Professor Dr. Catharine Macmillan

Biography

Catharine MacMillan joined the Dickson Poon School of Law in 2016 as a Professor of Private Law. In September 2023, she was appointed Vice-Dean for Academic Staffing at the same institution. Previously, she has held positions as Reader in Legal History at Queen Mary University of London and as Professor of Law at the University of Reading. Her initial interest in private law has expanded over time to include modern legal history. Before entering academia, she practiced law in Vancouver, specializing in private law litigation. Additionally, Catharine has served as Vice President of the Society of Legal Scholars and Treasurer of the Selden Society. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London and an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Her research encompasses the development of English private law during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a particular focus on historical analysis of contemporary private legal doctrines like frustration, mistake, and unconscionability. Currently, she is engaged in writing a legal biography of Judah Benjamin, analyzing the significance of individual legal developments in English common law and the concepts in legal jurisdictions. Catharine has published extensively and has taken part in numerous speaking engagements regarding her research.

Research Interests

Experience