John Josiah Robinette, (November 20, 1906 – November 18, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer who was one of Canada's premier legal authorities and litigators. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he attended the University of Toronto Schools. In 1926, he received a B.A. in political science from the University of Toronto, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar in 1929. He joined the Toronto firm of McCarthy & McCarthy (now

McCarthy Tetrault McCarthy (also spelled MacCarthy or McCarty) may refer to: * MacCarthy, a Gaelic Irish clan * McCarthy, Alaska, United States * McCarty, Missouri, United States * McCarthy Road, a road in Alaska * McCarthy (band), an indie pop band * Château MacCa ...

) 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 of

Evelyn Dick Evelyn Dick ( MacLean, born October 13, 1920) was a Canadian woman convicted of murder until her pardon in 1985. Her trials remain among the most sensationalized events in Canada, Canadian criminal history. Background and case Dick was born in ...

after her conviction for murder in 1946. In 1952 he unsuccessfully defended the notorious bank robbers, The Boyd Gang. He was lead counsel in the

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before the

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. Robinette was also hired by opponents of the cancelled

Spadina Expressway William R. Allen Road, also known as Allen Road, the Allen Expressway and colloquially as the Allen, is a short expressway and arterial road in Toronto. It starts as a controlled-access expressway at Eglinton Avenue West, heading north to just ...

in 1971 to make their case at the Ontario Municipal Board. He was appointed

King'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 or ...

in 1944. From 1958 until 1962 he was treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada. In 1973 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. He served as Chancellor of Trent University from 1984 to 1987.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinette, John Josiah 1906 births 1996 deaths Canadian King's Counsel Chancellors of Trent University Companions of the Order of Canada Lawyers in Ontario Members of the Order of Ontario People from Toronto Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian lawyers