Donor Story:
I am flattered that the Lederman Family will permit the naming of this Visitorship as this will certainly honour both Queen's Law and its founding Dean.
I have asked that, where possible, the Visitorship focus on bringing individuals to Queen's who have made contributions in the area of non-adversarial justice. This, in my mind, leans the Visitorship forward which is important to me, as, every time I thought I could state "This is the Law" I really found that it had evolved again, as it has now for centuries. Thus, for me, Law is lifelong learning. It would also recognize the change wrought by the creation of new law schools in Ontario, Queen's Law included, which formerly only the prerogative of Osgoode Hall, and that Law is a scholarly topic, for a university, and not just a trade school.
I am pleased that this Visitorship will honour both the memory of but also the enormous contributions of my Dean, both generally, with his scholarship with a focus on constitutional law, but also on starting up and getting a new law school running, which, by my time, 1964-67, being one of the top three law schools in Canada, which it still is!
About the Fund:
Established in September 2017 by The Honourable Hugh Landerkin, QC, LLB 1967, to honour the memory of the late Dr. William R. Lederman, the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Law (1958-1968). The Fund will be used to bring to Queen's University distinguished individuals who have made important contributions to the field of Law in Canada and abroad. Priority will be given to individuals who have made contributions in the area of non-adversarial justice. This individual would normally be expected to be in residence for a period of a minimum of one week during which time they would deliver a public lecture, participate in course seminars, and meet formally and informally with appropriate segments of the Queen's and Kingston communities.
