Contact
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law
- azar.mahmoudi@ualberta.ca
- Address
-
448A Law Centre
8820 - 111 St NWEdmonton ABT6G 2H5
Overview
Area of Study / Keywords
Commercial Law Anti-Corruption law Behavioral Law and Economics Oil and Gas Law Corporate Social Responsibility International Human Rights
About
Dr. Azar Mahmoudi is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta. She brings an interdisciplinary background in law, sociology, and behavioral economics to her teaching and research. Dr. Mahmoudi holds a Doctor of Civil Law from McGill University, where she examined the role of anti-corruption clauses in petroleum contracts and their influence on corporate governance and compliance. She also holds LL.M. degrees from McGill University and the University of Richmond, Virginia, with a focus on corruption and international sanctions regimes, as well as undergraduate degrees in Law and Sociology from the University of Tehran, Iran.
Before joining the University of Alberta, Dr. Mahmoudi taught international human rights law and development studies at McGill University and contributed to empirical research on corruption and correctional governance in South Africa.
Research
Dr. Mahmoudi’s research lies at the intersection of corporate and commercial law, anti-corruption law, and law and economics. Her work examines how legal frameworks and contractual mechanisms can be designed to enhance accountability and compliance, particularly in high-risk industries such as oil and gas. Her current research continues to develop behavioral and empirical approaches to anti-corruption, exploring how legal design can nudge corporate actors toward ethical conduct.
In addition to her focus on the extractive sector, she is expanding her research to include the impact of institutional corruption on marginalized populations, including incarcerated women in Canada and South Africa. Her work draws on legal theory, behavioral science, and international human rights standards to inform both academic and policy-oriented discussions on transparency, justice, and systemic reform.
Teaching
At the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, Dr. Mahmoudi teaches:
Corporate Social Responsibility
Commercial Transactions
Judgment Enforcement
Her teaching reflects her commitment to integrating doctrinal knowledge with policy relevance, global perspectives, and practical tools for navigating complex legal environments. She is especially interested in developing innovative, interdisciplinary courses that address corporate accountability, compliance systems, and legal responses to corruption and inequality.
Courses
LAW 455 - Legal Seminar
Legal Seminars present diverse perspectives on the law and legal systems, including topics such as jurisprudence, legal history, legal theory, justice and human rights, within one or more legal traditions. Evaluation will be based primarily on written work. Students may take multiple sections of the course with the approval of the Vice Dean.
LAW 514 - Judgment Enforcement Law
The law governing the enforcement of judgments by unsecured creditors. Will provide an in-depth analysis of the Civil Enforcement Act of Alberta. Topics include prejudgment remedies, registration and priority of writs, enforcement against personal property, enforcement against land, garnishment and distribution. Will also cover fraudulent conveyances and preferences..
LAW 585 - Commercial Transactions
Commercial law is the body of law that governs commercial dealings between business entities. This course explores the legal rules and principles that govern four highly significant types of commercial transactions. Sales law deals with the implied terms, passage of property and other related issues under a contract for the sale of goods. Negotiable instruments law covers cheques, bills of exchange and promissory notes. Securities transfer law deals with both direct and indirect holding systems for the holding and transferring of shares bonds and other forms of investment property. The law of guarantees deals with contractual undertakings to answer to another person's default.