Basil Alexander
Basil Alexander is a legal academic who focuses on the realities of achieving social change and improving society through legal practice, the law, and other approaches. Prior to returning to academia, he was a public interest and social justice lawyer for several years in Toronto. His experience includes litigation, non-profits, and working with Indigenous clients, with his most well-known proceedings being the Ipperwash Inquiry and the early stages of the Toronto G20 class action. He brings corresponding practice informed perspectives to his research, teaching, and other work.
Originally from the GTHA, Professor Alexander will join the Lincoln Alexander School of Law on July 1, 2025 from the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Law, where he served as an Assistant Professor. He also previously taught at Osgoode Hall Law School (York University) and in the Université de Sherbrooke’s Common Law and Transnational Law Program. His teaching quality, approaches, and efforts were particularly recognized when he won both UNB Law’s teaching award and the UNB-wide teaching award for his second- and third-year work there during the COVID-19 pandemic’s more restrictive periods.
Professor Alexander has presented extensively at academic conferences and elsewhere, and his publications include works on cause lawyering, in-house counsel, and demonstrations and peaceful assembly. He also has a considerable history of university and community service, often for extended periods. His current contributions include being the Treasurer, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Information Officer for the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics, as well as serving on the external task force examining “whistleblowing” and reprisal protection legislation for federal public servants.
Throughout his endeavours, Professor Alexander’s goal is to constructively improve outcomes, processes, and organizations in substantive practical ways, such as by finding potential ways forward that account for different perspectives. As shown by his current PhD work at Queen’s Law on cause lawyering, he also works to increase understanding, critical thinking, and connecting issues and experiences with relevant theory and possible approaches.
"The Lincoln Alexander School of Law strongly reflects my own interests and work, particularly understanding, protecting, and improving society, communities, and individuals over time. Given that and the law school’s focus on its pillars, diverse useful skills regardless of career path, and real-world community roles and impacts, it struck me as a special place to make meaningful contributions, including by helping its future lawyers develop and thrive."
