Professor Gail Henderson has been appointed the Allgood Professor in Business Law, effective July 1, 2025, for a three-year term. This professorship provides financial support to elevate Queen’s Law’s research capacity and strengthen its JD and graduate business law programs.

“Gail Henderson is an outstanding scholar and teacher in consumer financial protection, financial literacy, and investor education, in addition to securities regulation, corporate law, and contracts,” says Dean Colleen M. Flood. “We look forward to seeing the impact she will make with the support of this professorship.”

For her research focussing on the regulation of financial products and services aimed at vulnerable consumers, Henderson has earned national recognition and appointments: to the Ontario Securities Commission’s Investor Advisory Panel (2025-2027) and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada ‘s Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (2020-2025).

Under her leadership, Queen’s Law’s business law program is thriving and poised for continued growth.

“Business law impacts the daily lives of every Canadian, particularly as consumers and investors,” Henderson says. “When things go smoothly, we tend to forget about the complex regulatory systems that underpin our economic and financial systems. It’s only when things go wrong that their importance comes sharply into focus. My goal as Allgood Professor is to promote this understanding of business law and its impact and to prepare our students to respond to the current challenges to these systems.”

For prospective students, Henderson highlights the Queen’s Law program’s blend of academic rigour and hands-on experience.

“Queen’s offers an impressive mix of academic, practical and experiential opportunities,” she says. “We provide students with a strong foundation in business law and this introduction often sparks interests they didn’t know they had.”

Through a wide range of advanced courses in specialized areas, students can deepen their knowledge, and with the Queen’s Business Law Clinic, they can apply that knowledge in real-world settings. Henderson also teaches one of the few stand-alone consumer protection law courses offered at a Canadian law school — a course that was oversubscribed this year.

“Consumer protection law is growing in size, complexity and public importance,” she says. “It has a substantial impact on all of us in our daily lives.”

This academic year, Henderson is leading several initiatives that reflect the program’s momentum. The annual Law’80 Lecture, which offers students fresh perspectives on research and practice, will feature visiting business law scholar Virginia Torrie as the school’s Law’80 Visiting Lecturer in Business Law. On Oct. 6, Torrie will present “Thirteen Economies, One Country: How the Highest Court Undermined a National Canadian Economy,” exploring how court rulings shaped Canada’s fragmented economy — and why now may be the best chance to build a freer national market. The Law’80 Careers in Business Law panel, being held on Oct. 20, will focus on the financial services sector, connecting students with professionals in the field.

Next term, Henderson will serve as the Estey Chair in Business Law at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, where she will advance two major research projects: an online guide to high-cost financial products and a study on illegal lending. The role also opens opportunities for collaboration with western Canadian colleagues.

The Allgood Professorship was established in honour of David Allgood, Law’74, in recognition of his many contributions to Queen’s Law and the field of business law. The professorship supports leadership of the business law program, including teaching, research and graduate supervision, and strengthens Queen’s Law’s national and international reputation in the field.

“I’m honoured to hold the Allgood Professorship,” Henderson says. “It’s a privilege to help shape the future of business law education at Queen’s.”