Toby Goldbach

Toby Goldbach is an Assistant Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. She holds a B.A. from McGill, J.D. and LL.M. in ADR from Osgoode Hall, and LL.M. and J.S.D. from Cornell Law School. Her research focuses on legal procedure, law and development, and legal anthropology, particularly the transnational movement of norms related to court procedure and dispute resolution. She has served as a Senior Law Clerk at Ontario’s Superior Court and worked at the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Civil Justice Policy branch. Dr. Goldbach is co-chair of the Law and Society Association’s Collaborative Research Network on Innovations in Judging and a former UBC Green College Leading Scholar (2018–2020).

Educations:

• B.A., McGill University
• J.D., Osgoode Hall Law School
• LL.M. in ADR, Osgoode Hall Law School
• LL.M., Cornell Law School
• J.S.D., Cornell Law School

Her research explores intersections between legal systems globally, including projects on Ghana’s commercial courts, U.S. class action settlements, and Indigenous legal frameworks in Canada. Key themes include judicial decision-making, legal transplantation, and the role of law in social change. Recent work addresses the need for Indigenous representation on the Supreme Court of Canada to strengthen legal legitimacy and reconciliation efforts.

Awards:

• UBC Green College Leading Scholar (2018–2020)
• Rudolf B. Schlesinger Research Fellowship

Dr. Goldbach’s advisory and grants include collaborations with the World Bank, International Organization for Judicial Training, and the Supreme Court of Israel. She is affiliated with UBC’s Centre for Feminist Legal Studies and actively contributes to debates on legal reform, accessibility, and Indigenous justice.