Osgoode Hall Law School’s PhD program continues to shape the future of legal academia, with two of its PhD candidates recently hired as full-time faculty members at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, starting July 1, 2025.
Deanne Sowter, Assistant Professor
Professor Sowter’s research focuses on family law, gender-based violence, feminist legal theory, and legal ethics. Her work critically examines the role of lawyers in the family justice system and explores ways to make legal principles more responsive to gender-based violence. A recipient of multiple national research awards, she has published 11 peer-reviewed articles, with her scholarship cited by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Simon Wallace, Assistant Professor
Professor Wallace specializes in artificial intelligence and law, using computational methods to analyze legal texts. He developed Obiter.ai, an open-source Python library for legal research, and BenchBabble.ca, which tracks Supreme Court of Canada decisions. A former immigration lawyer, he has litigated cases at all levels of court.
Dean Trevor Farrow noted, “Professor Sowter and Professor Wallace have made major contributions to Osgoode over a number of years, and I look forward to their continued contributions to the Canadian legal academy. I am also proud of Osgoode’s world class graduate program, which celebrates the appointments of these excellent Osgoode doctoral students.”
They join Osgoode PhD alumni Jake Effoduh, Assistant Professor, and Graham Hudson, Associate Dean, Academic, further demonstrating the program’s impact. As Canada’s largest PhD in law, Osgoode’s rigorous, research-intensive program prepares scholars for academic leadership.