Ontario Court of Justice Joanna Harris, one of two inaugural Doctor of Juridical Science Program students, will defend her dissertation at the University of Miami School of Law on Monday, March 24. Harris will present her research and findings to a committee of three child welfare scholars, two from Miami Law, Professors Bernard Perlmutter and Kele Stewart, and Dr. Rachel Birnbaum, a Professor at the King’s University College, School of Social Work, at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Harris is the first SJD candidate to defend her dissertation.
After Harris defends the dissertation, she will deliver a public address about her project to the Miami Law community at 5:30 p.m. in Room F108.
The dissertation, “Courthouse Shadows: Children’s Participation and Effective Representation within Child Protection Proceedings in Ontario, Canada,” is an intensive review of current scholarship, research, and legal doctrine concerning children’s participation and legal representation in Ontario. The dissertation also incorporates comparisons to U.S. and international law and an empirical study of the benefits of counsel based on structured interviews with former foster children in Florida and Ontario, Canada.
Additionally, the dissertation examines several hundred court decisions in child protection proceedings in Ontario and critiques the lack of consistent legal representation for children in these cases. It demonstrates that hearings in which lawyers represent children result in decisions that consider children’s views, reduce their time in foster care, encourage them to remain in contact with siblings, and enable them to obtain services and benefits that improve their lives in foster care.
“This is the first in-depth study of Ontario child protection case law, persuasively demonstrating through multiple research methodologies the negative legal consequences for children who do not participate in these proceedings, and the benefits of having counsel to zealously advocate for their legal interests,” said Perlmutter, Harris’s dissertation advisor and chair of the dissertation committee.
Harris was an experienced child welfare lawyer in Canada when she enrolled in the SJD Program in 2022. Since returning to Canada, she has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto, Ontario.
The SJD Program started in the fall of 2022 and is designed for law scholars and teachers. It is often obtained by international attorneys pursuing academic or high-ranking governmental careers in their home countries. The SJD is the highest level of law degree. The mission of the SJD program is to produce graduates who are prepared to become leaders in international academic, judicial, and public service communities.
Read more about the Doctor of Juridical Science Program at Miami Law.
