McGill University is Canada’s leading institution of higher learning, the top public university in North America, and within the top 12 of the world's best universities, according to the Times Higher Education Supplement (see McGill Newsroom).

McGill’s high marks can be attributed not only to its extraordinary international outlook, but also to its ability to foster the intellectual encounter between outstanding students and world-class researchers across disciplines.

Law as a foundational discipline

Research in law at McGill is profoundly shaped by the Faculty’s ambitious intellectual project, which strives to apprehend legal phenomena from a cosmopolitan perspective. Law is seen as a foundational discipline the study of which should cut across the boundaries that blinker perspectives and hamper deep understanding. First and foremost, these boundaries are jurisdictional, linguistic, cultural and systemic – hence the creation of McGill’s unique "transsystemic" program – which draws from multiple jurisdictions and traditions using different languages. At a deeper level, the boundaries are imposed by established academic disciplines that bring not only their own lexica, discourses and methods, but also their insights. As a result, transdisciplinary approaches to law and society are now common at McGill, as are research collaboration initiatives involving institutions in multiple jurisdictions.

A synergy between research and teaching

Tracking McGill's legal research imprint around the world (click to zoom)

On a per-capita basis, our Faculty is exceptionally competitive in obtaining merit-based research grants. This is achieved not only through investment in research but also by cultivating a synergy between teaching and research. McGill’s law programs attract the most perceptive, open-minded and international law student populations anywhere. Students from the first year through to post doctoral studies contribute to Faculty research at every step, challenging established knowledge as part of their education and contributing fresh insights in the process. Gifted professors become role models for gifted students, who in turn push professors to question the paradigms within which they work.

Our renowned research centres, institutes and working groups provide a vibrant cosmopolitan setting for this interactive process of discovery to take place. They also serve as important outlets for knowledge transfer and linkages to community organizations and policy makers, both locally and around the world.

Faculty members and fellows

The Faculty of Law is proud of its distinguished professors who, through their scholarly research and enlightened practice, are making important contributions to the law and public policy in Quebec, Canada, and the world. Several Faculty members belong to renowned international organizations or are active in legal debates at a national or international level. Other Faculty members are involved internationally through work in developing countries and emerging democracies. To foster research, we also host the Boulton and Wainwright Fellowships.