Friends, clients and associates of Martin Teplitsky '64 wanted to do something to acknowledge his lifelong commitment to the legal profession, and his dedication to important community and social issues. Together, Teplitsky's many supporters raised more than $200,000 to establish a student aid endowment at the Law School. With university matching funds, the endowment of $400,000 will support an annual bursary commencing in January 2006 to be awarded to a deserving student in any year of the JD program on the basis of financial need.
In 1998, Mr. Teplitsky was preparing hot meals for Toronto's homeless at the St. Andrew's Church Out of the Cold program when the idea struck him that the legal profession should also get involved in this worthy cause. Drawing on the support of legal practitioners, and with the help of many enthusiastic volunteers, Mr. Teplitsky launched Lawyers Feed The Hungry Program Toronto at Osgoode Hall. Today, the program serves between 1,000 and 1,200 meals, three days a week. Endorsed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, the program runs with no government or LSUC money, no institutional structure and no formal fundraising. Mr. Teplitsky pays most of the operating costs himself, and is reimbursed through donations made by lawyers, their firms and the public.
A senior partner at Teplitsky Colson Barristers, and a supporter of innovative community justice and outreach initiatives, Mr. Teplitsky focuses on counsel work before the courts and administrative tribunals. Earning a reputation as one of the country's best mediator-arbitrators, he has been instrumental in settling various provincial disputes including teacher and health care worker job actions. In addition to his legal and community advocacy, he is also the author of Making a Deal: The Art of Negotiation, as well as numerous academic journal articles on tort law, arbitration and mediation.
Since his graduation from the Faculty of Law in 1964, Mr. Teplitsky has shown an unwavering commitment to the Faculty. Two of the many bursaries he has established at the law school include The Jack & Ida Teplitsky Memorial Bursary in memory of his parents, and the Teplitsky Colson Entrance Scholarship. In the spring of 2005, he gave generously to fund a groundbreaking collaboration between the law school and the Toronto District School Board. Law in Action Within Schools (LAWS) is the country's first law-and-justice-themed high school program, and it would not have been possible without the support of Mr. Teplitsky.
