Robinette: The Dean of Canadian Lawyers

W.H. Heick is a professor of History at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Robinette is the biography of a very significant person in the Canadian legal field. It presents a picture of J. J. Robinette’s life through his family background and education and through the various legal cases in which he has been involved in order to explain why he is, today, the pre-eminent member of his profession in Canada. It discusses his approach to preparing a case, his relationship to others in the profession and to his wife, family, and friends. Mr. Robinette first made his mark as a defender of Evelyn Dick in a sensational murder trial in 1947, developing his first reputation as a most successful criminal lawyer; over the years he lost only one of fifteen clients to the gallows. Since then he has branched out into civil law and again achieved national prominence with his success. Any case with a unique element interests him. From a national point of view, his work in presenting the federal government’s case in the patriation of the constitution is of great significance.

Jack Batten has written a fine biography. His own legal training stands him in good stead. Batten obviously admires Robinette, but the biography has not become a piece of hagiolatry. George Woodcock is right to argue that Canadians do not readily relate to heroes. Yet Robinette comes across as a very suitable candidate for Canadian hero status: a brilliant person and a tremendously diligent worker, but personally unassuming. Batten also provides a sound description of the evolution of the legal profession and of the law. Lawyers may read this book with pleasure from a biographical point of view. Those readers with no legal bent may enjoy the book for both biography and legal history, with no fear of getting lost in the depths of the latter. It is fun to read.