Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS May 16, 2011 • Law TiMes Bonnie Tough a 'role model for any litigator' BY MICHAEL McKIERNAN Law Times B onnie Tough's laugh and love of fun will live on in those who met her. Th e Toronto litigator and Law Society of Upper Canada bencher died on May 6 at the age of 59 following a 22-month battle with brain cancer. "It was a notorious laugh," says Kathryn Podrebarac, Tough's partner at Tough & Podrebarac LLP since the fi rm's founding in 2005. "It's hard to describe but it certainly wasn't quiet, and when she really got going, she'd take off her glasses and start wiping away tears." "We did a lot of laughing to- gether," says Podrebarac, whose connection to Tough goes all the way back to 1991 when she articled under her at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP. Podrebarac notes many young lawyers in practice to- day have benefi ted from the wisdom of Tough, who was always willing to take junior colleagues under her wing. "She was a wonderful ad- vocate and a terrifi c mentor," Podrebarac says. "She was very inclusive and respectful of viewpoints, regardless of whether they came from arti- cling students, senior lawyers, clients or wherever. Th e les- sons she taught me in integ- rity and professionalism will stay with me. "Quite apart from all that, she was a fabulous, fun person to be around. Often in this business, you end up spend- ing more time with the people you work with than anyone else, and I just loved working and hanging out with her. She was a wonderful, terrifi cally supportive friend." Tough grew up in the northern Ontario communi- ties of Kirkland Lake and El- liot Lake and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1976. She received an LLM sat with her as a bencher of the law society, says Tough's humble beginnings gave her a deep appreciation for her own education and the op- portunities it had opened up for her. Rothstein read the ci- tation at a special law society ceremony held last month to award Tough an honor- ary doctor of laws for her contribution to the profes- sion. She described Tough as "everything a lawyer should be: brilliant, independent, learned, tough, compassion- ate, wise, and collegial." "She was among the most Bonnie Tough died on May 6 follow- ing a battle with brain cancer. from the University of Oxford before clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada and was called to the bar in Ontario in 1980. Linda Rothstein, who knew Tough for two decades and also talented in our midst," Roth- stein says. "She was extreme- ly brainy, with a very good legal mind, and as tenacious as they come. Th e thing that sets her apart from the very small group of people of her talent is that she was just extraordinarily down to earth and lacking in any signifi cant self-regard. She was confi dent without your ever thinking she was the least bit arrogant. She was just better at what we do than most people." Tough spent most of her 30- year legal career in the litigation department at Blakes, where she became a partner in 1985. She specialized in insurance law and worked on commercial litigation and class actions act- ing for both plaintiff s and de- fendants. She also taught at Os- goode and practised health law. In the 1980s, she sat as chair- woman of the health facilities review board and later worked as counsel to the Canadian Hemophilia Society before the Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada. Dur- ing those proceedings, she rep- resented hemophiliacs claim- ing damages as a result of their infection with hepatitis C. In 1999, Tough left Blakes to start a boutique litigation practice and later teamed up with Podrebarac. Since Tough's death, condolences have been fl ooding in at Podrebarac's of- fi ce from people at all levels of the legal profession. "It didn't matter whether she was talking to the chief jus- tice one minute or someone's assistant the next, she was the same person," Podrebarac says. "People have been sending me notes to say how much fun she was to be around, calling her a lion, incredible, the best of the best. Th ey sound like empty superlatives, but if you knew her, you know they aren't." In 2007, Tough became an BRILLIANT. A PREMIUM COLLECTION OF FINELY-CRAFTED LEGAL MEMORANDA – NOW AVAILABLE ON WESTLAW® CANADA* What better place to start your research than an illuminating analysis of your legal issue? Our new legal memoranda collection defines research excellence. Current, clear and concise, every memorandum cuts straight to the heart of a legal issue in one of ten practice areas. And each one is designed to give you perfect transparency – you start with a free summary page that shows you the author's name, drafting date, issue discussed and other critical details of the memo. You'll always be confident you're working with up-to-date analysis from the finest names in law. Classified by issue and linked to relevant case law, statutes and commentary, every memorandum offers a shining start to polished, finished research. Jump start your research with legal memoranda that provides thorough legal analyses and conclusions that help you make critical decisions, create compelling arguments, and achieve better results for your clients. Excellent legal research starts here. Legal Memorandums on Westlaw® Canada Call 1-866-609-5811 or visit westlawcanada.ca * Available as an add-on to an existing Westlaw Canada subscription or on a pay-per-view basis. elected bencher of the law soci- ety, where Janet Minor sat with her at Convocation. "She was a role model for any litigator, but particularly for women because she was such a success and one of the pioneer female litigators," Minor says. "She was commit- ted, energetic, extremely in- sightful, and always brought both intelligence and common sense to bear on whatever issue we were considering." According to an obituary published in a number of news- papers, Tough enjoyed hiking and biking with her partner Connie Reeve and took up run- ning after her 50th birthday. She completed four half-marathons, including one in 2009 after un- dergoing radiation and chemo- therapy to treat her illness. A celebration of Tough's life will take place on May 16 at 3 p.m. at Koerner Hall at 273 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. Untitled-3 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 5/10/11 9:41:26 AM

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