Fonds comprises Ronald St. John Macdonald's records regarding his personal, academic, and professional activities as a jurist, judge, and professor. Records include those related to Macdonald's involvement with Osgoode Hall, University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, the European Court of Human Rights, the Hague, Peking University, World Academy of Arts and Science, Canadian Council of International Law, United Nations, Institute of International Law, African Society of International Law, British Institute of International Law, Canadian Institute of International Law, International Law Association, and others. Records types include correspondence; meeting minutes and agendas; research materials; photographs; newsletters; newspaper clippings; manuscripts; and off-prints.

Series comprises correspondence regarding Macdonald's professional and academic involvement with institutions including Osgoode Hall, University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, the European Court of Human Rights, the Hague, Peking University, World Academy of Arts and Science, Canadian Council of International Law, United Nations, Institute of International Law, African Society of International Law, British Institute of International Law, Canadian Institute of International Law, International Law Association, and others. Series also contains correspondence between Ronald St. John Macdonald and individuals including Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, Paul E. Martin, Jean Chrétien, Elisabeth Mann Borgese, Wang Tieya, A. Donat Pharand, and others.

File contains unsorted correspondence with different individuals, including James A. Gibson, Peter MacKinnon, Frank Iacobucci, James C. MacPherson, Allahyar Mouri, Stephen M. Schwebel, Maxwell Cohen, H.W.Arthurs, Emile K.M. Yakpo, Doug Kirkpatrick, Antonio Cassese, Madeleine Proulx, Rudolf Bernhardt, Mohamed Munavvar, Carl-august Fleischhauer, Suse Schwarzenberg, Anne McLellan, Douglas M. Johnston, John Godfrey, Ted McWhinney, Christian Dominice, Edwin A. Goodman, Bill Graham, Michael Oliver, James Otieno Odek, Hugh Paton, Bruce P. Archibald, Jessica Carroll, Juan Antonio Carrillo Salcedo, Ronald S. Wood, Doug McArthur, Charles B. Bournes, Edgar Gold, J.P. Gardner, and others, regarding a wide range of topics. File includes Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific annual report of 1997, Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific newsletter of January 1997, University of Toronto Law School Faculty Council meeting agendas and meeting minutes, World Academy of Art and Science newsletter of March 1993, the British Institute of International and Comparative Law newsletter of January 1991, the American Society of International Law newsletters, the Group of 78 newsletter of May 1993, the African Society of International and Comparative Law newsletter of January 1990, a Dalhousie University Faculty of Law full-time staff contact list of 1973, a photograph of Ronald St. John Macdonald with Maxwell Bruce and an unidentified man in 1999, a photograph of Ronald St. John Macdonald with James Otieno Odek in 1994, an agreement between Canada Live in trust with Doubleday Canada Limited regarding the book "Canada live: English Canada speaks out", newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and other materials.