Angela Swan receives honorary doctorate from McGill University
On 26 November, 2021, acclaimed legal scholar Angela Swan was awarded a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, and gave the commencement address at the Faculty of Law’s fall convocation ceremony.
Angela Swan is a distinguished legal scholar, practitioner, teacher, mentor and an acclaimed figure in both Canadian contract law and the Canadian legal community. She received a Bachelor of Commerce and an LLB from the University of British Columbia and a BCL from Oxford University. She was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1970. With over fifty years’ experience in the legal profession, Professor Swan has expertly filled a number of roles from professor to esteemed counsel. An award-winning author, renowned educator, and frequently cited scholar, she is regarded as one of the most distinguished experts in Canadian contract law.
She began her career as a professor of law in 1965 at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, remaining there until 1988. She held the rank of full professor at her departure. Professor Swan then practiced law at Aird & Berlis, McCarthy Tétrault and Stikeman Elliott. She is presently at Aird & Berlis as Counsel, where she was formerly a partner. She has also taught as a visiting professor in many of Canada’s law faculties, including McGill’s.
She has authored numerous books, papers and annotations. Her book Canadian Contract Law won the 2006 Walter Owen Book Prize of the Canadian Bar Association and is regularly cited by courts including the Supreme Court of Canada. The Walter Owen Book Prize recognizes excellence in legal writing, rewarding outstanding contributions to the Canadian legal system.
Professor Swan has inspired and informed several generations of law students with her legal expertise and scholarship. Her accomplishments are all the more remarkable for a trans woman of her generation. She is a proud member of the LGBTQ2+ community and contributes to its ongoing development. She has been an invited speaker at many events, including the joint lunch program organized by the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and the Feminist Legal Analysis Section of the Ontario Bar Association. In 2015, Start Proud (formerly Out on Bay Street) honoured her with their Professional Leadership Award.
Professor Swan was named to the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers for earning the highest level of professional skill and integrity. She received the Ontario Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2016, which recognizes exceptional career contributions and achievements by Members of the Ontario Bar Association.
Professor Swan has a distinguished record of achieving the topmost professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability, and diligence. Her name is synonymous with excellence in contract law and is a shining example of a dedicated teacher and mentor.
