McGill University downtown campus in the fall

The Wainwright Chair in Civil Law

About the Wainwright Chair and the Wainwright Fund

Me. Arnold Wainwright, Q.C. bequeathed the residue of his estate to McGill University to promote the research and advancement of civil law at McGill's Faculty of Law.

Me. Wainwright taught civil law at the Faculty of Law of McGill from 1909 until 1934, after which he was named professor emeritus. In 1963, the University presented him with a doctorate of civil law honoris causa in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the legal profession and to scholarship in civil law.

To honour the remarkable contributions of this eminent Quebec jurist, the Faculty of Law of McGill University established the Wainwright Chair. Prof. Paul-André Crépeau was appointed as inaugural chairholder in 1975.

The University also established the Wainwright Fund, which promotes research and teaching in civil, comparative, and transnational law at McGill. It also provides financial assistance to student mooting, and to the McGill Gelber Law Library.

News and Current Projects

McGill University downtown campus on McTavish Street

American Society of Comparative Law's 2025 Annual Meeting

Medieval scene of woman beside two monks tending to two children standing with three men

"The Roots of ‘Charity’ in the Western Legal Tradition:" LCC Project "Charity and Law in Canada"

Seven McGill Students and winners of the 2025 Mignault Moot hold a trophy in front of curtains

The Mignault Moot

Pantheon Sorbonne, plenary panel of four researchers

The International Academy of Comparative Law at 100: The ‘Young Discipline’ of Comparative Law

Articles

2 May 2025

In November 2024, the International Academy of Comparative Law (IACL) held its Centennial and 5th Thematic Congress at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-S

29 Apr 2025

On February 14th, McGill Law students Lara Kassem, Mario Michas, Amélie Delage and Xavier Lévesque represented the Faculty at the 2025 Mignault Moot in Quebec City, at Laval University’s Cercle Universitaire.

Back to top