Academic Qualifications: 

 Master of Laws – Peter A. Allard School of Law

 Master of Social Work – School of Social Work, University of BC

 Bachelor of Laws – Peter A. Allard School of Law

 Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) – University of Victoria

 Research Interests:

 Joan Braun's research and teaching interests focus on elder law, criminal law, human rights law and alternate dispute resolution. Her academic research explores how laws address social and legal issues relevant to older adults. A current research focus is on legal issues that arise in the context of elder abuse and legal issues that arise in the criminal and civil context when an older adult has dementia. Examples of current projects include: A project examining court cases where advanced age of the victim is cited as an aggravating factor in sentencing and a project that examines questions related to mental (in)capacity in situations of abuse and neglect.

 

 Date Joined Lakehead: August 2020

 Current Courses Taught: Criminal Law, Alternate Dispute Resolution and Elder Law

 Previous Teaching/ Work:

 Prior to her doctoral studies Professor Braun worked as a mediator in private practice and as a lawyer in the social justice sector. In the latter role, she founded western Canada’s first community legal clinic for older adults at the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support (province wide program). She also has served as the chair of the national executive for the Canadian Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and is currently serving as a member-at-large for the Canadian Bar Association's Elder Law National Executive and as co-chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution’s (ACR) Elder Mediation Section. In 2015 - 2016 she was appointed as the ACR representative to a task force that oversaw the development of a new ADR model for resolving guardianship and advanced planning disputes. This model, called Eldercaring Coordination, has been implemented in the courts in several states. Her previous teaching includes courses in public law at the University of Northern BC and restorative justice at the University of the Fraser Valley.

 Select Publications:

Joan Braun, “Preventing Harm to Vulnerable Older Adults: A Social Justice Perspective” (2021) 36:6 Researchon Social Work Practice 561 (Peer-reviewed)..

Joan Braun, “Legal Interventions to Protect Vulnerable Adults: Does Relational Autonomy Provide a New Way Forward?” (2020) 12: 2 Elder Law Review (Peer-reviewed).

Joan Braun, “Elder Mediation: Promising Approaches and Potential Pitfalls” (2012) 7 Elder Law Review (Peer-reviewed).

 Joan Braun, “Elder Guardianship Mediation: Threat or Benefit to Abuse Victims? (2012) 7 International Perspectives on Victimology 27 (Peer-reviewed).

 

Head and shoulders photo of Professor Braun.

Joan Braun

Assistant Professor

Department: 
Bora Laskin Faculty of Law
Email: 
jbraun2@lakeheadu.ca
Office Hours: 
Tuesday 12:15 – 1:00 pm and Wednesday from 7:00 - 7:45 pm in my office or by appointment.
Academic Qualifications: 

PhD Candidate - Peter A. Allard School of Law

Master of Laws – Peter A. Allard School of Law

Master of Social Work – School of Social Work, University of BC

Bachelor of Laws – School of Law, University of BC

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) – University of Victoria

Date joined Lakehead: 
August 2020
Previous Teaching/Work: 

Prior to her doctoral studies Professor Braun worked as a mediator in private practice and as a lawyer in the social justice sector. In the latter role, she founded western Canada’s first community legal clinic for older adults (province wide program) at the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support. She previously served as the chair of the national executive for the Canadian Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and is currently serving as a member-at-large on the Canadian Bar Association's National Elder Law Section Executive and as the co-chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution’s (ACR) Elder Mediation Section. In 2015 - 2016 she was appointed as the ACR representative to a task force that oversaw the development of a new ADR model for resolving guardianship and advanced planning disputes. This model, called Eldercaring Coordination, has been implemented in the courts in several states. Her previous teaching includes courses in public law at the University of Northern BC and restorative justice at the University of the Fraser Valley

Research Interests: 

Professor Braun’s research focuses on elder law, criminal law, human rights law and alternate dispute resolution. It explores how laws address social and legal issues relevant to older adults. A current research focus is on legal issues that arise in the context of elder abuse and legal issues that arise in the criminal and civil context when an older adult has dementia. Examples of current projects are: a project examining court cases where the court references advanced age as an aggravating factor in sentencing and a project examining mental (in)capacity in the context of abuse and neglect. 

Current Courses Taught: Criminal Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Elder Law

Select Publications:

Joan Braun, “Preventing Harm to Vulnerable Older Adults: A Social Justice Perspective” (2021) 36:6 Research on Social Work Practice 561 (Peer-reviewed).

Joan Braun, “Legal Interventions to Protect Vulnerable Adults: Does Relational Autonomy Provide a New Way Forward?” (2020) 12: 2 Elder Law Review (Peer-reviewed).

Joan Braun, “Elder Mediation: Promising Approaches and Potential Pitfalls” (2012) 7 Elder Law Review (Peer-reviewed).

Joan Braun, “Elder Guardianship Mediation: Threat or Benefit to Abuse Victims? (2012) 7 International Perspectives on Victimology 27 (Peer-reviewed).