Over the past ten years I’ve had occasional professional encounters with another lawyer. Her employer deals regularly with my employer, and from time to time we’ve been working on the same matter for our respective clients. Sometimes we’ve been in a collaborative role, doing solicitor work and trying to hammer out agreements. We’ve also met as barristers, sometimes as adversaries, and other times arguing for similar positions. She’s smart and capable, and challenging to argue law with.
In all my years in law, I’ve only publicly lost my temper once. The one time was a beut, in court, on a major file that was happening to get national press attention. It was a fluid multi-party case, and although she and I were on roughly the same page going in, as the case developed our positions drifted apart. It came to a point where in my opinion she was unfairly trying to shift the blame onto my client, without any evidence in support. I blew up and ripped into her position in considerable detail. I don’t regret doing so, because I think it was necessary to defend my client. There was some comment in the papers the next day about tempers flaring in court.
A year later we were on another matter in Ottawa, again on a multi-party case, with our respective clients on opposite sides of the appeal. At the end of the day, I found myself walking down the street beside her. We ended up burying the hatchet, although the relationship was still cool.
Last year we were in another case in the Court of Appeal, this time arguing similar positions. The relationship was back to normal. I phoned her after the decision to compliment her on her advocacy, because the Court accepted a major part of her argument on a key point.
This week she died in a car accident.
Instantly, head-on.
While she was driving to Ontario to visit her fiancé.
To make the final plans for their wedding next month.
She and I both come from the same little prairie town. Tomorrow, I’m off to the funeral, which will be held in a church three blocks from my parents’ old house.
Law’s a funny business. She was a colleague, and an adversary, and a friend. I’m glad we were able to make up after the blow-up.
And do as adversaries do in law,—
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.