Barbara Billingsley, BA, LLB, LLM (Alberta)

Area of Study / Keywords

Insurance law Constitutional law Litigation process Access to justice Class actions Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

About

Professor Barbara Billingsley was dean of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law from 2020 to 2024, the first woman appointed to this position. As dean, she oversaw significant renovations to the Law Centre and substantial renewal of faculty members and staff. She also led the faculty through the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and through the university’s re-organization under the University of Alberta for Tomorrow initiative. 

A proud U of A graduate, Billingsley earned her bachelor of arts, LLB and LLM from the university in 1987, 1990 and 1995, respectively. Between graduating and joining the Faculty of Law, she practised civil litigation in Edmonton, primarily in the area of insurance defence. She also has a long history of teaching and researching at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law,  serving as a sessional instructor starting in 1996 and becoming a full-time faculty member in 2001.

As a researcher and instructor, Billingsley is focused on insurance law, civil litigation processes and constitutional law issues impacting private law matters. She is the author of numerous books, chapters, reports and academic articles and is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the Faculty of Law Hon. Tevie H. Miller Teaching Excellence Award, the University of Alberta Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Law Society of Alberta / Canadian Bar Association Distinguished Service Award for Legal Scholarship. 

Books:

B. Billingsley, General Principles of Canadian Insurance Law, 3rd Edition, (Markham, Ontario: LexisNexis Canada, 2020). [1st edition 2008; 2nd edition 2014].

The Civil Litigation Process: Cases and Materials, 8th ed. (co-edited with Janet Walker, gen. ed. et al.) (Toronto: Emond Montgomery, 2016).

Halsbury’s Laws of Canada, Insurance, 1st ed. (contributing editor)(Markham, Ontario: LexisNexis Canada, 2010).

Recent chapters in edited collections:

“Emerging Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and the Insured’s Duty of Disclosure”, Proceedings of the III International Insurance Congress, October 6-8, 2021, (2022).

“Insurance & Discrimination in Canadian Law”, in AIDA Europe Research Series on Insurance Law & Regulation 5 – Insurance & Human Rights, (M. L. Rego & B. Kuscheke (eds)), (Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2022).

Ed., “Special Issue: Insurance Law”, (February, 2013) 50:3 Alta Law Rev.

“Walking the Tightrope: The Struggle of Canadian Courts to Define Freedom of Religion Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”, in Freedom of Religion under Bills of Rights, (P. Babie and Neville Rochow (eds), in conjunction with the University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion, University of Adelaide Press, 2012).

Recent journal articles and case comments:

“Introduction: Symposium in Honour of Bruce Ziff” (2023) 61:1 Alberta Law Review 65-67.

“Litigation Privilege in the Supreme Court of Canada: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?”, (2021) 102 Supreme Court Law Review (2d) 435-451. (Also published in C. O’Doherty, ed., The Charles D. Gonthier Fellowship 20th Anniversary Collection (CIAJ/LexisNexis: 2021).

*(with Justice June Joss) “Reflections on Justice Jean E.L. Côté’s Contributions to the Law of Civil Procedure”, (2019) 56: 4 Alta Law Rev 1-11.

*“Reasonable &  Expected? The Evolution of the Doctrine of Reasonable Expectations as a Principle of Insurance Contract Interpretation in Supreme Court Jurisprudence”, Supreme Court Law Rev (2019) 89 S.C.L.R. (2d) 253-281.

“Subrogation, Bankruptcy and the Name Game: The Ontario Court of Appeal’s Decision in Douglas v. Stan Fergusson Fuels Ltd.”, (July, 2018) 36:4 Can. J. Ins. L. 45-53.

LAW 452 - Civil Procedure

The fundamentals of the traditional litigation process (under the Rules of Court and applicable statutes) and current issues including access and reform.

LAW 519 - Insurance Law

General principles affecting insurance contracts including good faith, indemnity, subrogation, and insurable interest; particular problems arising out of the Alberta Insurance Act in relation to automobile, life and fire insurance.

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