Profs. Eran Kaplinsky and Malcolm Lavoie co-author reboot of a classic legal text

New edition of Ziff’s Principles now in print

Ben Lof - 12 July 2023

University of Alberta Faculty of Law Professors Eran Kaplinsky and Malcolm Lavoie recently released Ziff’s Principles of Property Law, Eighth Edition (Carswell/Thomson Reuters), the latest offering in the foundational textbook’s long history.

Co-authored with Professor Jane Thomson of the University of New Brunswick, the book continues the legacy of U of A’s Professor Emeritus Bruce Ziff, who wrote the original version of the series that has become the benchmark reference in Canadian courtrooms and property law classrooms.

“It was Professor Ziff’s textbook that introduced me to Canadian property law,” says Kaplinsky. “Bruce created a textbook like no other that elucidates the entire body of law and lays out its rules in the clearest fashion while also situating the institution of property in its social context. I am incredibly honoured to work with my two colleagues Jane Thomson and Malcolm Lavoie and continue Professor Ziff’s work, which has served so many students and practitioners.”

This latest edition includes significant updates reflecting contemporary legislative, jurisprudential and policy developments, as well as new primary and secondary materials from a range of common law jurisdictions.

There is also important new commentary on property under Indigenous legal traditions, land tenure on First Nations reserves, legal protections against expropriation, remedial constructive trust and property in jointly held bank accounts.

Eran Kaplinsky is a professor of Law at the University of Alberta, where he researches and teaches in the areas of property law and planning law.

Malcolm Lavoie is a professor of Law at the University of Alberta, specializing in property law, judicial remedies, federalism and issues of Indigenous land tenure and jurisdiction

Bruce Ziff is a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, where he taught in the areas of property law, property theory and land titles.