Law Office of Ross W. Murray, Q.C.

Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (director)

Canadian Bar Association

Thunder Bay Law Association (past president and director)

County and District Law Presidents' Association (past member)

Advocates Society

several community organizations, including:

McKellar General Hospital (past chairman and trustee)

Joint Committee on Court Reform

Northwest Region Courts Management Advisory Committee

Bencher, Law Society of Upper Canada, 1991 to date

Appointed Queen's Counsel, December 1992

After graduating from York University with an M.BA., I spent four years in the money market and venture capital areas before starting at the University of Toronto Law School. During that time I was also the President of Great Lakes Steel and Brayshaws Steel here in Thunder Bay. I was also a director of several small and medium sized corporations in Toronto.

I have been practicing law in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario for the past 27 years. My practice is approximately two thirds litigation and one third solicitors' work. I have had more than ten years' experience prosecuting drug cases of all types, including complex conspiracy cases. I was also a designated agent during this period and attended on many wiretap applications. I have provided legal services to a wide range of small and medium sized businesses in Thunder Bay and the region, and have also practiced in the areas of municipal law, educational law and administrative law, real estate and wills and estates.

My litigation practice has been broad. It has included complex family law cases, personal injury (brain injury) cases, construction lien cases, employment law cases, collection and power of sale cases, and various types of corporate, commercial, and insurance litigation cases. I have also appeared before various administrative boards and tribunals.

I have defended chartered accountants in large complex professional negligence cases and have represented other professionals in discipline cases before their regulatory bodies.

I have acted for a public hospital in its dealings with a physician and his medical privileges.

I have acted for Chartered Banks and Insurance Corporations in defending casualty and other matters.

I have taught business law in the School of Business at Lakehead University, and have also lectured in business law seminars at Confederation College sponsored by the Enterprise Centre.

Since beginning my legal practice, I have served as President of the Thunder Bay Law Association and have been an active director for the past twenty-one years. I was also a member of the Joint Committee on Court Reform, and helped establish a separate region for Northwestern Ontario. In 1990 I was appointed to the Northwest Region Courts Management Advisory Committee.

In May of 1991 I was elected as a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada. I have served as a member of the Discipline Policy Committee, Education Committee, Finance Committee, Compensation Fund Committee, and Communications Committee. I was appointed by the Treasurer to a special committee to prepare a paper regarding the Ontario Judicial Council, and I was appointed to a special committee to review the issue of Bencher regional representation, an area of special interest to me. I also served on the Insurance Task Force Committee. Eventually I served as chair of the Finance Committee for two years.

In May of 1999 I was elected to a third four year term, and I have recently completed five years as chair of the Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company.

In May of 2003 I was elected to a fourth four year term as a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and I am now eligible to be a Life Bencher, the first Life Bencher from Thunder Bay.

In the community, I have actively served in a number of organizations. I was a director and treasurer of both the Thunder Bay Historical Museum and the National Exhibition Center when our new building to house the National Center for Indian Art was first planned. I was responsible for the corporate fundraising for the project. Later I served as chairman of McKellar General Hospital, Northwestern Ontario's regional referral trauma center. I also chaired the Executive, Personnel, Finance, and Joint Conference committees of the hospital over a period of ten years.

{counter}