This appointment reflects Professor Campagnolo’s status as an academic leader and his ongoing commitment to excellence in the legal field. The French Common Law Program is an important program at the University of Ottawa, helping to train high-calibre Francophone jurists.
Professor Campagnolo holds degrees in both civil and common law from the University of Ottawa, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for the highest average in law. His impressive academic career also includes a master’s degree in public international law from the University of Cambridge thanks to the Right Honourable Paul Martin Sr. Scholarship. He has also completed a doctorate in constitutional law at the University of Toronto, focusing on the political, legal and theoretical aspects of Cabinet secrecy in Canada.
Professor Campagnolo brings a wealth of academic expertise and professional experience to his new role. Prior to joining academia, he clerked for Justice Morris Fish of the Supreme Court of Canada. Later, he was a practising lawyer at the Privy Council Office, where he advised the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council on constitutional issues. In 2015, he joined the Common Law Section as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2020.
“Professor Campagnolo brings an exceptional combination of scholarly expertise in public law and a commitment to excellence in legal education in French,” said Kristen Boon, the Susan & Perry Dellelce Dean of the Common Law Section. “His leadership will further innovation in the French Common Law Program.”
“Since its creation in 1977 the French Program’s’s fundamental mission has been to defend the right to equality and protecting the rights of minorities, in particular Francophones outside Quebec” said Professor Campagnolo. “When students join our Program […] they are joining a community of supportive jurists who work hard to promote the vitality of Francophone communities and access to justice in French.”
The University of Ottawa’s French Common Law Program is recognized for its crucial role in training highly skilled and qualified French-speaking jurists. The Program welcomes approximately 80 new students each year and offers a unique bilingual common law learning experience. It aims to meet Franco-Ontarians’ needs for legal training and services in French while offering high-quality training to Francophones from other provinces. The French Common Law Program is one of only two French-language common law programs in the world.
The appointment of Professor Campagnolo to a two-year term strengthens the Program’s position as a mainstay of bilingual legal education and underscores the University of Ottawa’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and service to the Francophone community.