Rate My Professor Vincent Kazmierski

Vincent Kazmierski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University, where he has taught since 2005. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from McGill University, an LL.B. from Dalhousie University, and an S.J.D. from the University of Toronto, and is a member of the Bar of Ontario. Prior to his academic career, Kazmierski interned at the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and worked at the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic, contributing to the team representing the claimant in R. v. S. (R.D.). He served as a law clerk to Justice Beverley McLachlin at the Supreme Court of Canada and practiced civil, commercial, administrative, and constitutional litigation as an associate at a national law firm, including work on Dunmore v. Ontario (Attorney General).

Kazmierski’s research focuses on three main areas: the operation of unwritten constitutional principles in Canadian constitutional law and their role in democratic accountability; the effectiveness of access to government information legislation; the role of law in the inclusion or exclusion of persons with disabilities; and approaches to teaching in undergraduate interdisciplinary legal studies programs. He has received the Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Excellence Award in 2010, the Carleton University Teaching Achievement Award in 2012, and the Provost’s Fellowship in Teaching in 2014. His publications include articles such as “Untethered”: How the majority decision in Toronto (City) v Ontario tries (but fails) to break away from the Supreme Court of Canada’s unwritten constitutional principle Jurisprudence (2023), “Taking One Step Forward, Preventing Two Steps Back: Applying Criminal Lawyers’ Association to Invalidate Extreme Legislative Restrictions on Access to Government Information” (2018), and “How Much Law in Legal Studies? Approaches to Teaching ‘Legal’ Research and Doctrinal Analysis in a Legal Studies Program” (2014), as well as co-authored works and contributions to edited volumes on legal studies and Canada’s legal system. He has also co-edited multiple editions of Introduction to Legal Studies.