Mr. J. Donald Mawhinney, who graduated from law school in 1954, was a highly respected and well-known member of the legal community. After graduating with his LL.B., Mr. Mawhinney articled with Ladner Downs (now Borden Ladner Gervais LL.P.). He became an associate in 1955, a partner in 1959, and acted as Managing Partner of the firm from 1976 to 1978. In 1980, he joined Howard J. Kellough, Q.C., to establish Mawhinney & Kellough. Over a ten year period, Mawhinney & Kellough grew to become a firm of 28 lawyers whose primary focus was business law. In the 1990's this firm merged with Fraser Milner Casgrain LL.P. Mr. Mawhinney served as a Vice-Chairman of the firm and Chairman of the Management Committee of the Vancouver office until 1994. Mr. Mawhinney was a firm believer in community service and served as vice-chair and then chairman of University and Shaughnessy Hospitals.
In 2006, his friends, family and colleagues raised more than $200,000 to establish a lectureship in honor of Mr. Mawhinney and his dedication to ensuring the very highest standards of ethics and technical expertise in practice. Each year the J. Donald Mawhinney Lectureship in Professional Ethics brings an individual from the judiciary, the practice of law or academia to the law school for two lectures focused on professional ethics, one for the profession, and one for students.