UCalgary Law’s second dean: Setting a new precedent

From 1984 to 1989, Margaret Hughes served as dean of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law, guiding the young institution through a formative period in its history. Her appointment marked a significant milestone in Canadian legal education, as she became the first female law dean in Canada, taking on leadership of a faculty that had already established itself as an innovative voice in legal education.

“The University of Calgary, I think, has always had a pretty well-deserved reputation for being progressive, being merit based in decision making, and being willing to judge on behaviour and results,” said Hughes.

Since its founding in 1976, UCalgary Law had distinguished itself through its practicum-based model, small class sizes, and emphasis on preparing students with practical legal skills. By the mid-1980s, however, it faced new pressures as financial restraint, limited public funding, and a changing employment landscape for graduates raised questions about its future direction.

During her five-year term, Hughes helped guide the Faculty through these challenges while preserving the innovative approach to legal education that had shaped UCalgary Law from its beginning. Despite pressure to reduce costs, particularly by increasing enrolment and class size, and decreasing the practicum component, Hughes and her colleagues continued investing in experiential learning, practice-based education, and new opportunities for growth.

Growing through a period of uncertainty

Rather than scaling back in the face of restraint, Hughes’ tenure was marked by careful, strategic growth. New academic programs were introduced, skills training expanded, and investments in emerging areas, such as computer-assisted legal research, began to take shape.

One of the most significant developments was the creation of a dedicated microcomputer lab in early 1989, a forward-looking initiative that reflected the Faculty’s commitment to preparing students for a rapidly evolving legal field.

At the same time, Hughes helped deepen the faculty’s research capacity and external relationships. The Canadian Institute of Resources Law continued to grow in prominence. In early 1987, after an encouraging feasibility study, the Faculty, in conjunction with the Social Welfare Faculty, established a second interdisciplinary research institute, the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family. These research institutes made significant contributions to national conversations on energy and resource law, family law, and public policy.

Many of these initiatives were supported through external funding, particularly from the Alberta Law Foundation, which played a key role at a time when university resources were limited. According to Hughes, that support enabled the Faculty to expand student learning opportunities, academic programs, and faculty research.

“I would be remiss if I did not mention how important it was for the growth and success of the faculty that we had the on-going support and generous special project funding from the Alberta Law Foundation,” she said. “Everything we wanted to do to fine tune, enhance, and grow the program, required resources that we were not getting through university budgets, and were dependent on external funding.”

Establishing a foundation in energy law

One of the defining milestones of Hughes’ deanship came near the end of her term, when the University of Calgary Board of Governors approved the creation of the Faculty’s first graduate program in Natural Resources and Energy Law.

Developing the program required extensive negotiations with numerous university and government partners, as well as significant fundraising to establish the prerequisite financial foundation.  

“Primarily because of the financial restraints of the university and the province, the Faculty had to commit to mounting any new graduate program without any additional government funding and to raising sufficient endowed funding for graduate scholarships,” she said.

A committee of 18 senior counsel from Calgary law firms supported the fundraising efforts, enabling the faculty to secure the required approvals in April 1989 and accept its first graduate student in September 1989.

The LL.M. program became an important addition to the Faculty’s academic offerings, building on Calgary’s connection to the energy sector and establishing a new area of graduate study that, even today, is closely associated with UCalgary Law.

Life after deanship

After completing her term as dean, Hughes returned to teaching and research at UCalgary Law, where her academic focus shifted from family law to labour and employment law. She became involved with the Industrial Relations Research Group, serving on its executive committee and board of directors for more than a decade and co-chairing the annual Labour Arbitration Conference.

Her growing interest in labour relations also shaped her work beyond the law school. Hughes served for approximately four years as associate vice-president of human resources at the University of Calgary during a period focused on labour negotiations.

In addition to this work, Hughes remained involved in legal education leadership nationally. Through her work with the Canadian Council of Law Deans, where she served as secretary and chair during her deanship, she gained insight into the changing landscape of legal education across the country.

“This was a personal growth opportunity for me to become involved in different things when I finished being dean,” she said. 

Starting in 1990, and for many years following, Hughes taught the legal issues component of the national Senior University Administrators Course (SUAC). Hughes also continued working in labour relations, serving as a part-time member of the Public Service Labour Relations Board and conducting labour arbitrations across Canada.

Looking back on her career, Hughes believes that legal education provides a foundation that can lead to many different career opportunities.

“I think one of the real advantages of a legal education is the solid base it gives one to do so many other things. It's an amazing training ground for analytical thinking, problem solving, research… you can do a great deal with a law degree, if you've got the interest.”