International Law & Global Justice Initiative

at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Golden bridge with hands by Erik Fiala

Bridging Academic Theory and Justice Practice

Our initiative is committed to bridging theory and practice through justice-oriented scholarship and public engagement. Our faculty members perceive a deep unity between research, teaching, experiential opportunities, and public service. We encourage students to do the same.

Expanding Perspectives on International Law

Our initiative takes an expansive and imaginative approach to international and global justice, addressing questions of international, transnational, and comparative law, as well as Canadian domestic law related to global issues. Our members engage with legal culture, practice, and the interaction of plural legal orders beyond the state. We are committed to mobilizing law to address complex systemic issues, such as artificial intelligence, the climate emergency, Indigenous rights violations, poverty, economic inequality, and conflict. Simultaneously, we maintain a critical and self-aware perspective, recognizing the limitations of law and its potential role in furthering colonialism, dispossession, and oppression.

waving flags by Vladislav Klapin

Our Research

flock of birds migrating by Jan-Niclas Aberle
Refugee & Migration
Pandemic alerts by Brian McGowan
Global Health
aerial view of earth by USGS
Climate & Environment
Law building by Sebastian Pichler
Comparative Law
International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice
abandoned building by Denny Müller
Human Rights
Toronto skyline with trees and a park by Niral Parmar

Global Focus, Local Action

Our initiative is committed to bridging communities of scholars and practitioners from the Global North and Global South, drawing members from around the world. Rooted in a sense of global solidarity, we recognize the groundbreaking activism, legal practice, and critical knowledge developed by communities in the Global South. While globally focused, we are dedicated to local contributions, collaborating with community groups, NGOs, and government bodies to address justice issues in Canada. Acknowledging our position within a settler colony, we commit to decolonization and building meaningful relationships with Indigenous scholars, practitioners, and activists.

Our Community