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Irving Tragen Lecture on Comparative Law featuring Justice Rosalie Abella

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Canadian Jurist, author, and former Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella has a career lined with endless accomplishments.

Born in a Displaced Person’s Camp in Germany, Justice Abella’s studies led her to the University of Toronto, where she graduated with her B.A. in 1967 and received her LL.B in 1970. She practiced civil and criminal litigation before becoming Canada’s youngest and first pregnant judge in 1976 at the age of 29. She later served as Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and on the Ontario Law Reform Commission until her appointment to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1992. She became the first Jewish woman and refugee appointed as a Canadian Supreme Court Judge in 2004.

Justice Abella is incredibly influential, her reach extending far beyond the courtroom. In 1984, she introduced the concept of “employment equity” through her work as the sole commissioner and author of the 1984 Royal Commission of Equality in Employment. The definition of equality she developed in the Report was adopted by the Supreme Court of Canada in its first equality decision under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Additionally, Justice Abella is a fellow of the Royal Society in Canada, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, served as a judge of the Giller Literary Prize, is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music and was a chair of the Rhodes Scholar selection committee. Justice Abella has 42 honorary degrees, has written over 90 articles, and authored or co-authored 4 books.

Register here! 

For disability-related accommodations, please contact Ilene Ochoa: iochoa@law.berkeley.edu or 510-642-3702. Advance notice is kindly requested.

Details

Date:
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Time:
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Website:
https://IrvingTragenLecture2025RABELLA.eventbrite.com

Venue

295 Law Building – Warren Room
2745 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, 94720 United States

Organizer

Berkeley Law Events
Email:
events@law.berkeley.edu

Events are wheelchair accessible. For disability-related accommodations, contact the organizer of the event. Advance notice is kindly requested.

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