My Life in the Law
Lawyer, Scholar, Judge
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of Toronto Press
Published:25th Nov '25
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
My Life in the Law is a rich, personal reflection on Robert J. Sharpe’s long, varied, and influential career as a lawyer, scholar, and judge.
After giving an account of his early life and education, Sharpe examines his time as a law student in the late 1960s, an era when great emphasis was put upon formalistic legal doctrine, heavily influenced by English law. As a legal academic in the 1970s up until the 1990s, Sharpe participated in Canadian law’s emergence from the shadow of its narrow past. He then dealt with that evolution from the very different perspective of a judge and a legal history scholar during his twenty-five years on the bench.
Throughout the book, Sharpe writes about the people who influenced his trajectory: the exceptional lawyers with whom he practiced, his Oxford University professors, and his University or Toronto colleagues. He describes how these people and his three-year experience working as executive legal officer to Justice Brian Dickson at the Supreme Court of Canada prepared him for his twenty-five-year career as a judge.
Written in an engaging and accessible style, this memoir tells the story of a man whose fascination with the law has led to an illustrious, decades-long career of great significance.
“This book is a thoughtful and revealing reflection by a true leader of the legal profession, the academy, and the judiciary. It is also a story of how these three institutions have changed over Robert J. Sharpe’'s career. The book ultimately captures Sharpe's humanity and lifelong dedication to the law in a way that will inspire readers within and beyond the Canadian legal community.” - Andrew Flavelle Martin, Associate Professor, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University
“Robert J. Sharpe has done it all and in his skilful harvesting of the lessons of his distinguished career, he has demonstrated the truth of Holme’s dictum that 'the life of the law is not logic but experience.' His memoir is a must-read for anyone with an interest in law.” - Harry W. Arthurs, Dean Emeritus, Osgoode Hall Law School and President Emeritus, York University
“A readable and lively account of the life of a leading judge, scholar, and lawyer. It is also an essential account of a generation of revolutionary change in Canadian law, society, and legal education.” - Kent Roach, C.M., F.R.S C., Professor of Law, University of Toronto
“One of the country’s most respected jurists, Robert Sharpe tells a crisply compelling account of life devoted to the law. More than an insider’s account, this is the portrait of a country’s legal landscape as it has evolved over the past fifty years. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the last century of Canadian law and is sure to inspire the next generation of lawyers.” - Patricia McMahon, Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
“Justice Sharpe is widely considered as one of the best judges that Canada has ever produced. Respected at home and abroad, Justice Sharpe has had a remarkable career. This is a compelling story of a life well-lived in the law.” - Adam Dodek, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa
ISBN: 9781487568603
Dimensions: 235mm x 159mm x 25mm
Weight: 550g
352 pages