Bruce Feldthusen - Dean, Faculty of Law. Common Law Section
Bruce Feldthusen was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law’s Common Law Section January 1, 2000.
Biography:
Bruce Feldthusen joined the University of Ottawa in January 2000 as Dean of the Faculty of Law’s Common Law Section, where he also taught torts, administrative law, remedies, and human rights, as they relate to Canada, but also the United States and Australia. He was appointed Vice-President pro tempore, University Relations at the University of Ottawa, effective September 1, 2007. Beginning July 1, 2008, Feldthusen will return to his position as Dean of Common Law and will also continue to assume some of the responsibilities of the Vice-President University Relations role for an indefinite period.
Feldthusen is best known for his book, Economic Negligence, a fifth edition of which will be published in June 2008. His analysis of pure economic loss has been adopted by the Supreme Court of Canada and now provides the organizing framework for all negligence actions in that field. Feldthusen also co-authored the leading text Canadian Tort Law, with Justice Allen M. Linden, and the case book Canadian Tort Law; Cases Notes and Materials with Justice Linden and Lewis Klar. He was one of the first legal academics in the world to study and write about civil remedies for victims of sexual assault. This multidisciplinary research includes extensive interviewing and publication of how survivors themselves experience the legal compensation processes.
Feldthusen was the research director for the Ontario Law Reform Commission’s 1989 study on Exemplary Damages, which has been cited with approval and adopted in many common law jurisdictions in Canada and abroad. He has also written in the area of equality theory, and human rights law.
Bruce Feldthusen practised law, and litigated a number of cases of public interest on a pro bono basis. He works frequently as a litigation consultant and has had a major role in the preparation of numerous Supreme Court of Canada factums and arguments during the past decade. In recent years, Feldthusen has assisted counsel in the preparation of a number of high profile class actions in tort.
Feldthusen is a member of the American Law Institute, the current academic representative on the Board for the National Judicial Institute, and is a past-president of the Council of Canadian Law Deans.
