She holds law degrees from Harvard and Toronto, as well as an undergraduate degree from Harvard. She served as Law Clerk to the Supreme Court of Canada for Chief Justice Brian Dickson, before becoming the Boulton Junior Fellow at the Faculty of Law, McGill University.Professor Shaffer’s principal research and teaching interests concentrate on criminal law, family law and equality issues. She has been chosen several times by the graduating class to receive the Mewett Teaching Award or deliver the “Hail and Farewell” address at convocation.See also Professor Shaffer's SSRN page.