The Law Society offered the first Special Lectures in 1943 as a legal refresher course for lawyers returning from military service in the Second World War. The Special Lectures have since become a regular highlight in the Law Society's Continuing Professional Development calendar.

These Special Lectures, Canada at 150: The Charter and the Constitution, mark a return to a discussion of our Constitution, which is particularly apt in this anniversary year. Constitutional law was the subject of Special Lectures in 1978 and 2000 (in conjunction with administrative law), and a fresh look at this important topic is timely. This year's program brought together national and international experts to share ideas and perspectives on a range of issues in which the law has developed quite dramatically, even since 2000. Topics included developments in Indigenous and criminal law, privacy, human rights, and employment law, as well as commentary on constitutional cases that helped to shape Canada as a nation.