In celebration of Bill Flanagan’s term as Dean of Queen’s Law – an unprecedented 14 years of transformation and growth – the Faculty has created a fund to support one of his most cherished causes. An award in his name will help fund a wide range of international study opportunities for Queen’s Law students, an increasingly essential part of the practice of law in globalized world.

Queen’s Law community members and friends can give to the Bill Flanagan International Studies Award fund online. With any donation made in honour of Bill Flanagan, contributors can leave a note to be included on a virtual wall about how he affected their lives.

“Bill is a visionary who through perseverance, tact and hard work led the transformation of Queen’s Law to be among the best law schools in the country,” wrote David Allgood, Law’74,
Past Chair of the Dean’s Council. “From the physical plant to the faculty to alumni support to leading-edge online learning and to Truth and Reconciliation, he has taken Queen’s Law to the next level plus one!” 

Over his deanship, which came to a close on June 30, Flanagan oversaw a 25 per cent increase in faculty numbers, the creation of the school’s PhD program, new initiatives to respond to the calls for action in the Truth and Reconciliation Report, the creation of a range of unique online undergraduate and graduate programs, and a dramatic expansion of the school’s clinical programs. 

The school’s international law offerings, which went global in 2001 when he founded the International Law Programs at the Bader International Study Centre (the “Castle”) in the U.K., continued to grow significantly during his tenure as Dean.

The Dean Bill Flanagan International Studies Award will be available to JD students selected to attend one of the International Law Programs at the Castle and/or participating in an international internship or study abroad opportunity. This endowed award will support Queen’s Law students on the global stage, reflecting both Flanagan’s and the Faculty’s commitment to international perspectives in the study of law.

“Bill Flanagan has done so much for the school, increasing its profile and its breadth,” wrote Justice Darla Wilson, Law’84. “Under his leadership, the law school has grown exponentially and he has made all of us proud of our alma mater.”

Sheila Murray, Law’82, a nine-year member of the Dean’s Council and its Chair since 2013, is also among the many proud contributors. “Bill’s thoughtful approach to change and to the growth of the school made him almost impossible to say no to,” she wrote. “He did not see any limits and as a result he encouraged everyone around him to reach higher. The reputation of the school has never been better.”

Read what other Queen’s Law community members have to say about Bill Flanagan’s leadership on our virtual wall.