Mr. Irving Gleiberman

Irving Gleiberman was born in Iroquois Falls, Ontario in 1934 and studied Greek and Roman History at University of Toronto before attending Osgoode Hall Law School from 1956-1960. Despite facing discrimination at some firms due to his Jewish background, he built a successful practice specializing in real estate development law. After articling at Aitken Zender and Day Wilson Kelly & Martin, he worked at several partnerships including Friedman Cole Murray & Ozak, Sandler & Gordon, and Rose Persiko Arnold & Gleiberman before establishing his solo practice.

Gleiberman became a prominent development lawyer in the Greater Toronto Area, handling up to 25% of subdivision plans in North York at his peak and representing major developers like Jerry Armstrong with 1200 units annually. His practice evolved from traditional real estate transactions to complex development work involving municipal approvals, financing, and construction. In 1987, he worked as in-house counsel for Kimberly Lloyd Group before returning to private practice in Markham in 1991.

Throughout the interview, Gleiberman reflects on significant changes in the legal profession, criticizing the Law Society’s withdrawal from legal education, declining professional standards, and increased bureaucracy in development processes. He expresses concern about judicial appointments based on diversity rather than competence and the loss of civility in legal practice. Despite these frustrations, he found satisfaction in development work where he could see tangible results from raw farmland to completed residential communities.

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