Michael Law-Smith is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law (Common Law Section).
Professor Law-Smith’s primary research and teaching interests are in criminal law and procedure, with a particular focus on questions at the intersection of criminal law and political and legal philosophy. He also has strong interests in the law of evidence and tort law. His work explores topics including mass incarceration, criminal trials, algorithmic sentencing, and prosecutorial misconduct. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the McGill Law Journal and the Journal of Legal Philosophy.
Before joining the University of Ottawa, Professor Law-Smith held a visiting position at Harvard Law School and participated in the Law Commission of Canada’s Emerging Scholars program. In 2023-24, he served as judicial law clerk to Chief Justice Richard Wagner at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Professor Law-Smith holds a JD from the University of Toronto, where he graduated as silver medallist, and is completing a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He is called to the Bar of Ontario.