It is my pleasure to congratulate Ms. Karen Schucher on successfully defending her dissertation “Coercing Justice? Exploring the ‘Aspirations and Practice’ of Law as a Tool in Struggles against Social Inequalities” on October 29th. 2014. Karen is a full-time faculty member who teaches in both our Paralegal diploma and degree programs.

Karen’s dissertation explores the history of human rights legislation and its enforcement in Ontario, from the fair practices statutes passed in the 1940s and 1950s through the 2006 overhaul of the enforcement system. This overhaul established “direct access” to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and eliminated the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s complaints-resolution role. The dissertation focuses on questions about the role of legislated norms and legal enforcement processes as tools in struggles against social inequality, in general, and discrimination, in particular.

Karen’s supervisor is Prof. Mary Jane Mossman, who is a Professor of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. Prof. Mossman is a leading scholar in a number of law and social inequality areas, including access to justice and legal aid, feminist legal theory, and women and the law/legal professions. Prof. Mossman has also been involved in a wide range of professional and community activities, including on a variety of issues relating to legal aid and access to justice. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Medal of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Award of Excellence of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, a Canadian Bar Association (Ontario) Distinguished Service Award, and the annual award of the Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped.

Karen’s PhD is in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Not surprising, Karen’s dissertation was passed with no revisions, and with a recommendation that it be this year’s Osgoode Hall Law School nomination for a York University dissertation prize.

Karen is a passionate professor who has taught in the Business School since 2003. Congratulations Karen on successfully defending your dissertation.

Alvina Cassiani, Ph.D.
Dean, The Business School