Whenever I am asked, “What did you do?”, my reply is that I was a country lawyer. I am proud to say so. Seldom however do I recall or repeat the connection with my staff, those who are popularly and officially known as legal assistants (though for most of my career were called legal secretaries). The staff of most local (that is, country) law firms became well known because it was they who were most upfront in the association with other firms. Many legal assistants were of distinctive character, some thought to reflect the character of their lawyer employee though naturally this was more common among sole practitioners. Staff were by that singular character and virtue notoriously significant.

My introduction to legal staff in 1973 was initially through my own employment by law firms, first upon articling in Ottawa and upon being called to the bar then in 1976 in Almonte for 2 years upon my arrival in town. When I decided to open my own law practice on March 1, 1978 I faced the necessity to align myself with an assistant, an imperative to which was attached considerable weight. Coincidentally my first legal assistant (whom I always referred to as Mrs. T) lived nearby where I ended living in town, a model that echoed that of my predecessor R. A. Jamieson QC and his longtime assistant Mrs. Evelyn Barker.

I cannot now recollect how I came to meet Mrs. T but I am guessing it was the consequence of an advertisement in the Almonte Gazette then owned by Johnnie Graham. I can’t imagine any other version. Mrs. T and I quickly established a powerful connection because her own perspicacity reflected mine. Stated less generously – but no less meaningfully – we were both obsessive (a detail of enviable consequence in the practice of law).  Mrs. T was especially acute in the arena of grammar and written presentation – clearly important in the legal vernacular.

Mrs. T and I worked together for a longtime. She, being my first and paramount staff member, was always critical to my career as a sole proprietor. Eventually however Mrs. T explored new and different opportunities which to my everlasting regret meant her departure and the need for replacement. During the early years of my practice I had also hired Mrs. C primarily as a bookkeeper. She soon decided to retire and to return to the comfort of rural residence.

Before Mrs. T left I had hired as well Mrs. A who assumed carriage of bookkeeping and estate administration while Mrs. T confined her duties to real estate and corporate law. Our threesome was briefly interrupted by another part time assistant whose duties were of a general nature. Only once did I hire a “vacation” replacement staff.

When Mrs. T departed I advertised for another assistant to replace her.  Once again by coincidence the new assistant lived nearby. Her employment was short lived because of a precipitous economic downturn. Business dried up in the early 1990s and, with the advent of computers, I determined to rely upon Mrs. A only, which is to say I learned to do my own real estate and corporate law documentation. Admittedly I loved the expanded technology. I should note parenthetically that when I hired Mrs. A I had first amused myself during the economic downturn (and the evolution of computers) by learning how to perform electronic bookkeeping. The electronic facility replaced the cumbersome and incomprehensible one-write system.

Eventually Mrs. A expressed her desire to retire. She gave me ample notice of her impending departure.

Once again I advertised for a replacement assistant. This time I recall having interviewed several people. The woman I hired (coincidentally another Mrs. T) was at first appearance the least qualified for an old lawyer such as I. In short she was so young that she had no experience whatsoever.  What however she did have was brains and education (she was a graduate of a formal legal assistant education). I distinctly recall having challenged her at the outset by asking her to prepare her own employment contract which she did very effectively and seemingly effortlessly. To accentuate her challenge even further, mere weeks after her employment began, I succumbed to open heart surgery and was unable to work for three months during which time Mrs. T (Secunda) ran the entire office. Then not long after my return to the office she succumbed to her own serious illness and was forced to retire.

By this time I was getting old. My partner had already retired. We sold our condominium in the city (where he had lived and worked) and moved to our place in the country. To my fortune he agreed to work as legal assistant in my office. He was appointed by the Government of Ontario as a Commissioner of Oaths. He quickly adapted to the requirements of running the law office including the strategic improvement of recording and reporting.

Things came to a close more quickly than I anticipated when I decided to sell my law office (though with the intention to preserve a rental agreement). The public perception was that I was retiring; and almost immediately clients began leaving or moving to another firm. When the 5-unit office building sold quickly we decided to sell the house as well. The house sold in a matter of days. Then – having nowhere to live – I decided to retire effective March 1, 2014 (exactly 36 years after starting my own practice).

To perfect my retirement, Evelyn Wheeler Barr &c agreed to purchase my practice. Then through the mechanism of her office and her own legal assistants I was able to effect exceedingly fluid transfer of my erstwhile duties.