U of T Law alumni win Walter Owen Book Prize

Three University of Toronto alumni were named winners of 2023 Walter Owen Book Prize for their co-authored treatise, Modern Criminal Evidence (Emond Publishing, 2021).

The $30,000 prize, given to books in English in odd-numbered years and French in even-numbered years, recognizes excellence in legal writing and outstanding contributions to Canadian law. The Foundation for Legal Research administers the prize honouring Walter Owen, Q.C., P.C., (1904-1981), a former Lieutenant Governor of BC.

A practical and comprehensive guide to criminal evidence law in Canada, three of the book's five co-authors are Faculty of Law alumni. Matthew Gourlay, a 2008 graduate of Juris Doctor program, is a partner at Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP. Justice Brock Jones, a 2004 graduate of Juris Doctor program, is a judge at the Ontario Court of Justice. Justice Renee M. Pomerance, a 1987 graduate of the Bachelor of Laws, is a judge at the Ontario Court of Appeal.

The jury also shortlisted A History of Law in Canada: Volume II: Law for the New Dominion, 1867-1914, co-authored by Faculty of Law Professor Jim Phillips, from a total of 35 titles.