Dr. Lionel Smith

Biography

Lionel Smith is a scholar of comparative law, with particular attention to the loyal use of power, the law of property, trusts, succession, fiduciary relations, restitution, and unjust enrichment. He studied zoology and philosophy at the University of Toronto (B.Sc.), and law at the University of Western Ontario (LL.B.), Cambridge University (LL.M., LL.D.), and Oxford (D.Phil., M.A., D.C.L.), as well as civil law at Université de Montréal (LL.B.). He has taught at the University of Alberta, Oxford University, McGill University, and the University of Cambridge, where he holds the Downing Professorship of Laws of England and is the Director of the Cambridge Private Law Centre. Smith’s latest book, 'The Law of Loyalty', published by Oxford University Press in 2023, explores themes of loyalty. He is also the author of 'Law Tracing' and co-author of 'Waters’ Law of Trusts in Canada', among others. He has edited and co-edited several books and special issues in law journals, and has an active presence in research focusing on fundamental comparative private law, including a research agenda on trusts, fiduciary obligations, and unjust enrichment.

Research Interests