Friends of the Honourable Frank Iacobucci have joined together to establish the Hon. Frank Iacobucci Bursary at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.
The funds for the bursary were raised at a tribute dinner to celebrate Frank's immeasurable contributions to the legal community. The event raised $20,000, which was generously matched by the law firm, DelZotto Zorzi LLP. The $40,000 gift was in turn matched by the Ontario government, creating a total endowment of $80,000 in support of student financial aid.
Founding member of the firm, Elvio DelZotto, Q.C., and his partner, Harry Herskowitz, say that the decision to match the initial gift was unanimous among all DelZotto Zorzi lawyers. "Frank is one of the finest individuals I've ever met. He's humble, extremely intelligent, but not overly impressed with his intelligence," says DelZotto. "He's a great model for any community." DelZotto is Founding President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians Foundation (1987), and was President of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario) from 1988 to 1990. DelZotto Zorzi specializes in real estate, litigation, dispute resolution, IP and wills.
The Hon. Iacobucci grew up in Vancouver, B.C. after his parents immigrated to Canada from Italy. After obtaining his law degree from UBC in 1962, he completed his Masters of Law at Cambridge in 1964 before commencing legal practice in New York. In 1967, Iacobucci returned to Canada as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, beginning a long affiliation with the University of Toronto that continues to this day. A beloved Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1979 until 1983, he then served as Vice President and Provost, before leaving the University of Toronto in 1985 to become Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada. In 1988, he was named Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada, and in 1991, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Canada, where he served until his retirement on June 21, 2004. In September 2004, the University welcomed Iacobucci home in his role as Interim President.
The Faculty of Law is delighted to be able to offer the Hon. Frank Iacobucci Bursary, which will allow students with financial need to follow in his footsteps, and have a chance to make a difference.
