Two graduates of York’s Osgoode Hall Law School who became members of the faculty have been appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Adjunct Professor Paul Perell and former Osgoode professor and associate dean Edward Belobaba were appointed by Attorney General Michael J. Bryant, who is also an Osgoode alumnus (LLB ‘92).
Left: Paul Perell
Perell graduated from Osgoode in 1974 and also went to receive both his LLM ('89) and PhD ('98) from Osgoode. In addition to being a leading member of the bar, Perell received the Mundell Medal (1995) for his distinguished contribution to letters and law in Ontario and the Law Society Medal (2003) for his significant contribution to the profession, among numerous other awards. Perell has been teaching the real estate transactions course at Osgoode since 1991 and is widely recognized as an outstanding professor by both students and fellow faculty members. He hopes to continue his teaching at the school notwithstanding this appointment.
Perell also served as a lecturer and course instructor for the Ontario Bar Admission Course and the Ontario Centre for Advocacy Training. He is a partner and director of research and continuing legal education at WeirFoulds LLP and a member of the civil litigation group. An author of numerous books, articles and periodicals, he has been recognized with the Canadian Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award.
Right: Edward Belobaba
Belobaba graduated from Osgoode as the Gold Medalist in 1973 and received his masters degree at Oxford. He joined the faculty full-time in 1975 and became associate dean before leaving full-time teaching 1987. He is also a former visiting professor at Oxford University and the Sorbonne. After leaving full-time teaching, Belobaba practised law at a major Canadian law firm and is recognized for his legal expertise and professional reputation particularly in the fields of international trade, constitutional law and competition law. In recent years, he has been actively involved in Osgoode’s Professional Development Program where he is a part-time instructor and director of Osgoode’s part-time LLM Program in International Trade and Competition Law. Osgoode students who were fortunate enough to study under Justice Belobaba when he was a member of the full-time faculty remember him as an outstanding and energetic classroom teacher.
Belobaba’s reputation as a sparkling legal mind began when he was in law school at Osgoode after which he served as clerk for the legendary Chief Justice Bora Laskin of the Supreme Court of Canada, an experience he describes as "the single most exciting, most terrifying year of my life."
Founding editor-in-chief of the Supreme Court Law Review and author of numerous studies, papers, articles and notes on contract and commercial law, constitutional law and international trade and investment, Belobaba is a frequent speaker at Canadian and international legal conferences, and a media commentator on current legal issues.