Mr. Hubert Martin

Hubert Martin, a retired Hamilton lawyer, provides a candid assessment of his legal career spanning from the 1930s through several decades. Born in Hamilton in 1911, he followed his father and brother into law, attending Osgoode Hall Law School and articling with the major Toronto firm Cassels, Brock & Kelly before joining the family practice in 1935. His legal education was case-based but “completely impractical,” though he notes modern legal education is more practical.

Martin served five years in England during World War II, stationed at military headquarters in London, before returning to practice. He witnessed significant changes in the legal profession throughout his career, including increased specialization and the growth of administrative law. However, he expresses deep concern about the transformation of law from a profession focused on community service to what he characterizes as purely a business.

Most notably, Martin offers a stark critique of the modern legal profession’s ethical climate. He contrasts the collegiality and mutual respect among lawyers of earlier decades with what he sees as a competitive, money-focused environment where lawyers no longer refer work to colleagues or contribute to community causes without compensation. He concludes that while he was glad to have been a lawyer, he would not enter the profession today given its transformed nature.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.