Mr. Tom Marshall

This extensive interview covers the career of T.C. Marshall, who served as General Counsel in the Crown Law Office, Civil at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General from 1974 to 2005. Marshall discusses his progression from private practice at McMillan Binch to government service, eventually becoming Director of the Crown Law Office, Civil from 1985-1990 before transitioning to General Counsel.

Marshall provides detailed accounts of several landmark cases, most notably the Susan Nelles matter involving malicious prosecution immunity for Crown prosecutors that reached the Supreme Court of Canada. He also extensively discusses his pioneering work on institutional abuse compensation programs for victims of St. John’s, St. Joseph’s, and Grandview training schools, developing innovative non-adversarial processes that became models for other provinces. His involvement in domestic violence inquests and spousal abuse policy development reflects broader social justice concerns of the era.

The interview offers valuable insights into the evolution of the Ministry’s culture across different governments, from McMurtry through Scott, Hampton, and subsequent Attorneys General. Marshall describes the transformation from a small, informal office of 14 lawyers to a bureaucratized structure with 56+ counsel, the challenges of maintaining collegial relationships amid organizational change, and his leadership in promoting work-life balance including pioneering part-time arrangements for women lawyers in the 1980s.

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