High profile judge with small-town roots set to speak at TRU

KAMLOOPS – A high profile judge who has small-town roots in B.C. will be visiting TRU next week.

The Honourable Justice Russell Brown of the Supreme Court of Canada will be delivering a public lecture at TRU on Tuesday afternoon. Students, faculty members, interested members of the legal community and the community-at-large are invited to attend.

His talk will discuss the evolution of common law reasoning—how and why judges make decisions based on the outcome of previous, similar cases. Specifically, Justice Brown uses the perspective of tort law—rules that govern lawsuits for civil wrongs such as negligence, trespassing or assault—to provide examples.

The tongue-in-cheek title, “Common Law Reasoning from a Recovering Tortaholic,” refers to his time spent practising, teaching and eventually overseeing tort cases.

Justice Brown is originally from Burns Lake, B.C. and prior to his appointment to the SCC in 2015, most recently sat on the Alberta Court of Appeal. Before that, he was a member of the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta.

As a former law professor, Justice Brown maintains a close relationship with TRU Law’s faculty members. This marks his second trip to the Law School (the first was while he was with the Alberta Court of Appeal).

As part of a three-day visit to TRU Law, Justice Brown will also be delivering a lecture to students, lunching with faculty and students and spending an evening with the Kamloops Bar Association.

When: Tuesday, October 18, 4 to 5 p.m.
Where: Barber Center (House of Learning), TRU