Edward Leonard Greenspan, (February 28, 1944December 24, 2014) was one of Canada's most famous defence
lawyers
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicitor, ...
, and a prolific author of legal volumes. His fame was owed to numerous high-profile clients and to his national exposure on the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
radio series (and later a CBC television series) ''The Scales of Justice'' (1982–94).
Life and career
A graduate of
University College, Toronto
University College, popularly referred to as UC, is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, created in 1853 specifically as an institution of higher learning free of religious affiliation. It was the founding member of the university ...
(1965) and
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the '' Osgoode Hall L ...
(1968), Greenspan was called to the Ontario Bar in 1970 and was the senior partner of the Toronto law firm of Greenspan Partners LLP. He was a vice president of the
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA; french: Association Canadienne des Libertés Civiles) is a nonprofit organization in Canada devoted to the defence of civil liberties and constitutional rights.Dominique ClementCase Study: Canadian ...
. He was a member of the Quadrangle Society and a Senior Fellow of
Massey College
Massey College is a graduate residential college at the University of Toronto that was established, built and partially endowed in 1962 by the Massey Foundation and officially opened in 1963, though women were not admitted until 1974. It was mo ...
at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
. Greenspan became a
Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...
in 1982. In 1991 in Boston Massachusetts, he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Greenspan's work as a criminal defence lawyer was widely recognized in the form of honorary degrees and medals. In 1999 the
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; frenc ...
awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws. He was awarded the G. Arthur Martin Medal in 2001. He received a Doctorate of Civil Laws from the
University of Windsor
, mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge
, established =
, academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada
, former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963)
, type = Public universit ...
Brock University
Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bear ...
in 2012. He was awarded the Advocates' Society Medal in 2009 and the highest honour to be bestowed on an Ontario Lawyer, the Law Society Medal.
A Canadian of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
heritage, Greenspan was a vocal supporter of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and related issues. On October 10, 2002, he and fellow Toronto lawyer David C. Nathanson published an opinion piece in the ''
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' arguing that the
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA; french: Agence des douanes et du revenu du Canada, ''ADRC'') was a department of the government of Canada and existed from November 1, 1999 until December 12, 2003. It was created from the merging of Revenu ...
should recognize the
Magen David Adom
The Magen David Adom ( he, מגן דוד אדום, abbr. MDA, pronounced ''MAH-dah'' per its Hebrew acronym, ) is Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Shield" or "Red Star of Davi ...
as a charitable organization.
Greenspan was an outspoken opponent of the
death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
. In 1986, when the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
was debating a proposal to reinstate
capital punishment in Canada
Capital punishment in Canada dates back to Canada's earliest history, including its period as a French colony and, after 1763, its time as a British colony. From 1867 to the elimination of the death penalty for murder on July 26, 1976, 1,481 peo ...
, Greenspan suspended his practice for three months in order to tour the country and debate the issue in any forum available. The proposal was ultimately defeated. In 2001 he argued and won a case at the Supreme Court of Canada which barred extradition of people from Canada to face possible capital punishment in other countries.
Greenspan was partners with some of the most accomplished lawyers in Canada. Greenspan's former partners include:
Michael Moldaver
Michael Moldaver (born December 23, 1947) is a former Canadian judge. He was a puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada from his 2011 appointment by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper until his retirement in 2022. Before his elevation to ...
(
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
Ontario Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Societ ...
),
Marie Henein
Marie Henein (born 1966) is a Canadian criminal defence lawyer. She is a partner of Henein Hutchison LLP, a law firm in Toronto.
Early life
Henein was born in Cairo, Egypt, to Lebanese Maronite parents. Her father, Joseph Henein, worked at a p ...
and Todd B. White. As of 1986, he was reported to have billed $1.1 million for one murder case; when asked to disclose his fee, he suggested the reporter "get charged with a criminal offence, come to my office and I'll be happy to talk to you". Greenspan was an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's criminal justice legislation, including in a 2012 opinion piece in magazine ''
The Walrus
''The Walrus'' is an independent, non-profit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an 8-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a national s ...
'' and a 2013 opinion piece in newspaper ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''.
He was the brother of
Brian Greenspan
Brian H. Greenspan, (born March 14, 1947 in Niagara Falls, Ontario) is a Canadian lawyer. He is one of the most prominent and respected defence lawyers in Canada.
Career
Greenspan received his B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1968 and his ...
, also a Canadian lawyer. Sister Rosann Greenspan is Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Society at the
University of California at Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...
.
He was the subject of a documentary film, ''A Criminal Mind'', directed by Barry Avrich.
Death
Greenspan died of heart failure at the age of 70 while vacationing in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
in December 2014. Greenspan's funeral was held at Beth Torah Synagogue in Toronto with burial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Toronto Mayor
John Tory
John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014.
After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...
said of Greenspan, "Life as a defence lawyer isn't always easy. Edward Greenspan was a larger than life figure in legal circles, our city and country. He was a brilliant lawyer who understood how important it is that everyone have a defence, and he was a tireless champion for human rights. On top of that he was a great citizen and a wonderful human being. On my own behalf, and on behalf of the people of Toronto, I offer my sincere condolences to his family. He will truly be missed."
