Paul Pape

This oral history interview with Paul Pape provides a comprehensive overview of his legal career spanning from the 1960s to the 2020s. Pape discusses his formative years at Forest Hill Collegiate, his undergraduate studies at University of Toronto, and his law school experience at Osgoode Hall from 1966-1969. He details his articling position at Robins & Robins, where he worked under Sydney Robins, and his early exposure to labour law through Ray Koskie.

Pape describes two significant periods in England – first for his LLM at King’s College London (1971-1972), and later when he attempted to become an English barrister but ultimately pursued other interests including ice hockey, fiction writing, and classical guitar (1977-1979). Upon returning to Toronto, he worked briefly at Fagman, Chernos before establishing his solo practice in 1981.

The interview explores Pape’s evolution from doing “door law” to developing a specialized appellate practice, particularly in medical malpractice cases. He discusses key turning points including the Bonfoco case (2000), which established his reputation in medical malpractice appeals. The conversation also covers his brief stint at Morris Rose Legend (1989-1992), his philosophy of practice management, and the eventual formation of Pape Chaudhury with partner Shantona Chaudhury in 2018.

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