Named Lectures
Name lectures are given by distinguished scholars from around the world who are invited to share their expertise at these events, thanks to the to the generous support of our alumni and friends.
Established in memory of the late David B. Goodman, Q.C., by his family, friends and professional associates.
This annual lecture is given by a distinguished member of the bar or bench.
View past Goodman lectures on our YouTube channel.
Established in memory of the late John Llewellyn Jones Edwards, English-trained legal scholar who taught at Dalhousie University before joining U of T Law.
In 1963, Edwards established U of T’s Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies (CrimSL) in U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science. Today, it is a world-renowned multidisciplinary research centre, offering undergraduate, master's and PhD programs in criminology and sociolegal studies.
This lecture is organized annually by CrimSL.
Established by Senator Jerry S. Grafstein, K.C., Class of 1958, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his graduation from the Faculty of Law and the 10th anniversary of the graduation of his son, Laurence Grafstein and daughter-in-law, Rebecca Grafstein (nee Weatherhead), both from the Class of 1988.
Grafstein was a co-founder of City TV, YTV and OMNI Television in Toronto and cable companies in the U.S., U.K. and South America. He served in the Senate of Canada from 1984 to 2010 and was the longest-serving member of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He is an author of a number of non-fiction books including Parade: A Tribute to Remarkable Contemporaries and A Leader Must Be a Leader: Encounters With Eleven Prime Ministers.
Established in memory of the late Morris A. Gross by his family, friends and colleagues and Minden Gross LLP.
This biennial lecture is convened by the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights.
Generously supported by Senator Jerry S. Grafstein, K.C., Class of 1958. Grafstein was a co-founder of City TV, YTV and OMNI Television in Toronto and cable companies in the U.S., U.K. and South America. He served in the Senate of Canada from 1984 to 2010 and was the longest-serving member of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He is an author of a number of non-fiction books including Parade: A Tribute to Remarkable Contemporaries and A Leader Must Be a Leader: Encounters With Eleven Prime Ministers.
The inaugural lecture will be held in November 2025.
Established by the Tory family to honour one of Canada’s most influential lawyers, advisors and leaders in business, John A. Tory.
Business and law were at the core of Tory's life. His father, John S.D. Tory (1903-1965) founded Torys and Associates in 1941, and John A. Tory and his twin brother, James M. Tory, built the Torys firm together.
This lecture brings together our community to explore new approaches, legislation and trends in tax law.
The inaugural lecture will be held in 2025.
The modern law school at U of T was founded in 1949. Building on the tradition of the academic study of law spearheaded by Professor W.P.M Kennedy, Dean Cecil "Caesar" Wright and his colleagues rejected the profession-led, apprenticeship-oriented model of legal training that prevailed in Ontario at the time and established U of T’s Faculty of Law.
This re-conception of legal education has proven to be the enduring key to our success and has carried our Faculty to pre-eminence among law schools in Canada and into the ranks of the very best law schools in the world.
We invite world-renowned academics to share their insights at this annual lecture named after Dean Wright.