Isabel Grant

Isabel Grant is a Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law, specializing in criminal law, with a focus on violence against women, sexual assault, homicide, and mental health law. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and Yale Law School, and served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Estey. Her research addresses gender-based violence, disability rights, and the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on legal frameworks. Grant has contributed to over 80 scholarly works and co-leads an SSHRC-funded project on sexual assault law reforms. She teaches courses on criminal law, sentencing, and mental health law.

Grant’s work emphasizes feminist and disability justice perspectives, challenging systemic inequalities through litigation interventions in over 20 Supreme Court of Canada cases. Her recent scholarship critiques Bill C-7’s expansion of MAiD eligibility, arguing it entrenches ableism. Awards include the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship, UBC’s Killam Teaching Prize, and the 2025 University Killam Professor designation, UBC’s highest academic honor.

Her research interests span criminal justice reform, gender and sexuality law, and the intersection of disability and legal rights. She collaborates with feminist and disability advocacy groups to shape policy and judicial outcomes. Key areas of focus include the ‘rough sex’ defense, consent frameworks, and sentencing disparities in intimate partner violence cases.