Cherie Metcalf is an Associate Professor at Queen’s University in the Faculty of Law and the Department of Economics (cross-appointment). She completed her undergraduate degree at Queen’s before earning postgraduate degrees in Economics (MA, PhD) at the University of British Columbia, later returning to Queen’s to obtain her LLB. Following completion of her LL.B., she clerked at the Federal Court of Appeal and for former Justice Ian Binnie at the Supreme Court of Canada. She then completed her LLM at Yale on a Fulbright scholarship before joining the faculty. 

Professor Metcalf’s research often draws on her graduate training in economics. She has used economic theory and empirical methods to study Indigenous rights, including the Supreme Court’s s. 35 Aboriginal rights cases, considering impacts on governance, rights holders and resource industry participants. Another research strand relates to the role of law, especially constitutional rights, in influencing individuals’ decisions, preferences and broader social norms. Professor Metcalf also studies issues in environmental and resource law more generally and her most recent work is focused on climate change.   

Her research has been published in journals including the Northwestern University Law Review, International Review of Law & Economics, Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Law Journal, Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, & Queen’s Law Journal. Together with her co-author, Ian Keay, she was twice awarded the Vanderkamp prize for best paper in Canadian Public Policy. She frequently presents her work internationally at conferences and invited seminars. She has recently received grants from the Social Science & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Foundation for Legal Research. She has been an invited visiting scholar at the University of Colorado Faculty of Law & Institute of Behavioral Sciences Institutions Program, and Vancouver School of Economics at UBC. 

Professor Metcalf’s teaching at Queen’s spans the areas of her research interests, and includes public law, constitutional law, law and economics, international environmental and resource law and (occasionally) property law. She has also coached the Queen’s Laskin moot team, together with Queen’s Law alumna Pam Hrick (LEAF). 

She served as Associate Dean Academic at the faculty from 2015-2018. 

Recent Professional Accomplishments 

  • Awarded Vanderkamp Prize for best paper published in Canadian Public Policy (2022)
  • Social Science & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) – Insight Grant (2020-2024) on “Institutions for Effective Climate Change Action” (as PI) 
  • SSHRC - Insight Development Grant (2021-2023) on “The economic impact of historical treaties, land cession and land occupation on Indigenous outcomes” (as Collaborator) 
  • Canadian Foundation for Legal Research Grant (2020-2021) on “Climate Change & Canada’s Constitution” (as PI) 
  • SSHRC Institutional Grant (Queen’s) – Explore Grant (2019-2021) on “Is a Fine a Price? Norms, Incentives & Effective Regulations (as PI) 
  • Visiting Associate Professor, Vancouver School of Economics, UBC (2020-2021) 
  • Co-President, Canadian Law & Economics Association 

Selected Publications 

For a complete list of publications please consult Professor Metcalf’s CV. 

Selected Recent Presentations 

  • “Liability Reconsidered: Experimental Evidence” (with J. Shahar Dillbary & Brock Stoddard): 16th Conference on Empirical Legal Studies (2022, Virginia Law), Florida State University Law School (invited)(2022)
  • “Communicating Risk across the Political Divide” (with Jonathan Nash): Society for Risk Analysis Conference (2022); Society for Environmental Law & Economics Association Conference (2022, NYU); Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics (SIOE) Conference (2022, U of T); Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) Conference (2022); Soshnick Colloquium on Law and Economics at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (invited) (2022); Conference on Empirical Legal Studies (CELS) (2022, U of T); Virginia-Michigan-Florida Virtual Law & Economics Workshop (invited) (2021); Midwest Law & Economics Association (MLEA) Conference (2021) 
  • “Law, Norms & Fines in a Pandemic”: Canadian Law & Economics Association Conference (2022, U of T); Canadian Economics Association Conference (2021) 
  • “Is a Fine Still a Price? Replication as Robustness in Empirical Legal Studies” (with Emily Satterthwaite, J. Shahar Dillbary and Brock Stoddard): Law, Business & Economics Workshop, University of Texas at Austin (invited) (2019); CELS (2019, Claremont McKenna College); SIOE (2019, Stockholm School of Economics); Program on Empirical Legal Studies (2019, Claremont McKenna College)