Preface

• Author: C. Ian Kyer
• Pages: 11-16

xi

PREFACE

“SI. Anita, take a memo to Mr. Kyer.” It was these words that

started me on three decades of researc h into the history of the law rm

where I have practised as a student, associate, partner, and now counsel.

TheywerespokentomeonAugustbyRonaldRollsaseniorlitigator

inthelawrmthenknownasFaskenCalvin I had been practising law a

mere four months and three days. I knew Mr. Rolls to be a very formal man,

but I was surprised to learn that he gave instr uctions to st udents and junior

lawyers byc alling them to his oce and dic tating to his secreta ry while

theylookedoninsilenceSiingandlisteningtohisdictationIlearnedthat

his friend Burke Doran, a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada, had

justreturnedfromanocialvisittotheLawSocietyofIrelandWhilethere

Doran had been approached by the secretary of the General Council of the

IrishBarGeoreyCoylewhoexplainedthathehadreceivedasetofleers

fromtheBakerfamilythatdiscussedthefoundingofaTorontolawrm

CoylewascuriousifDoranknewofthisBeayBlackstockrmDorandid

notbuthesuspectedtheleerswereaboutthefoundingofthermheknew

asFaskenCalvinHehadnoticedthattheywerewrienontheleerhead

ofthismysteryrmandthatoneofthenamedpartnerswasDavidFasken

So Doran brought copies back to Toronto and gave them to Ron Rolls. My

taskwastondoutiftheywereindeedaboutthefoundingofFaskens

To appreciate the enthusiasm with which I undertook this task, you

needtoknowthatIwasawouldbeacademicwithadoctorateinmedieval