Prof. Joanna Harrington receives CBA/LSA Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship

Professor Joanna Harrington was named the 2022 recipient of the Canadian Bar Association Award - Alberta Branch/Law Society of Alberta Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship.

The Distinguished Service Awards are a prestigious recognition of the outstanding contributions made by lawyers in Alberta. Harrington was selected for “her dedication, creativity, initiative, achievement and contribution to legal scholarship.”

“As a renowned and prolific scholar in the areas of public international law, international organizations, international human rights law and transnational criminal law, Professor Harrington is a most worthy recipient of this award,” said Dean Billingsley.

Harrington expressed heartfelt thanks for the award, and for the Alberta legal profession’s longstanding recognition of the value of legal scholarship.

“As one who writes about the practical utility of international law — from protecting rights to securing accountability for the commission of cross-border crimes — I am so appreciative of this award’s recognition of public international law as an integral part of Canadian legal life and practice,” said Harrington.

Harrington, who holds a PhD in law from the University of Cambridge, has been a law professor for over 20 years. Her work has been widely published in law journals and edited collections. She is also a co-author of International Law: Doctrine, Practice, and Theory, a leading textbook used by students throughout Canada, and serves as the assistant editor for The Canadian Yearbook of International Law. She was associate dean with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research from 2010-2015.

Harrington’s research and teaching have earned her a long list of accolades over the years — most recently, the Canadian Council on International Law Scholarly Paper Award (2019), and the Faculty’s Eldon Foote Chair in International Business and Law (2020).

Harrington has shared her expertise extensively outside of the academy as well. She has served as a federal human rights commissioner with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (2018-2021), and as the scholar-in-residence at Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (now Global Affairs Canada). In addition, Harrington has twice served as a member of Canada’s official delegation to the UN General Assembly and has represented Canada at the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties.

As the recipient of a CBA/LSA Distinguished Service Award, Harrington continues the Faculty’s tradition of being honoured for the quality and impact of its legal scholarship.