A Celebration to Honour Professor Emeritus David Mullan

Photo by City of Toronto: Media Service

Professor Emeritus David Mullan is being honoured at the gala reception, "Celebrate Queen's Law in Toronto" on April 28, 2008.

Professor Emeritus David Mullan, LLM '73, is renowned as one of Canada's foremost scholars in administrative law. To members of the Queen's Law community, he is that and much more -- he is a much-loved colleague, teacher and friend. On April 28, 2008, Mullan will be honoured at a gala reception in Toronto where a new renewable entrance scholarship will also be unveiled.

"David Mullan was a true inspiration," said David Stratas, Law '84, a partner at Heenan Blaikie LLP. "He is a fellow with standards as high as can be imagined, but is filled with compassion, judgment and grace. Those qualities have inspired decades of Queen's law students and continue to do so. He is a true role model."

Joining Queen's Law in 1971, Mullan led a distinguished academic career spanning over three decades. During that time, he received a national award for academic excellence from the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, Queen's University's top awards for excellence in teaching and in research, and an honorary LL.D. from the Law Society of Upper Canada. Widely-published in the administrative law area, Mullan's work is often cited by the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

"The Supreme Court of Canada in a case earlier this month called Dunsmuir...cited David's work so often that one friend called it the ‘Mullan judgment'," said Stratas. "It is just proof positive that when anyone, even the Supreme Court, needs help in administrative law, they reach for anything with David Mullan's name on it."

Over the years, Mullan wrote numerous reports for law commissions, governments and public agencies. He held the Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt Professorship in Constitutional and Administrative Law until his retirement from Queen's in December 2003. The following year, he was appointed the Integrity Commissioner for the City of Toronto, a position he continues to hold.

In 2006, Mullan was awarded the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators' Medal for outstanding contribution to the administrative justice community. He was also honoured with the publication of a festschrift, a collection of essays addressing important issues in administrative law written by professors and judges in Canada and abroad. In 2008, Mullan will receive an honorary LL.D. from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where he graduated with an LL.B. and an LL.M. before undertaking further graduate studies at Queen's in 1970.

"Having David Mullan as a colleague was one of the best aspects of teaching law at Queen's," said Professor Emeritus Stanley "Sonny" Sadinsky, Q.C., Artsci ‘60, Law ‘63. "He was a generous collaborator and challenged all of us to do better through his example."

"I am delighted that Queen's Law will honour David's immense contributions to the law school and legal scholarship at our event on April 28," said Dean Bill Flanagan. "He is one of our most distinguished professors in the history of Queen's Law, and one of the most highly regarded by our students."

"David Mullan has an almost magical ability to inspire students to reach for excellence," said Associate Dean Mark Walters, Law '89, "and I am sure many of his former students will be on hand to honour this great teacher and scholar on April 28th."

About the Gala Reception

Alumni, colleagues and friends are invited to the gala reception, "Celebrate Queen's Law in Toronto." Held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in the Henry N.R. Jackman Lounge, the two-hour event commences at 5:30 p.m. on April 28. Joining Mullan as a guest speaker will be Justice Marshall Rothstein of the Supreme Court of Canada. Also at the reception, Queen's Law's first renewable entrance scholarship will be launched. As the result of a successful fundraising campaign, two merit-based scholarships will be awarded annually to students of outstanding calibre.

What is Mullan looking forward to at the gala reception? "Meeting former students, colleagues and friends who have come out to celebrate the Law School," he said.

To register for the gala reception on-line, please visit https://secure.ctsolutions.com/qlaw/CelebrateInToronto/index.html.