, research and teaching in their respective fields.

“I am delighted to welcome these excellent scholars to our academic family,” said Dean Barbara Billingsley. “I have no doubt that their contributions — as instructors, researchers, and colleagues at the Faculty of Law — will advance our programming and enrich the experience of our students in many ways. I look forward to working alongside them for the betterment of the Faculty and our students.”

Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay

Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay will join the Faculty of Law as a tenure-track assistant professor. She is currently completing a doctor of civil law from McGill University with a focus on state accountability for police sexual violence in Québec. Before pursuing doctoral studies, she completed an LLM at the University of Toronto and earned an LLB from University Laval.

“Throughout my graduate studies, I often engaged with research from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, notably in the areas of criminal justice and constitutional law,” said Ampleman-Tremblay. “When the opportunity to join a Faculty that has shaped my research interests presented itself – I had to go for it!”

Ampleman-Tremblay’s research explores criminal law and police ethics, including sexual misconduct and Indigenous perspectives. She plans to develop future projects that explore “Charter rights and the inclusion of collective responsibility in Canadian case law.”

“I cannot wait to pursue new research projects, but I am also excited to meet the students and contribute to their legal education,” said Ampleman-Tremblay, whose approach to the classroom is informed by her own experiences as a law student.

“I remember being very shy and avoiding engaging in class discussions. These years have taught me that we all learn differently and that some students might feel more comfortable in alternative settings. Now that I have the occasion to teach, I am always looking at ways to get students involved with the material in a way that works for them.”

“Most of all, I am delighted to join this academic community. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming throughout the process, and I look forward to participating in the Faculty’s life in the upcoming years.”

Florence Ashley

“Much of my work involves using transdisciplinary methods to study the oppression of transgender communities in the criminal justice system, healthcare, and the family,” said Florence Ashley, who will join the Faculty as a tenure-track assistant professor.

Ashley is currently completing a doctor of juridical science at the University of Toronto. They earned a joint bachelor of civil law and bachelor of laws, as well as an LLM from McGill University.

Their most recent research interests have included the experiences of trans youth in the courtroom. “Judges are using science in the courtroom to give trans youth some level of acceptance from their parents but at the same time expand the power of doctors over their lives in a way that really detracts from their autonomy and treats being trans as a medical problem.”

Ashley’s research and advocacy work also investigates attempts to criminalize gender-affirming care, most notably in the United States.

In the classroom, Ashley looks forward to fostering students’ understanding of the law within its social context. “My goal is to help students not only understand what the law says, but how it operates in the lives of people.”

“I’m eager to support students along in their thinking, and I’m eager to learn from them — because we all-too-often forget that teaching is a two-way street.”

Rebeca Macias Gimenez

Rebeca Macias Gimenez joined the Faculty of Law as a Grant Notley Postdoctoral Fellow in 2021 and has taught as an assistant lecturer. On July 1, Macias Gimenez will start her new role as a tenure-track assistant professor.

“I am most excited about becoming part of the faculty community in this more expansive capacity. I appreciate being able to plan for the long term, especially on how to use my research and teaching experience to contribute to the future of our students and the faculty,” said Macias Gimenez.

“I have loved my time at U of A so far. My colleagues have been extremely helpful in this adaptation period. And I really enjoy learning together with my students.”

Macias Gimenez’s work focuses on the intersection of Indigenous law and state environmental law, seeking to create joint frameworks for environmental decision-making.

“I am currently working with the West Moberly First Nation (Treaty 8 BC), helping them articulate legal principles of the Dunne-za and Cree legal orders to use in land and resources management,” she said. 

“I apply the Narrative Analysis method developed by Drs. Hadley Friedland and Val Napoleon to engage with Indigenous Law. I also look at Canadian laws and policies, especially regional impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment,  as ways to uphold Indigenous law.”

Macias Gimenez holds a PhD from the University of Victoria, an LLM from the University of Calgary, and a bachelor of law from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil).

Gerard Kennedy

“The opportunity to be intimately connected to the local bench and bar, while still being at a leading law faculty with a national reputation, is what attracted me to U of A,” said Gerard Kennedy, who joins the Faculty of Law as a tenure-track assistant professor on July 1. He currently serves as an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law.

Kennedy’s scholarship explores the role of courts in society and principally analyzes civil procedure. His work also spans administrative law, constitutional law, and professional responsibility.

His current projects include working on the third edition of Boundaries of Judicial Review: The Law of Justiciability in Canada with Justice Lorne Sossin, along with academic articles on procedural considerations in constitutional litigation, the justiciability considerations of breach of contract claims involving religious tenets, an analysis of appeal rights across common law jurisdictions, and an analysis of a recent survey on the access to justice needs of Manitobans.

“I can't wait to be immersed in the student atmosphere in person, something I sorely missed in the pandemic before going on parental leave earlier this year,” said Kennedy. “I get tremendous energy from being around colleagues and students. So I cannot wait to be in the swing of things again in a normal school year among talented students who will teach me as well.”

Kennedy earned a PhD from Osgoode Hall Law School, as well as an LLM from Harvard Law, and a JD from Queen’s University.

Adebayo Majekolagbe

“My research focuses on the justice implications of the green transition,” said Adebayo Majekolagbe, who steps into his new role as an assistant teaching professor on July 1. He currently serves as a sessional instructor with the Faculty, teaching climate change law.

His research also explores just transition and impact assessment, climate change law and international economic law, as well as business and human rights.

“My most recent project is the design of a just transition impact assessment framework for the consideration of ‘justice’ in the assessment of green transition policies and projects. The project has been selected as one of 15 SSHRC funded research works for SSHRC’s “Real Insight. Real Impact. Real Purpose” campaign.”

Majekolagbe holds a PhD from the Schulich Law School, Dalhousie University, where he also earned an LLM. He also holds an LLM from the University of Lagos, an LLB from Ekiti State University, and a BL from the Nigerian Law School. 

His approach to the classroom emphasizes and encourages participation. “I enjoy an active and engaged classroom, and students who are unafraid to challenge orthodoxy yet humble enough to admit unknowns. I am deliberate in designing courses that encourage diversity of thoughts and viewpoints, cooperative learning, and the co-creation of knowledge.”