Tamara Buckwold, an authority on commercial law and contracts, is the 2019 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship from the Canadian Bar Association Alberta branch and the Law Society of Alberta.
The award honours the extensive work in scholarly service and law reform, as well as in research and award-winning teaching, that the University of Alberta Faculty of Law professor has provided her profession.
"This award recognizes not only Tamara's scholarly work in the academy but also her extensive contributions over many years in making scholarship and research accessible and useful for the judiciary and for the broader profession. Her scholarly service contributions to the Legal Education Society of Alberta and in law reform efforts, as well as to other organizations, are notable for their length, breadth and impact," said Paul Paton, dean of the Faculty.
Professor Buckwold's extensive law reform efforts include her leading role in projects of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada and the Alberta Law Reform Institute, which addressed reform of the antiquated law of fraudulent conveyances and fraudulent preferences through adoption of a proposed new statute.
She also worked on reform of the Personal Property Security Act, and has written other reports for the Uniform Law Conference of Canada and the Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan.
Her academic publications emphasize clarity and coherence in commercial and contract law. Her co-authoured text, Debt Recovery in Alberta, was written with UAlberta Law Professor Emeritus Richard (Dick) Dunlop to explain the comprehensive new system of judgment enforcement law introduced by Alberta's Civil Enforcement Act. She also contributed chapters in Canada's leading contracts casebook.
Buckwold is a zealous teacher. As a legal scholar, she has made a point of ensuring her research is accessible to law students, practising lawyers, academics and the judiciary.
She has been heavily involved in continuing legal education through her work with the Legal Education Society of Alberta (serving as board chair, vice-chair and board member, as well as chair and presenter for LESA seminars), and through programs of the Canadian Bar Association and the National Judicial Institute.
Alongside Professors Rod Wood and Anna Lund, she was a co-organizer of the 2018 Commercial Law Symposium hosted by UAlberta Law, which invited members of Alberta's legal profession and judiciary to engage with commercial law academics from across Canada.
"I think it's critically important that people within a law school maintain a strong connection with members of the profession, to ensure that lawyers are very well-equipped to provide excellent service to the public," Buckwold said.
"My work, like that of my colleagues, has been enriched by the support and engagement of the profession and that connection makes this award particularly meaningful."
Buckwold will receive her 2019 Distinguished Service Award on February 5 at the Westin Edmonton.