Law Times

Page 4 November 28, 2016 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com NEWS NEWS NEWS Grief after death of 'wonderful' Toronto lawyer BY ELIZABETH RAYMER For Law Times M embers of On- tario's legal com- munity have been grieving the loss of Stephen Sigurdson, Manu- life general counsel and former Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP partner, who died Nov. 16 in To- ronto following a cardiac arrest in October. He was 56 years old. "Steve was a wonderful guy," David Allgood, counsel for Dentons Canada LLP, told Legal Feeds. "I knew him as a partner at Osler, as a part of the general counsel community and as member of the Dean's Advisory Council at Queens Law. He was a smart lawyer with great judgment. "Steve was a very good law- yer, but he was also a very good person," Allgood adds. "He was unassuming, understated; he was a warm, generous person, beyond being an excellent law- yer. "What differentiates him is the quality of the individual. He was a real team player." A native of Manitoba, Sig- urdson studied civil engineer- ing at the University of Mani- toba and law at Queen's Uni- versity, where he met his wife, Leslie, and graduated in the class of '84. He was a devoted Queen's alum and became a member of the Queen's Law Dean's Coun- cil (his eldest daughter, Laura, would also graduate from Queen's Law in 2013). Sigurdson articled with the firm Lang Michener (now part of McMillan LLP) before spend- ing the bulk of his legal career as a partner at Osler, which he joined in 1989 as an associate. With a corporate practice focus- ing mostly on M&A, Sigurd- son's roles would include man- aging partner of the firm's New York office from 2000 to 2004, co-managing partner in Toron- to and chairman of the Business Law department. In 2010, he left private prac- tice to join Manulife as general counsel Canada, becoming GC in May of 2014. In 2015, Cham- bers & Partners Canada made him the first winner of Cham- bers Canada Award for Out- standing Contribution to the Legal Profession: In-House. Melissa Kennedy, executive vice president and chief legal of- ficer for Sun Life Financial, met Sigurdson through the GC com- munity and worked with him on a number of initiatives, most re- cently through the Association of Canadian General Counsel, she says. "Steve is a wonderful guy," says Kennedy. "Everybody liked him. He was a delight to work with, in- credibly smart, great sense of humour. "You always had the impres- sion how much he loved his fam- ily: his wife, Leslie, and their four girls." That impression of him was uniform, she says, "through Os- lers, the Queen's community, Manulife." Sigurdson also had "great in- stincts and judgment," Kennedy adds. "He will be really, really missed by lots of people. Every- one I've talked to is full of sor- row, and our thoughts go out to his family." Jeffrey S. Leon is a partner and co-head of litigation with Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto; he came to know Sigurdson af- ter the latter joined Manulife as GC and Leon had been acting for Manulife on several matters. "He was a very good friend," says Leon. "He was a very wise and compassionate person, and a wise and compassionate law- yer. "I say that because, in the cases that we've worked on to- gether, he wanted Manulife to be successful. Often, for him, success was defined by doing the right thing. "I think that demonstrated his approach to life." Sigurdson's approach to building relationships might best be described in his own words; in an interview for the alumni section of Osler's web- site last July, he said, "It's im- portant to remember that the practice of law is as much about relationships as it is about legal rules and analysis. "Work early in your career to devote time to the give-and-take of relationships — with others in your firm, with clients, with members of the community — and you'll never regret it." "That is the way he lived his life," says Leon, noting he'd had the chance to see Sigurdson in- teract with the people he worked with when Leon would host law- yers from Manulife for sporting games in Toronto. "I feel that my life is better for knowing him, and I'll miss him very much." Sigurdson is survived by his wife, Leslie, their daughters Lau- ra, Claire, Amy and Heather, his mother Ivadell, and other family members. A memorial service was held last week at Eglinton St. George's United Church in To- ronto. LT The late Stephen Sigurdson has been praised by colleagues as a 'warm, gener- ous' person. He will be really, really missed by lots of people. Everyone I've talked to is full of sorrow, and our thoughts go out to his family. Melissa Kennedy REGISTER ONLINE www.lexpert.ca/cpdcentre For more information, please contact Lexpert® at 1-877-298-5868 or e-mail: lexpert.questions@thomsonreuters.com EXECUTIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FULLY ACCREDITED IN-CLASS PROGRAMS & LIVE WEBINARS 8th Annual Aboriginal Law An Update on Aboriginal Law Thomas Isaac Partner, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP Toronto & Webinar November 30 9th Annual Advertising and Marketing Law Managing Legal Risk in a Technology Driven World Brenda Pritchard Partner, Gowling WLG Toronto & Webinar December 1 8th Annual Information Privacy and Data Protection Viewing and Being Viewed- Minimize Digital Risk David Young Principal, David Young Law & Bill Hearn Partner, Fogler, Rubinoff LLP Toronto & Webinar December 1 9th Annual Corporate Governance 2016: What You Need To Know Are You Prepared for Changes in Corporate Governance? 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