Caption (L to R): Associate Professor James Muir, Assistant Professor Cameron Jefferies, and Professor Cameron Hutchison with their new books.
From the first days of research to the final rounds of copy-editing, publishing a book is no mean feat. The process may take years of hard work, so it's only fitting that there's a party at the end. In that spirit, on November 2, colleagues, friends, and family of Cameron Hutchison, Cameron Jefferies, and James Muir joined members of the Edmonton legal community at the Faculty Club for a reception to celebrate the publication of the professors' new books. The reception was an opportunity for the professors to say a few words about their book projects and for colleagues, family, and friends to offer congratulations.
Prof. Hutchison's Digital Copyright Law (Irwin Law, 2016) is a comprehensive treatment of this fast-developing area of Canadian law. The book assesses the developing law against an interpretive methodology that seeks to rationalize rights, and brings coherence to the Copyright Act, in the face of challenging digital facts. Included in this methodology is a detailed analysis of the meaning and applicability of the principle of technological neutrality.
Prof. Jefferies' Marine Mammal Conservation and the Law of the Sea (Oxford University Press, 2016) addresses one of international environmental law's most pressing and controversial areas. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the book explores the current regulatory landscape for marine mammal conservation and a comprehensive picture of the modern threats to marine mammals.
Prof. Muir's Law, Debt, and Merchant Power: The Civil Courts of 18th Century Halifax (University of Toronto Press, 2016) takes the reader back in time to a place where debt litigation - among people of all classes - was commonplace. The book, which analyzes civil cases of the period and the reasons for their frequency, demonstrates how important the law was for people's business affairs and how they fashioned it to suit their own needs.