HISTORY OF THE YORK NORTH AND YORK REGION LAW ASSOCIATION

The York North Law Association started in January, 1963. 
Mr. Joseph Vale, Q.C. was the first President of the Association.

The York North Law Association was spawned by a request from Magistrate Hollinrake that some sort of Legal Aid System be set up in the Newmarket Court. This of course, was before Legal Aid was started by the Provincial Government.

A number of lawyers who practised before Magistrate Hollinrake did set up a formal system whereby a lawyer would be present on certain given days to offer free legal advice to the accused who were to appear in court. Joseph Vale, Norm Todd, Clare Green and Donald Hindson , who were regular attendees at that Court, came up with the idea for a formal organization. By 1965 there was a formal Legal Aid Committee, a Tariff Committee and a Library Committee. The Association had negotiations with our Toronto equivalent, who were supportive of the idea of a separate Law Library. The York North Law Association became incorporated in October 11, 1977. The members of the Association became interested in having a separate Courthouse and lobbied for it. When the new Courthouse was built in 1980 it was suggested that the name of the association be changed to represent the name of the Region; thus the name was changed from the York North Law Association to the York Region Law Association on May 22, 1981.

HISTORY OF THE LAW ASSOCIATION
If you click on the link you can access the notes from Donald Hindson`s speech on The History of the Law Association that he delivered to members at the Annual General Meeting in February 2005.

Joseph Vale