David Percy Appointed to the Borden Ladner Gervais Chair in Energy Law and Policy

Posted January 8, 2010

It was announced on January 7, 2010 that Professor David Percy will be the first holder of the Chair in Energy Law and Policy at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law. The Chair is funded by a generous $1.5-million donation from Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG).

The research Chair was created to recognise and strengthen the Faculty of Law’s expertise in energy law and policy.

"I am delighted that David Percy is willing to take on this new role" says Dean Philip Bryden. “His expertise in this area has benefitted not only our students, but government, the energy industry, the legal profession and the public. The Chair in Energy Law and Policy will give him a new platform from which to address issues of vital importance to the well being of our community.”

BLG, the largest full-service Canadian law firm, initiated funding for the chair, “to sustain its commitment to the oil and gas sector by supporting thought leadership, academic excellence and policy development.”

“The Faculty has taught oil and gas law for 50 years. Our first professor in the area, Dr. Andrew Thompson, essentially founded the subject in Canada. In addition the Faculty has a close and continuing connection to the BLG firm,” says Percy. “Its predecessor in Calgary, Howard Mackie, was founded by William Howard and James Mackie, who both graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty Of Law in 1941 and 1952, respectively.”

Both the Faculty of Law and BLG believe that the endowed chair will provide a fertile learning environment for law students, encourage the recruitment of top graduate students and provide cutting edge scholarship that serves the energy sector, and, ultimately, Canadians at large. 

Percy notes that Alberta and Canada will face enormous issues in energy law and policy in the coming decades. He believes that, “the establishment of the BLG Chair will encourage objective research on these issues in the years to come.”

Click here to read the media announcement from BLG.

Click here to view David Percy’s profile.