Erika A. Chamberlain is a Canadian legal scholar. In 2017, Chamberlain was appointed to a five-year term as Dean of the

University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law The University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law, branded as Western Law since 2011, is the law school of Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1959, its first Dean was former Supreme Court of Canada justice, the Honourabl ...

as a replacement for Iain Scott. Her research focuses on the field of impaired driving law and alcohol-related civil liability.

Early life and education

Chamberlain was born in Canada to two German, working-class immigrants. She graduated from the

with her law degree in 2001 and began clerking for the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

. During this time, she collaborated with Professor Robert Solomon to compile a comprehensive review of the federal impaired driving legislation for

MADD Canada MADD Canada is the Canadian arm of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Its stated purpose is to stop impaired driving and to support victims. MADD Canada operates public awareness and education programs which focus on preventing impaired driving. Local ...

Career

After clerking for the Supreme Court of Canada, Chamberlain returned to her alma mater, Western Law, as an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

in 2005. In this role, she co-established Western's Tort Law Research Group with Stephen Pitel and Jason Neyers. The aim of the group was to "provide a forum to stimulate further research and greater collaboration in the field of tort law." Two years later, Chamberlain was appointed Associate Dean (Academic) for a three year term. During her first year as Associate Dean, Chamberlain and Solomon worked with MADD again and released "Drug-Impaired Driving in Canada: Review and Recommendations for MADD Canada." She was also awarded a Western Strategic Support for SSHRC Success Bridge grant "Canada's Unique Conception of Fiduciary Relationships" in 2015. In 2017, Chamberlain was appointed to a five-year term as Dean of Law to replace Iain Scott. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Chamberlain was appointed to the seven-person advisory board for the

by Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

. She also published ''Misfeasance in a Public Office'' which she had begun during her time as a law clerk. The book explains the history of this tort and assesses its theoretical justifications and framework.

Personal life

Chamberlain participates in Ironman competitions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Erika Living people Canadian university and college faculty deans Women deans (academic) Canadian legal scholars Women legal scholars Western Law School alumni Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario Law clerks Year of birth missing (living people)