As we begin a new academic year, I write to inform you that I have decided not to seek renewal for another mandate as Dean. I will conclude my term on April 15, 2027, five years after my appointment began in April 2022.
I am so proud to be part of a bilingual university, in a legal environment that reflects the depth and character of this nation. As a Canadian who grew up in the interior of BC and sought out opportunities to learn French, study in Quebec and France, and continue to work in French professionally, this opportunity to serve has meant a great deal to me personally. There is no other law school in the country like ours, and that distinctiveness is something to be cherished.
Over the course of my tenure here, we have striven to foster an environment that encourages critical inquiry and excellence in research, supports opportunities for the expression of multiple viewpoints, and that balances legacy with change. We are in a rapidly evolving field, and this Faculty has a well-deserved reputation as an international leader in innovation. In my view, AI is both disrupting the practice of law but increasing the importance of legal education. Law faculties will continue to be foundational: analytical rigour, zealous client advocacy based upon a contextual understanding of legal principles, and excellent written and oral skills are at the heart of what we will continue to teach.
The last four years have been a period of transition and growth at the Common Law Section. Together we have:
- Hired ten new tenure track professors;
- Strengthened cross-disciplinary collaboration through regular Dean’s research lunches;
- Built alumni networks across major legal centres in North America, reconnecting this Faculty with the extraordinary people it has sent into the world;
- Continued to advance Reconciliation and Decolonization through new mandatory courses, and provide mentorship for Indigenous students at the Faculty;
- Welcomed a post-covid student body with unique needs;
- Initiated and finalized a Strategic Plan and an IDEA action Plan, which articulates not just where this section is going, but what it stands for;
- Brought in a new Chief Administrative Officer and onboarded key new staff;
- Built the infrastructure and piloted new programs that will meaningfully expand what this Faculty can offer to non-traditional students — among them a board governance course;
- Developed a new E-LLM program with Droit Civil planned for delivery in 2027-2028;
- Strengthened the Faculty’s relationship with appellate courts across the country, supporting pathways for new litigators and excellence in oral advocacy;
- Updated Faculty policies and governance processes;
- Launched new clinics, including an entrepreneurship clinic that promotes economic justice and a start-up clinic;
- Fundraised for and launched three new Dean’s professorships to provide support for mid-career professors;
- Welcomed a record number of new PCLF students,
- Adopted significant changes to modernize and diversify the English first-year curriculum,
- Maintained Ottawa’s ranking as a top 5 national law school.
- Raised nearly $4 million in support of our students and the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, including the 2026 record of 90+ awards given to students, with 50 students receiving one or more scholarships or bursaries, averaging $9,300 per recipient. This represents more than 40% more funding directly reaching our students, strengthening our ability to attract and support the next generation of legal leaders.
I thank the staff, students, and professors for their constructive engagement in these multi-year processes. One of the highlights of this experience has been meeting the alumni of this Faculty, who have excelled in such different professional paths. I have found the variety of careers they have followed to be so inspiring: uOttawa graduates are practising in every field of law, in addition to becoming judges, public servants, entrepreneurs, politicians, professors, and working for non-governmental organizations.
I am grateful to our students and staff for their creativity, commitment, and dedication. I am grateful to the many professors whose energy and sense of purpose continue to inspire. I am grateful to our alumni, whose investment in this community — in time, in generosity, and in paying it forward — has made so much of this possible.
The University will soon announce next steps regarding a decanal search process. At the end of my term as Dean, I will take an administrative leave and return to my work as a professor. As a specialist in international law and contracts, I am excited to continue contributing to international discussions on governance, responsibility and dispute resolution in this time of geopolitical change.
I am proud of the work that we did together to promote the Faculty, raise its profile and status, and increase global awareness of its work in social and economic justice, including its commitment to representation of all Canadians.
With gratitude,
Kristen Boon
Susan & Perry Dellelce Dean, University of Ottawa (Common Law Section)