The Ontario MPP
Jagmeet Singh
Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal ( ; born January 2, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2017. Singh has sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Burnaby South since 2019.
Personal and family
Daughter Julianna A. Greenspan is a partner at Greenspan Partners LLP. She joined the firm in 2002 and made partner in 2007. Greenspan worked at Cook County Public Defenders Office and with Genson and Gillespie in Chicago prior to returning to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. She studied at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
and obtained her law degree at
Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...
. Julianna delivered her father's
eulogy
A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...
.
Clients
Among Greenspan's famous clients were:
* Justice Leonard Pace, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal judge, when the Justice was called before a panel of the Canadian Judicial Council
*
Roland J. Thornhill
Roland John Thornhill (born September 3, 1935) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Dartmouth South in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1974 to 1993. He is a member of the Progressive Conservative.
Thornhill ...
, former deputy premier of
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
: three charges of forgery dismissed, 1991
*
Gerald Regan
Gerald Augustine Paul Regan (February 13, 1928 – November 26, 2019) was a Canadian politician (as Member of Parliament (Canada), federal MP and later as Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Nova Scotia MLA), who served as the 19th premier of Nova Sc ...
, former premier of Nova Scotia, acquitted on 9 sex-related charges, 1995 1998 trial
*Daniel Bailey, soccer player (acquitted)
*
Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer.
His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canadi ...
Peter Demeter
Peter Demeter (born 19 April 1933) is a Hungarian-born Canadian former real estate developer convicted in 1974 of arranging the murder of his wife. It was the longest trial in Canadian history and revealed that both husband and wife may have been ...
, at whose trial Greenspan made his name as junior counsel (convicted)
*
Garth Drabinsky
Garth Drabinsky (born 1949)Charlebois, Gaetan, and Anne NothofDrabinsky, Garth Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. Athabasca University. Anne Nothof, ed. "Ontario-based entrepreneur, born in Toronto in 1949." is a Canadian film and theatrical producer a ...
,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
impresario (client was convicted)
*
Marc Stuart Dreier
Marc Stuart Dreier (born May 12, 1950) is an American former lawyer who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2009 for committing investment fraud using a Ponzi scheme. He is scheduled to be released from FCI Sandstone on October 26, 2 ...
, prominent New York lawyer charged with hedge-funds related fraud in Canada (client went to U.S. voluntarily and was tried there with U.S. counsel)
* Gerard Filion, past editor of ''Le Devoir'' and Chairman of the Board of Marine Industries, charged with bid rigging (acquitted)
*
Robert Latimer
Robert William Latimer (born March 13, 1953) is a Canadian canola and wheat farmer who was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his daughter Tracy (November 23, 1980 – October 24, 1993). This case sparked a national controversy on t ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
farmer who killed his disabled daughter (argued appeal in the Supreme Court of Canada)
*
Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...
,
Sam Cassell
Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall i ...
, with the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
, charged with assault causing bodily harm (acquitted)
*
P. Reign
Raynford Avery Humphrey (born January 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Preme ( ; formerly P Reign), is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was formerly signed to The Blueprint Group (BPG) and RCA Records. He is ...
, rapper charged with gun possession charges in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
(client was acquitted)
* Wolodumir "Walter" Stadnick, president of Hells Angels Canada (convicted).Sher, Julian & Marsden, William ''The Road To Hell How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada'' Toronto: Alfred Knopf, 2003 pages 356-357.
*
Karlheinz Schreiber
Karlheinz Schreiber (born 25 March 1934) is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer and businessman. He has been in the news regarding his alleged role in the 1999 CDU contributions scandal in Germany ...
, German financier (extradition matter)
* Stephen Williams, author of a book on
Paul Bernardo
Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as The Scarborough Rapist and The Schoolgirl Killer, is a Canadian serial killer and serial rapist. He is known for initially committing a series of rapes in Scarborough, Ontario, a sub ...
(acquitted)
Publications
Greenspan published or edited over 25 books, including:
*''Greenspan, The Case for the Defence''. Autobiography, co-written with
George Jonas
George Jonas, CM (June 15, 1935 – January 10, 2016) was a Hungarian-born Canadian writer, poet, and journalist. A self-described classical liberal, he authored 16 books, including the bestseller '' Vengeance'' (1984), the story of an Israeli ...
.
*''The Canadian Charter of Rights'' Canada Law Book, 1982-
*''Counsel for the Defence: the Bernard Cohn Memorial Lectures in Criminal Law'' Irwin Law, 2005.
*''The Criminal Procedure and Practice''. Toronto: Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 1976- (many later editions).
*''The Dubin Lectures on Advocacy, 1998-2002''. Canada Law Book, 2004.
*''Martin's Annual Criminal Code''. Toronto: Canada Law Book,
955
Year 955 ( CMLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* August 10 – Battle of Lechfeld: King Otto I ("the Great") defeats the Hungarians (also ...
(editor since 1978)
*''Martin's Related Statutes (editor since 1980)
*''Perspectives in Criminal Law: Essays in Honour of John L. J. Edwards'', edited by Anthony N. Doob and Edward L. Greenspan. Canada Law Book, 1985.