Christmas came early for students in Professor Audrey Macklin's Administrative Law Class as they were treated to a "real judicial review in real time" on-site at the Faculty of Law just before exams in late November.
Justice Douglas Campbell presided over the review on a British Columbian forestry company's attempt to obtain a government permit to export their surplus timber.
One student described the experience as "one of, if not the, coolest academic experiences of my law school years thus far."
The session was highly interactive, with Judge Campbell taking the time to explain concepts to the students while the review was in session. Petitioning lawyers were also encouraged to direct their arguments towards the students, to further engage them in the process. One student told Professor Macklin that she was really impressed at how gracious the judge was, and that it was clear that he wanted to make the proceedings as educationally valuable for the students as possible.
For her part, Professor Macklin was delighted to get such positive feedback from her students and hopes to be able to make judicial reviews a part of the curriculum in future administrative law courses.
She says that Justice Campbell was very pleased to have been involved in an important learning experience for the students, and that he appreciated the attention the students gave to very complex legal issues and arguments.
Counsel for the Applicant, Geoffrey Hall, who graduated from the Faculty in 1991, told Professor Macklin that he was really pleased to have been involved in the effort to "bring life" to administrative law.
"I thought it was great that the Federal Court decided to take their show on the road," says Professor Macklin. She is also particularly grateful to fellow professors for their support of the program. "It really could not have happened without the help of my colleagues here at the Faculty of Law," she adds. "They were instrumental in the organization of the session by being so enthusiastic about the program, and being so flexible about room scheduling and happily reorganizing their own classes, to enable the review to take place."
