“The annual Queen's Law alumni event is always one of the highlights of my year because I get to talk to graduates from all years,” says Bob Milnes, Law’69. “It was particularly true this year, when my classmate received an alumni award.”

Milnes was among the many graduates who gathered for Celebrate Queen’s Law in Toronto on May 27, where Dean Colleen M. Flood hosted the annual reception at The National Club. Alumni reconnected, networked, celebrated the school’s recent achievements, and honoured five award recipients.

The four annual alumni awards recognized excellence across a range of achievements:

• Donald Bayne, Law’69, LLD’17 (Arts’66, EMBA’01) – H.R.S. Ryan Law Alumni Award of Distinction (for overall distinction in the legal profession)
• Brandon Chung, Law’17 – Dan Soberman Outstanding Young Alumni Award (for early-career success)
• Justice Lucille Shaw, Law’89 (Com’86) – Justice Thomas Cromwell Distinguished Public Service Award (for sustained and outstanding public service
• Judy Goldring, Law’91 – J.A. (Alec) Corry Distinguished Alumni Award (for excelling in a career outside the traditional practice of law)

Dean Flood also presented a new discretionary award recognizing exceptional leadership, dedication, and service to Queen’s Law. Kelley McKinnon, Law’88 (Artsci’85), received the inaugural Dean’s Award for Distinguished Leadership. In accepting the award, she reflected on her gratitude for giving back to Queen’s and the sense of having received even more in return.

The Dean also highlighted recent Queen’s Law milestones, including students reviving Cabaret for a Cure; a record number of applications to the JD program; the launch of a new first-year course, Indigenous Peoples, Law and Reconciliation; major gifts supporting two full-tuition scholarships for Indigenous students from local First Nations and the expansion of the Queen’s Business Law Clinic; the arrival of Professor Bethany Hastie as director of the Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace; new faculty appointments in international economic law and in AI and law, to be featured in upcoming stories; and the continued growth of professional intensive courses. She also noted that work will soon begin on the Faculty’s next strategic framework, with opportunities for alumni to participate.

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