Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Faculty of Law is very saddened to hear that Madam Justice Joan Lax of the Ontario Superior Court passed away suddenly on Nov. 4, 2013.

Justice Lax was a great friend of the law school. She was a former assistant dean and director of admissions, and was the wife of Class of 1968 alumnus Clifford Lax (of Lax O’Sullivan LLP).

Justice Lax was called to the Ontario bar in 1978 and joined the Toronto law firm, Weir & Foulds, where she practised in the courts and before administrative tribunals. In 1986, she joined the Faculty of Law where she was engaged in administration and teaching until she was appointed a judge in January 1996.

From 1991 to 1995, Justice Lax was an elected bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and served on numerous committees, including the Clinic Funding Committee, which is responsible for the community legal clinic system in Ontario. She chaired this committee from 1993 to 1995. She has also served as a trustee of the Law Foundation of Ontario as well as on a variety of projects concerned with legal education, public interest advocacy and the justice system.

The Faculty of Law extends is deepest sympathies to the Lax family. Funeral details are available here.