“A career is a marathon, not a sprint. He struck the balance, and it kept him in love with his work to the end.”
This year’s OBA Murray Klein Award for Excellence in Insolvency Law winner, Jon Wigley, a partner at Gardiner Roberts LLP, was a true credit to the legal profession – an outstanding lawyer, a model of integrity and a generous mentor. Sadly, Jon passed away before he could receive this honour. In this Q&A, two of Jon’s long-time friends and colleagues – Vern W. DaRe, partner at Fogler Rubinoff LLP, and Tim Duncan, associate at Gardiner Roberts LLP – offer insight into why Jon was so highly regarded within the Insolvency Bar and wider legal community and how his legacy will live on in those who befriended him, worked alongside him, and benefitted from his sage advice and fine example.
- If you could use only three words to describe Jon’s reputation within the Insolvency bar, what would they be?
Vern: DaRe Integrity. Fair. Good-natured.
Tim Duncan: Wise, genuine and practical.
- Many of our most influential and admirable lawyers are the ones who lead by good example … how would you say Jon did that?
Vern: I never saw Jon lose his temper. He was always considerate and respectful of others including opposing counsel. If things ever got too tense, Jon had a great sense of humour and could always "cool" things down. Jon was also extremely modest. He would have been the first to say that I don't want and I don't deserve this Award.
Tim: Jon was always pushing his juniors up into the spotlight, limelight, opportunity, etc. But because you could see how much he loved doing that for his mentees, you started to understand that there were ways in which you could pay it forward yourself and made you realize you wanted to. He mentored people into becoming mentors themselves.
- Apart from encyclopedic knowledge of the law, is there another trait you think made Jon such an outstanding lawyer?
Vern: Jon was practical. He had a natural ability to cut through layers of complex legal issues and to reach a practical resolution.
Tim: Jon was a man that was very passionate about his family, his sailing and his dancing. I firmly believe that because he refused to lose sight of the things outside of law that mattered to him, he never grew to resent the long hours he put in at work. A career is a marathon, not a sprint. He struck the balance, and it kept him in love with his work to the end.
- Can you give an example of how Jon contributed to the broader legal community?
Vern: Jon was actively involved with the mentoring and teaching of law students and lawyers. He was a guest speaker at law schools and trained articling and junior lawyers at his law firm. He was also on the executive of the OBA Insolvency Section for several years and delivered papers or articles on a regular basis.
Tim: Jon had a very organic and deep-seated commitment to mentoring. Jon took care of all of the other lawyers at his firm. Jon likely sacrificed more of his time than any other lawyer at Gardiner Roberts simply to mentor associates and students, well into the evenings when he was doubtless tired and hungry. The generosity that he demonstrated with his time showed that he had such respect for his colleagues – however foolish he might ultimately prove them to be.
- What impact did Jon have on your personally?
Vern: He encouraged us to get out of the office and get to know our clients. He had a favourite saying that "it takes seven lunches before you actually get to know your client.” I could never figure out why seven lunches and not five or eight.
Tim: I don’t even know how to begin to answer this question. Jon was a second father to me. I have no concept of who I would have become as a lawyer were he not to have been there. No idea.
- What were Jon’s favourite non-legal topics of conversation?
Vern: Sailing and travelling.
Tim: And, his granddaughter, Ophelia.