Irwin Dorfman, , (March 27, 1908 – November 9, 1993) was a Canadian lawyer from
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
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, eventually becoming senior counsel with the firm of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman. In addition to a busy legal practice in the areas of taxation and corporate matters, he was active in his community and in the profession. He served as president of the Law Society of Manitoba and as the national president of the
Canadian Bar Association
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada.
History
The Association's first Annual Meeting was he ...
, the first Jewish president in the Association's history.
Early life
Born in Winnipeg in 1908, Dorfman was the son of Moses and Dora Dorfman.Memorable Manitobans: Irwin Dorfman /ref> He attended St John's Technical High School and then the
Dorfman articled with the Winnipeg firm of Sparling and Sparling, and then entered into a partnership with Abraham M. Shinbane. In 1966, he transferred to the firm of Thompson, Dilts, Jones, Hall, Dewar & Ritchie, which later was renamed Thompson Dorfman Sweatman. He practised there until his death.Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP 1887-2012 A Short History /ref> He also served as special counsel for the Federal Department of Justice.
Dorfman practised in the areas of corporate law and tax law, earning a reputation for extensive and precise knowledge of the law. In 1963, he chaired a review of Manitoba's corporations law, leading a group composed of thirteen prominent Manitoba lawyers, including
Brian Dickson
Robert George Brian Dickson (May 25, 1916 – October 17, 1998) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and judge. He was appointed a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada on March 26, 1973, and subsequently appointed the 15th Chief Ju ...
, future
Chief Justice of Canada
The chief justice of Canada (french: juge en chef du Canada) is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court s ...
, and
A. Lorne Campbell
Andrew Lorne Campbell (known as A. Lorne Campbell), Order of Canada, O.C., Canadian Forces' Decoration, C.D., Bachelor of Laws#Canada, LL.B., Doctor of Law#Canada, LL.D., Doctor of Canon Law, D.C.L., Queen's Counsel, Q.C. (September 18, 1920 †...
, who like Dorfman would go on to become national president of the Canadian Bar Association. Dorfman described the committee as giving "active and serious consideration" to the question of public protection within a streamlined, up-to-date ''Companies Act''.
Leadership in the legal profession
Dorfman served as president of the Manitoba Bar Association from 1965 to 1966. He was elected the president of the Law Society of Manitoba, serving from 1971 to 1972. He was elected the national president of the
Canadian Bar Association
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada.
History
The Association's first Annual Meeting was he ...
for the years 1975 to 1976, the first Jew to serve in that office.
Dorfman was also a governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation, serving for three years, and a trustee of the Foundation for Legal Research.
As a member of the Canadian Bar Association, in 1973 Dorfman was credited with introducing a CBA resolution calling on the federal government to protect the privacy of taxpayers' personal information. That resolution influenced the federal government to implement privacy protections for tax data. The resolution stated: "It is a fundamental principle of Canadian law that no person should be compelled other than on a privileged basis, to provide evidence against himself except in specifically defined circumstances."
As president of the CBA, one of the issues which Dorfman had to address was compliance by lawyers with the federal regulations of professional income under the ''
Anti-Inflation Act
The Anti-Inflation Act (french: Loi anti-inflation) was an Act of the Parliament of Canada, introduced by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's government and passed in 1975, which aimed to slow down the rapidly increasing price and wage inflation.
...
'', enacted by the federal Parliament in 1975. Dorfman and William Cox, the president of the
Justice Minister
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, Ron Basford, to discuss the issue. Dorfman advised that the CBA would urge its members to comply with the Act, consistent with the ethical requirements set out in the codes of conduct of the law societies. He said: "Lawyers more than anyone else should be concerned about upholding the law." He added that if the federal Anti-inflation Board found that an individual lawyer was not complying with the Act, that would be a matter for discipline by the relevant provincial law society.
Community service
Dorfman was active in his community his entire life, particularly the Jewish community in Winnipeg. He was an executive member of the
Young Men's Hebrew Association
A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...
. He was also a board member for the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, and served a term as President of the Shaarey Zedek Brotherhood. In 1964, he was one of the founding incorporators of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, a non-profit corporation for charitable, educational, and cultural purposes.
During World War II, Dorfman was a director of the Trans-Migration Bureau of the
Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a Jewish relief organization based in New York City. Since 1914 the organisation has supported Jewish people living in Israel and throughout the world. The organization i ...
in New York City, an organization dedicated to raising funds and assisting Jewish refugees to escape from Nazi-occupied portions of Europe. He later said that this work was one of the most significant events in his life. He also served on the Joint Distribution Committee of the Canadian Jewish Committee for Refugees, and helped to raise $30,000 for that group. He also helped raise funds for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Dorfman was a member of the Young Men's Section of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and served as co-chairman in 1950 of the legal division of the Community Chest (now the United Way).''The Transfer of the Assets and Liabilities of the Community Chest of Greater Winnipeg to the United Way of Greater Winnipeg Act'', RSM 1990, c 196. /ref> He was also on the board of the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.
History
It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...
.
Death
Dorfman died on November 9, 1993, at the age of 85. He was still working at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, and was said to have taken a file with him to hospital to work on the day he died.
Honours and awards
* 1950 - appointed
Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...
by the Government of Manitoba.
* 1972 - appointed a Life Bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba.
* 1977 - awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal by the
Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...