Applause for Queen's Law professor and student

Photo By Chris Missiuna

Jane Bachynski, Law '90, of BLG; Professor Erik Knutsen; Gillian Ready, Law '87, Assistant Dean of Administration and Finance; Ashley Brown, Law '09; and Kirk Boyd, Law '97, and Joanne Silkauskas of BLG.

Students, professors, and lawyers from Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) filled the lounge of Queen’s Law on November 8, 2007, to celebrate the completion of work funded by a $10,000 research award.

Professor Erik Knutsen and Ashley Brown, Law ’09, were recognized for their success with the 2007 BLG Research Fellowship program, designed to promote legal research and offer a student a valuable opportunity for legal research, writing and mentorship. The pair spent last summer researching “police pursuit collisions” and related standards for liability.

“The cost of a police pursuit collision [to the public] can be enormous,” said Knutsen. “And some times it’s just over a speeding ticket or $76 in gas.”

Knutsen said a major focus of the research is determining when police chases are vital and when it would be better to go without. “This could maybe save lives.”

The police research was rich enough that Knutsen has applied for three years of additional funding.

During the summer, Knutsen and Ashley also researched five other varying areas of law. This research produced material for other work, including a new insurance casebook and a paper on tort damages for mental distress.

“It was a really great experience,” said Ashley. As a result of the research this summer, she will co-author a paper about the tort liability for expert witnesses. “It was one of my favourite [topics]. It just took off.”

“I could not have had a more skilled, professional, and insightful research assistant than Ashley,” said Knutsen. “She became an educated colleague who knows almost as much about the projects as I do.”

Knutsen smiled and added, “I hope she goes into academics.”

The BLG Award

This is the fourth year BLG has funded a summer research fellowship.

The firm offers awards to 14 participating law schools in Canada. Faculty compete internally to secure funding for that year. Once the project is chosen, a first-year student is recruited as a research assistant for the summer.

Joanne Silkauskas, a lawyer and Director of Professional Recruitment at BLG, said she’s looking forward to next year.

“Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is commited to professional excellence,” Silkauskas said. “We want to give back to the legal community and continue our relationships with law schools, while supporting important legal research.”

Current first-year Queen’s students will be able to apply for the fellowship position for the summer of 2008 once the project is chosen next term.