Our Work
The Asper Centre works at the intersection of academia, litigation, and public engagement. It undertakes impactful constitutional advocacy by intervening in significant court cases, conducting scholarly research, and organizing conferences and events that bring together legal experts, law students, and community partners. The Centre’s clinical legal education program offers students hands-on experience in constitutional litigation, while working groups and partnerships extend the reach of its research and policy initiatives.
Advocacy
We support constitutional challenges brought before courts and advise on policy development and legal reform. Our court interventions have addressed issues from climate change and homelessness to Indigenous rights and the rights of people with disabilities.
Education
Training law students in constitutional litigation and advocacy is central to our mission. Students contribute significantly to advancing our Charter rights advocacy projects while gaining real, hands-on constitutional law experience.
Research
Our scholarship plays a key role by clarifying complex constitutional issues and exploring effective advocacy strategies. We are supported in our work by leading constitutional law scholars within the Faculty of Law.
Our Impact
The Asper Centre contributes to significant constitutional cases on issues like constitutional remedies, equality, and Indigenous rights—helping shape how courts interpret the Charter. The Centre influences the legal landscape and public understanding of the law and its clinical program gives students practical experience in constitutional litigation, building essential skills in rights-based advocacy.
Keely Kinley (JD 2021), Associate at Lenczner Slaght LLPI really think that it would not be an overstatement to say that I don't know that I would be in litigation if I hadn't had the experience I had at the Asper Centre. I don't think I knew what litigation involved until I got to watch these amazing lawyers and work with other students doing this type of thing that I thought, 'Oh, okay, if you will get to do this as their job, this is something that I would love to do.'
Professor Kent Roach, Chair of the Asper Centre Advisory GroupI am proud of the Asper Centre's important impact in constitutional litigation but also how it contributes to scholarship in a critical, independent and deep way through conferences and publications. What makes the Asper Centre distinctive is the close and symbiotic nature of its advocacy in court and its generation of knowledge.
Susan Ursel, Partner Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP & Asper Centre Constitutional Litigator In Residence (2018)It was a real pleasure to work with the students at the Asper Centre. They brought energy, insight, and a fresh perspective to the complex constitutional issues we tackled together. Their contributions were invaluable to our work.
Student Opportunities
U of T Law students can participate in the Asper Centre’s clinical courses, join working groups, support interventions, and assist with research for our publications and podcast. These opportunities provide students with invaluable practical experience in constitutional law and advocacy.
Learn more about us
Established in 2008 through a generous gift from David Asper (LLM ’07), the Asper Centre is a leader in constitutional rights research and advocacy. Bridging legal theory and practice, it offers a vital platform for students, scholars, and practitioners to shape the future of constitutional law in Canada.
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