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another young labour lawyer, Sara Daniells, who would subsequently
become his life partner, best friend and wife.
Walter was not one to stay in one place too long. A few short years after
joining the Labour Relations Board, he became an associate at the pre-
eminent union-side law firm in Vancouver, Baigent Jackson. He stayed
there for a few years before venturing out on his own with his good friend
Patrick O’Neal, forming the partnership of Rilkoff and O’Neal, Barristers
and Solicitors. During those years, Walter’s practice focused primarily on
union-side labour law, though he was not one to shy away from any other
work that his clients needed to get done, including drafting and redrafting
wills for one client in particular who was never quite sure he was going to
return from the “internationals” meeting in south Florida (or so he told me).
Walter continued to practise with Patrick and then as a sole practitioner
for almost a decade before he was convinced by Patricia Gallivan, Q.C., to
come to Davis & Co. (now DLA Piper) and join the management side of the
labour law practice (i.e., the side of goodness and light) whatever you need
to tell yourself, Rob – Ed.. Despite what is often a strict philosophical divide
between management and union clients, some of Walter’s union clients
insisted that he remain their counsel, which was a testament to the close
relationships he developed with many of his clients over the years. He also
branched out briefly into sports law, acting for a number of Russian-speaking
hockey players who plied their trade at the Pacific Coliseum for a short
period. Pat and Walter, and an array of other partners and associates, practised
labour law together for the next 25 years, with the last 15 of those years
at Lawson Lundell LLP, from which Walter retired at the end of 2013.
But retirement from the practice of law did not mean complete retirement
for Walter. In early 2014, he began a five-year appointment as a member
of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, where he continued to work until
2019. Being a member of the tribunal was a highlight of his career. Walter
had many successes as a lawyer and a tribunal member. Two of his proudest
successes were arguing the NIL/TU,O Child and Family Services Society case
in front of the Supreme Court of Canada and having his decision as the tribunal
member in Schrenk upheld by that court.
While Walter’s legal career was impressive, it did not define him. Instead,
Walter was defined by his care for others and his generosity. Shortly after
he passed, I was asked what I would most remember him for, and I immediately
said I would remember him most for his big heart. Above all, he
cared for his wife, Sara, and his children, Annie and Adam. He cared for his
dog, Charlie. He cared deeply for his city and neighbourhood. He cared for
his church community at University Hill United. He cared—sometimes too