Willis, John

John Willis taught at Dalhousie Law School during the 1930s and 1940s, one of a generation of young scholars who challenged established legal thought under such banners as sociological jurisprudence, the socialization of law, and realism. Born in England in 1907, Willis was educated at Winchester and Oxford, graduating with a double first in classics and jurisprudence. In 1933, after studying at Harvard, he arrived at Dalhousie Law School for a one-year teaching contract. With the exception of a few years in practice and working at the International Monetary Fund, his life was spent teaching law at Dalhousie, York University, University of British Columbia, and University of Toronto, where he helped to re-imagine and reconstruct its law school. Following his retirement in 1980, Willis lived in Annapolis Royal until his death on June 16, 1997.