Dr. Scott Franks

Biography

Scott Franks is an Assistant Professor at the Peter Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. His doctoral research focuses on the judicial construction of Métis legal identity, particularly in the context of Alberta Métis settlements, and he is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Ottawa. Franks has a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from McGill University. His academic work has been supported by several scholarships and fellowships, including the SSHRC Doctoral award and the Law Foundation of British Columbia. He has previously clerked for the Honorable Madam Justice Andromache Karakatsanis at the Supreme Court of Canada and has practiced at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, a national Indigenous rights law firm. His primary research interests include Canadian Aboriginal law, Indigenous legal theory, and critical studies of legal methodology. Franks has contributed to courses on Indigenous Settler Legal Relations, where he engages students in discussions on ethics, legal history, and Aboriginal treaty rights, drawing from landmark cases and contemporary legal challenges.

Research Interests