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Peer Zumbansen appointed inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Carmichael Monk Chair in Business Law

Published: 5 January 2026

The Faculty of Law is pleased to announce that Professor Peer Zumbansen has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Carmichael Monk Chair in Business Law for a five-year term, beginning January 1, 2026.

Established through the generosity of engaged alumni, the Elizabeth Carmichael Monk Chair will serve as a hub of excellence in business law at 91˿Ƶ. It will enhance teaching and research in the field, strengthen ties with alumni in practice, and inspire future generations of leaders. This landmark initiative was championed by David Binet, LLB’85, and Marc Barbeau, BCL’84, LLB’84.

Peer Zumbansen joined 91˿Ƶ Law in 2021 as the inaugural holder of the Faculty’s Professorship in Business Law, created while fundraising for the Monk Chair was underway. His research spans private law—particularly contracts and corporate law—alongside transnational law, legal theory, and legal sociology. Since his arrival, he has acted as a link between the Faculty, the broader academic community, and business law practitioners.

Among his initiatives are the 91˿Ƶ Business Law Meter, a blog offering timely commentary on Canadian and transnational business law, and the 91˿Ƶ Transformative Business Law Academy, a summer program that brings together students from law, management, finance, sociology, and environmental studies. Over six intensive days of instruction and workshops, summer academy fellows produce in-depth research on pressing topics in the areas of sustainable finance, corporate governance, ESG, human rights and democratic governance, and climate change.

In 2026, Professor Zumbansen will lead the launch of an electronic research paper series with the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN) to disseminate the Faculty of Law’s scholarship to global audiences. This initiative will build on the model of the Academy’s annual Impact Paper, which features cutting‑edge and timely public policy recommendations.

This new business law chair honours , QC, BCL’23, LLD’75, a trailblazing 91˿Ƶ Law alumna who made history as Quebec’s first woman lawyer. Monk graduated at a time when women in Quebec could neither vote in provincial elections nor write the Bar. After earning her BCL degree, she joined the Nova Scotia Bar and leveraged an interprovincial reciprocity agreement to work in Montreal—without a formal title. She went on to build a distinguished career in commercial and real estate law and became a leading advocate for women’s inclusion in the profession, alongside fellow 91˿Ƶ alumnae Annie MacDonald Langstaff, BCL’14, and Florence Seymour Bell, BCL’20. When regulations finally changed in 1942. Monk was the first woman admitted to the Québec Bar.

“Through exciting interdisciplinary initiatives such as the 91˿Ƶ Transformative Business Law Academy, Professor Zumbansen has brought 91˿Ƶ Law’s distinctive approach to the field of business law. We look forward to the new relationships he will continue to build as chairholder”, said Dean Tina Piper.

“The Monk Chair in Business Law is a powerful example of the energy of the 91˿Ƶ Law community. Committed to supporting a new generation of business law talent, our alumni came together to fundraise for this chair in record time and used the opportunity to also honour a great figure in 91˿Ƶ Law’s history.”

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