John Josiah Robinette | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1906-11-20)November 20, 1906 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died | November 18, 1996(1996-11-18) (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto,Osgoode Hall Law School |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Awards | Order of Canada Order of Ontario |
John Josiah Robinette,CC OOnt QC (November 20, 1906 – November 18, 1996) was aCanadian lawyer who was one of Canada's premier legal authorities and litigators.
Born inToronto,Ontario, he attended theUniversity of Toronto Schools. In 1926, he received a B.A. in political science from theUniversity of Toronto, where he was a member of theBeta Theta Pi fraternity. He graduated fromOsgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar in 1929.
He joined the Toronto firm of McCarthy & McCarthy (nowMcCarthy Tetrault) in 1949 and stayed until his retirement in the early 90s.
He became renowned as a barrister and was lead counsel in a number of prominent cases. In 1947, he appealed and eventually won the case ofEvelyn Dick after her conviction for murder in 1946. In 1952 he unsuccessfully defended the notorious bank robbers,The Boyd Gang. He was lead counsel in thePatriation Reference before theSupreme Court of Canada. Robinette was also hired by opponents of the cancelledSpadina Expressway in 1971 to make their case at theOntario Municipal Board.
He was appointedKing's Counsel in 1944.
From 1958 until 1962 he was treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
In 1973 he was made a Companion of theOrder of Canada. He served as Chancellor ofTrent University from 1984 to 1987.
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| Preceded by | Chancellor ofTrent University 1984–1987 | Succeeded by |
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