Maxwell Cohen

Background

Maxwell Cohen was born on March 17, 1910 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Education

Maxwell Cohen was educated at the University of Manitoba (Bachelor of Arts), Northwestern University (Bachelor of Laws) and Harvard University.

Career

Cohen was admitted to the bar in 1939. He began his teaching career at the Faculty of Law of McGill, where he eventually became Dean. He directed McGill's Institute of Air and Space Law from 1962 until 1965, and from 1980-1989 he was Professor of Law and Scholar in Residence at the University of Ottawa. During this time Cohen acted as an adjunct professor at Carleton University where he created the Carleton and Ottawa Universities joint program on strategic studies. He also consulted and published on a wide range of legal questions, including business and labor law, family law and civil liberties.

Achievements

• Maxwell Cohen developed the National Programme which, in its day, uniquely combined the teaching of civil and common law. He also played an important role in reforming Canadian university government and he pioneered in the creation of specialized legal studies institutes. He has been listed as a reputable lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Law and Politics in Space: Specific and Urgent Problems in the Law of Outer Space

Connections

He was married and had a daughter.

Wife:

Isle Alexandra Sternberg

Daughter:

Joanne Sulzenko

References

• Law, Policy, and International Justice: Essays in Honour of Maxwell Cohen Written by distinguished scholars from Canada and abroad, the essays cover topics in four different fields that reflect some of Cohen's principal academic interests and concerns: international law, public law, legal history, and legal education. From discussion of the development of United Nations law in the recent Gulf Conflict, the International Court of Justice, and the Cohen Committee on Hate Propaganda, to habeas corpus and legal education, the essays break new ground and demonstrably add, as Maxwell Cohen has done, to knowledge in their respective fields. The collection contains a preface by former Chief Justice Brian Dickson and essays by Anne Bayefsky, William Black, Irwin Cotler, Dale Gibson, Annemieke Holthuis, Julius Grey, William Kaplan, Louis Knafla, David McDonald, Roderick Macdonald, J.P.S. McLaren, Donald McRae, Edward McWhinney, Donat Pharand, Shabtai Rosenne, Oscar Schachter, Robert Sharpe, and William Stevenson. Maxwell Cohen was a former Dean of Law at McGill University. He is currently Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa. Written by distinguished scholars from Canada and abroad, the essays cover topics in four different fields that reflect some of Cohen's principal academic interests and concerns: international law, public law, legal history, and legal education. From discussion of the development of United Nations law in the recent Gulf Conflict, the International Court of Justice, and the Cohen Committee on Hate Propaganda, to habeas corpus and legal education, the essays break new ground and demonstrably add, as Maxwell Cohen has done, to knowledge in their respective fields. The collection contains a preface by former Chief Justice Brian Dickson and essays by Anne Bayefsky, William Black, Irwin Cotler, Dale Gibson, Annemieke Holthuis, Julius Grey, William Kaplan, Louis Knafla, David McDonald, Roderick Macdonald, J.P.S. McLaren, Donald McRae, Edward McWhinney, Donat Pharand, Shabtai Rosenne, Oscar Schachter, Robert Sharpe, and William Stevenson. Maxwell Cohen was a former Dean of Law at McGill University. He is currently Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa.