736 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
distinctive sense of style, with his many beaux chapeaux) or pawing at one’s
office door to gain entry to share one of his insightful or humorous discoveries,
to extend an invitation for lunch at JOEY or to share (whether one
truly wanted to hear it or not) a cat anecdote, often about his cat Fernando,
with whom he had a special bond.
JOEY Burrard was a big part of Jeff’s social life while working downtown
at Pacific Law Group. He enjoyed nothing more than repairing to his specific
table for a Friday lunch where he would hold court or visit with his
many, diverse friends, including many of the staff and lawyers from Pacific
Law Group. He liked to joke that he had shares in the restaurant; he was
there that often. An extremely affable sort, Jeff made friends wherever he
went, and when a move took him to Kitsilano, he broadened his social
haunts to other establishments, such as Darby’s, where his list of good
friends and contacts grew.
Jeff was always generous with his time and his advice, and many clients
and colleagues sought him out for strategic and practical advice. Work
friends and colleagues were often in Jeff’s office, where Jeff dispensed
advice, tips and humour in equal measure. His friends and colleagues have
myriad examples of Jeff helping colleagues out of a jam, often at little notice
to him. Although he would confide that he did not particularly enjoy trials,
he was extraordinarily good at picking something up quickly and synthesizing
a clever argument. He was incredibly smart. It could be disconcerting to
others to see how quickly he could prepare on the fly. He once told a more
control-oriented colleague that they were likely incompatible to do a trial
together without sending each other off the deep end. This is not to say he
was unprepared (he was far from that). He was usually thoroughly prepared,
much to the chagrin of opposing witnesses. His special talent was that he
could be parachuted into something and seem very prepared. He was known
to quip, often as a way to calm the nerves of a nervous colleague, that putting
on robes gave one superpowers. It seemed to work for Jeff.
Looking after lawyers in trouble was something of a specialty for Jeff. No
matter the size of the problem, he had a receptive ear and talked many colleagues
down from anxious and difficult situations. He was a big supporter
of the Lawyers Assistance Program, both financially and practically.
Jeff articled at Harper Grey Easton, as it then was. He had fond memories
of working with Christopher E. Hinkson, Q.C., now Chief Justice, on a
leading case, Mara (Guardian of) v. Blake. It was perhaps on that case that he
became acquainted with Scott B. Stewart, who became his employer shortly
thereafter. At Mr. Stewart’s office, Jeff obtained a lot of trial experience as a
young lawyer. One of the leading cases from that time was Traynor v. Deg-