The University of Toronto founded its modern law school in 1949, emphasizing a rigorous academic approach to legal education. This transformation was spearheaded by Cecil "Caesar" Wright, the first 'modern' Dean (1949-1965), alongside his colleagues.

We invite world-renowned academics to share their insights at this annual lecture named after Dean Wright.

Tort as Protector: Common Law in an Age of Regulations

Catherine M. Sharkey

Segal Family Professor of Regulatory Law and Policy
New York University School of Law

Professor Sharkey is a leading authority on torts, products liability, artificial intelligence in federal administrative agencies, public nuisance, punitive damages, and federal preemption of state tort law. She is a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), a member of its Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence in Federal Agencies, author of Algorithmic Tools in Retrospective Review (2023) and co-author of Government by Algorithm: Artificial Intelligence in Federal Administrative Agencies (2020). Sharkey is co-author of Cases and Materials on Torts (13th edition, 2024) and Business, Defamation, and Privacy Torts (1st ed., 2025), and co-editor of Foundations of Tort Law (2nd edition, 2009). She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and an adviser to the Restatement Third, Torts: Liability for Economic Harm and Restatement Third, Torts: Remedies projects.