THE ADVOCATE V O L . 7 9 P A R T 2 M A R C H 2 0 2 1 173
ON THE
FRONT COVER
DEAN LAWTON, Q.C.
By Anne F. Cameron and Nancy Merrill, Q.C.
Anne F. Cameron, a partner at Carfra Lawton LLP, and Nancy Merrill, Q.C., a
partner at Merrill, Long and Co. and a former president of the Law Society of
British Columbia, were delighted to be asked to co-author this article. While truly
a collaboration, they have provided their contributions in the first person. We
start with those of Anne Cameron.
F rom the moment you meet Dean Lawton, you appreciate his
natural, sincere respect for you and genuine interest to hear
what you have to say. His curiosity in everyone he meets and
in learning is endless. He is always seeking knowledge to draw
upon in the future. Dean has been known to say that he is an ongoing
learner, and that is clearly evident upon looking back at his career so far.
I am told that Dean’s sense of fairness and strong commitment to justice
were present as a young man. These qualities are a big part of what defines
Dean, and they only became reinforced when he met the late James Carfra,
Q.C., in his early years as a lawyer and they founded their partnership 35
years ago. The respectful and ethical standard they created together came
to be held in high regard. Dean has continued to this day to be the firm’s
ethical and moral compass.
I have had the pleasure of practising law with Dean for over 20 years. I
have observed these and other fine qualities in Dean in many kinds of interactions
and settings, and they have been unwavering. He makes everyone
he meets feel that they have been heard and what they have said valued,
even if he disagrees. He is sensitive to all views, no matter how softly they
may be voiced or even if distasteful, while remaining objective and fair.