Profiles

"His favorite client was Harkley Haywood, which sold all manner of hunting and fishing gear," remembers Bryan Baynham, Q.C. "No one received better service nor paid less for their legal advice than the owners of Harkley Haywood." 

Terence Crosby O'Brien, or Terry to friends, spent his whole career at Harper Grey LLP (which at the time he was hired for articles was known as Harper, Gilmore, Grey, de Vooght, Levis, van der Hoop, MacKinnon, and Pyper). He practiced general corporate-commercial solicitor work there until his retirement in 1999. 

Benjamin Benito Trevino, QC, the greatest lawyer, cook, gardener and fly fisherman ever to come from Brownsville, Texas, Nimpo Lake and, soon, Furry Creek, B.C., is about to become our next Treasurer. He almost didn’t make it this far. This has nothing to do with his penchant for smoking (his extra-large, extra-deep ashtrays are designed to cradle at least three lighted cigarettes while the fourth is being smoked); or for martinis, which are kept pre-mixed, in the freezer, in an authentic Bombay Gin bottle: 2 drops of scotch, a sniff of vermouth, never frozen yet …

Michael Butler graduated from UBC Law in 1959. After articling at a law firm in Calgary, he started working in the Combines Branch of the Department of Justice in Ottawa. He became a trusted policy official in the Privy Council office, working closely with former Prime Ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, before working for the Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources, Department of Transport, and Department of Indian Affairs on policy and problem solving. He also worked for the Treasury Board, where he negotiated the federal share of the 1985 Calgary Olympics.

After receiving his law degree from UBC in 1959, Jack Giles appeared for almost 50 years as trial and appellate counsel in courts throughout Canada, in virtually all areas of the law, as well as appearing before federal and provincial tribunals. Both in practice and through his roles in numerous professional and other organizations throughout his distinguished career, he was a leader in advocating a number of important matters, including access to justice, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, civility to fellow members of the Bar and the independence of the Bar.

The Honourable Kenneth F. Arkell recently reached out to the Allard School of Law to enquire about updating his LLB from 1959 to a JD. When asked why he wanted to make the change, he began sharing his fascinating personal journey from RCMP officer to professional football player to judge. Here are just some of the stories from this alumnus with a passion for the law, a penchant for golf, and a great sense of humor. 

Speaking through Horace Rumpole, his custom-designed spokesperson, John Mortimer refuses to believe that “those who are entirely sane would undertake the thankless task of judging their fellow human beings” ...

Allan Thackray was born on October 28, 1932, in Moose Jaw,  Saskatchewan. His father had a men’s clothing store called, not surprisingly, Thackray’s Men’s Wear. Allan attended several different grade schools and then Moose Jaw Technical School. It was not an academic institution, so he took sheet metal work, drafting, woodwork, electricity and motor mechanics …

Dave graduated from the Faculty of Law at UBC in 1958. His father was a senior officer in the RCMP and had experienced various criminal cases with the Honourable Angelo Branca. It was through this connection that Dave met Mr. Branca and was accepted as an articled student and later as a lawyer in his firm… 

The new Treasurer of the Law Society is Jack L.T. Edwards, Q.C. (The “L” and “T” appear only in the most official of documents, and stand for names unknown to all but a few.) Jack is a commercial solicitor, one of few of that breed to have led the Society ...

Most people will be surprised to know that Bryan Williams, that famous Campbell River fly fisherman, was born (are you ready) in Calgary. Who knows what it was that was put into his genes that made him what he is. Perhaps it was the altitude. One colleague and friend, without reservation, says: “If there were Olympic medals for persistence and tenacity, Bryan Williams would have as many Golds as Mark Spitz.” ...

After earning his BA and LLB from the University of British Columbia, Charles Diamond proceeded to have a distinguished business career spanning more than five decades. This includes serving as Chairman of Diamond Investment Ltd., BC Turf Ltd., JET Equipment & Tools Ltd., and Pioneer Protective Products Ltd. Prior business experience also includes directorships with Canada’s Export Development Corporation and John Labatt Limited.

UBC Law School alum Carl Jonsson has been dedicated to practicing law for an impressive 64 years. Born and raised in Port Alberni, a small city on Vancouver Island, his legal journey began while he was still a high school student. 

James MacIntyre’s family has a distinguished pedigree in law. His grandfather, James Murray MacIntyre, was a judge in New Brunswick, and his father, Malcolm MacIntyre, was a professor of law at UBC from 1948-1964.  After graduating from UBC Law in 1957, MacIntyre followed his father into academia, completing his LLM from Harvard in 1958, and teaching at Queen’s University from 1959-1964 before returning to UBC Law in 1965.

Gerald Lecovin, Class of 1957, believes he’s fortunate that he’s still practicing on the eve of his classes’ 60 year reunion, saying “I tell people these days, I’m well past my best before date.” 60 years in practice is a remarkable achievement, especially considering he could have died during law school. 

William Arthur Esson was born in Vancouver in 1930, and grew up in the city, obtaining an education at fine Vancouver Schools. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor's degree in Arts in 1953, and spent the following year working in his father's bakery in the city's East End. Seeking the easier life of a student, he enrolled in law school at UBC, and graduated with his LL.B. in 1957. He served his articles at Cecil Merritt, V.C.

On August 22, at the Halifax meeting of the Canadian Bar Association, some time between the law and the lobsters, Alec Robertson will take over from Les Little as the new President of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. This represents a fairly rapid promotion, since Alec only joined the Council in 1982, but then Alec’s career has been a succession of rapid promotions ...

The appointment of William Arthur Esson to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia after 10 years in the judicial vineyard (at first on the valley floor and then lately on the greener appellate slopes) is well deserved and will serve us well. The qualities of patience and compassion, clear thinking and uncommon good sense that were noted in these pages at the time of his original elevation to the bench have earned him the respect of the bench and bar in the performance of his judicial duties in the trial and appellate courts.

A member of the Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Rafe Mair is probably best remembered for his 19 year career in radio. He has been hired, fired, lauded, and reprimanded for speaking his mind over the last 57 years. Though Mair served as a cabinet minister in Bill Bennett’s government - a man whom Mair would later describe as “the best premier the province has ever had”, it would be impossible to limit Mair’s politics by any particular ideology.

Professor Gilbert Reginald Schmitt, Q.C. was an adjunct professor at the law school at the University of British Columbia for 43 years. He began teaching at UBC in 1956, and over his career educated more than 2000 students in the areas of insurance law and professional responsibility. 

No one will ever challenge the right of Tom Braidwood to be ranked among the great advocates of our time. Called to the bar in 1957, he spent his first years in practice with Angelo Branca, QC. By the time Banca was appointed to the bench in 1963, Braidwood had gained notice in the profession which he dominated through the late 1970s and ‘80s. Now, after 15 years on the bench, he is back in practice and shows no signs of slowing down ...