COVER STORY
Boosting Business Law Unprecedented support for Sigurdson Professorship in Corporate Law and Finance BY KIRSTEEN MACLEOD
Flanagan. “Not many Canadian law schools have two privately funded professorships in this field” (the other being the David Allgood Professorship in Business Law, with its inaugural professor appointed last year). “This positions Queen’s as a clear leader of business law teaching and scholarship in Canada.” The Dean is aiming high; he envisions the first Sigurdson Professor as a global leader in corporate law and finance who will make a major contribution to the Faculty’s business law program, including teaching, graduate supervision and research. The appointment will broaden and deepen Queen’s business law expertise, building on the success of the Bader International Study Centre program in
TIM FRASER
With a global search underway, the inaugural holder of the Stephen Sigurdson Professorship in Corporate Law and Finance is expected to join the faculty in July 2018. “This will be a great boost for our business law program,” says Dean Bill Flanagan. The professorship was named in tribute to Stephen Sigurdson, LLB’84, who died last year unexpectedly at age 56. He was Vice-Chair of the Dean’s Council at Queen’s Law, one of Canada’s most celebrated figures in corporate law, and a top executive at Manulife. With an outpouring of donor support, along with a Faculty match of funds, $1.5 million was raised in record time in support of the Sigurdson Professorship. “It’s a pivotal time for business law here,” notes
Queen’s Law community members and Sigurdson Professorship donors join the Sigurdson family at the Canada General Counsel Awards (CGCA) gala on June 15 in Toronto, where Stephen was awarded the Lifetime Achievement posthumously. L-R: Paul Marcus, Law’85; Stephen Shamie, Law’86; David Allgood, Law’74; Sheila Murray, Law’82; Heather Sigurdson; Amy Sigurdson (Com'15); Leslie Sigurdson, Law’84; Laura Sigurdson, Law’13; Jonah Goldberg, Law’12; Betty DelBianco, Law’84; Kelley McKinnon, Law’88; Janet Fuhrer, Law’85; Dean of Law Bill Flanagan; and Firoz Ahmed, Law’84. 18