'An unprecedented opportunity'

From September 20 to 24, Dal News presents a series of profiles of new folks on campus. Today, Dal News introduces you to Kim Brooks, dean of the Schulich School of Law.

Kim Brooks, Dean at the Schulich School of Law. (Nick Pearce Photo)

“I could imagine calling it home.” That was the vibe that Kim Brooks had when she came to Halifax to interview for dean of the Schulich School of Law, a position she was offered, accepted and officially assumed on July 1.

Specializing in tax law, Ms. Brooks comes to Dalhousie after working in the Faculty of Law at McGill, where she held the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in Law of Taxation. She has also taught at Queen's and UBC, and prior to that was a practicing tax lawyer.

“There’s a lot that is really exciting about Dalhousie and the Schulich School of Law in particular,” says Ms. Brooks, a native of Saskatchewan who grew up in Southern Ontario. “You feel like you can get to know people in other departments, and in terms of the interdisciplinary aspirations of students and scholars, it’s a really wonderful attribute.”

With significant experience in curriculum reform and strategic planning, Ms. Brooks is looking forward to working with her colleagues to help build upon the storied history of the law school. She hopes to have a conversation about the direction of legal education, not only at Dalhousie but locally, nationally and internationally.

“This is a place where people have a long sense of the tradition of the school, but are non-traditional in their approach to law,” she says. “In light of the Schulich gift, the faculty has an unprecedented opportunity to think about its commitments and take a stand for the shape of legal education.”

“I see my job here as helping us have that conversation as a community – the faculty, staff, students, alumni and those in the broader legal community – to decide what we see as the future of legal education. I think that is a fun conversation to be part of.”

While admitting her work and personal time often meld together, Ms. Brooks is looking forward to exploring the province's many beautiful beaches, festivals and getting to know the best places to get things in the city. “Finding the best cinnamon buns, the perfect pepperoni, those kinds of weekend things.”

“I love Halifax,” she says. “But more than that, when you work at the law school you feel like you’re living in three or four provinces, so I find myself reading about not only what to do in Halifax, but Sydney, Yarmouth, St. John, Charlottetown and trying to get a sense of all the different places at the same time.” 

Brooks graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Laws from UBC and a Master of Laws (Taxation) from Osgoode Hall at York University. In addition to having received a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, she has served as President of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, managing editor/secretary of the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, co-chair of the National Steering Committee of the National Association of Women and the Law, editor of Women and Gender Law Abstracts (SSRN) and chair of the Board of Directors of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund.