Peter A. Allard School of Law

UBC offered lectures in law from 1920, but the university's faculty of law was established in 1945,[5] and was served by George F. Curtis (1906–2005) as the founding dean, until he retired in 1971.[6] Because it lacked adequate infrastructure, the law school used army huts from World War II,[7] until a permanent structure was built in 1951, which was named after Curtis;[8] it was replaced by Allard Hall in 2009.[9]

In recognition of a donation from UBC law alumnus Peter A. Allard, the law school was renamed the Peter A. Allard School of Law, on 22 January 2015;[4] previously, it had been named University of British Columbia Faculty of Law.[10] Allard is the son of one-time Edmonton Oilers co-owner, Dr. Charles "Chuck" Allard, who also brought the SCTV sketch comedy television series to Edmonton.[11]

In 2022, both QS World and Times Higher Education ranked Allard the second-best common law school in the Canada, ranking behind only the University of Toronto.[12] Academically, the school is amongst the most selective in the nation, with a median LSAT score of 166, or the 91st percentile, for the entering class of 2022.[13]

At least five of Allard's current faculty are former Rhodes scholars, with many more serving as former law clerks at the Supreme Court of Canada.[14][15][16][17][18]

The school is located at the University of British Columbia's campus in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2011 it moved out of its former building, a brutalist-style building with malfunctioning heating and cooling and into a new building that had recently been completed.[19] The building cost around $56M; the university used $21M of its own funds and the rest came from donations, including $12M from The Law Foundation of B.C.[10] In 2011 shortly before students and faculty began moving in, Peter Allard, an alumnus, donated about $12 million to the school, with about $10M of it going to complete the capital campaign; the building was named after him.[19]

The Allard Prize was established in 2012 and was initially funded by part of the 2011 gift from Allard[19] and further funded by a subsequent $30M donation by Allard in 2015.[4] The Allard Prize became independent of the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia on 21 June 2019.[20]

The first prize was awarded in 2013, and it is given biennially to an individual, movement or organization that has "demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in combating corruption, especially through promoting transparency, accountability and the Rule of Law".[21] It is one of the world's largest prizes dedicated to the fight against corruption and protecting human rights.[22]

The winner receives CAD$100,000 and an Allard Prize award which is an original work of art;[23][24] Honourable Mention recipients receive an Allard Prize award and may be awarded a cash amount at the discretion of the Allard Prize Committee.[25][26]

Many Allard Prize nominees and recipients have been, and continue to be, subjected to threats, violence, imprisonment and other attacks associated with their anti-corruption and human rights activities.[22][27] One Honourable Mention recipient (Sergei Magnitsky) was nominated posthumously after being tortured and dying in a Russian prison.[28]

• Beverley McLachlin PC, 1974–1981, became Chief Justice of Canada in 2000.[37]
• Joel Bakan, author of The Corporation.[38]

• Donald Brenner, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia[39]
• Kim Brooks, dean of both law and management at Dalhousie University
• Kim Campbell, first woman prime minister of Canada
• Joe Clark PC CC AOE, former prime minister of Canada withdrew after first-year at Allard School of Law.[40]
• Ujjal Dosanjh PC QC, 33rd premier of British Columbia
• Ed Fast, former minister of international trade, Member of Parliament for Abbotsford since 2006
• Lance Finch, former Chief Justice of British Columbia.[41]
• Thomas Martin Franck, international law scholar and NYU law professor emeritus, former editor-In-chief of the American Journal of International Law.[42][43][44]
• Frank Iacobucci CC, former Supreme Court of Canada justice and former dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.[45][46][47]
• Ted Lee, former diplomat and historian, former governor of Canada to the International Atomic Energy Agency.[48]
• Mark Okerstrom, 2004 – president/CEO of Expedia Group[49]
• Bud Smith QC, former attorney general of BC[50]
• Ari Taub (born 1971), Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler
• Jody Wilson-Raybould, former attorney general of Canada Minister of Justice, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville[51]
• Zoe Si, Pulitzer Prize-nominated cartoonist [52]

• Peter A. Allard School of Law
• History of legal education in British Columbia
• Allard School of Law and Business Society
• North American Consortium on Legal Education

49.2698°N 123.2536°W / 49.2698; -123.2536