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Singleton convicted of theft and fraud PIONEER OF OIL AND GAS LAW HONOURED lawyer. In one of the society's "firsts" in its 103-year history, the LSA honoured Maclean Everett Jones of Bennett Jones LLP for his 70 years of service in Alberta. "Maclean Jones' years of ser- vice exemplify the earnest passion, enduring commitment, and genu- ine enjoyment lawyers have for the practice of law. The longevity of his service to his clients and the public, and his unswerving dedication to the importance of the rule of law to our society, is an inspiration to all of us who have the privil- ege of being lawyers," said law soci- ety president Rod Jerke at a special reception. T Born Nov. 28, 1917 in Calgary, Jones earned his arts degree and LLB in 1939, both from the University of Alberta. He joined the then-named Bennett Hannah Nolan Chambers & Might in 1939 and he was called to the Alberta bar in 1940. At 23, Jones was the youngest member of the bar in the Commonwealth. After serving in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War, where Jones was second in command of a frigate in the North Atlantic on convoy duty, he returned to the firm as a litigator. Considered a pioneer in the practice of oil and gas law, Jones got his feet wet acting for Imperial Oil when the company's No. 1 well in Leduc, Alta., started the province's first oil boom in 1947. In 1952, Jones made partner at the firm. He then spent the next six-and-a-half decades practising oil and gas law and was a key builder of Bennett Jones' international energy practice. Jones became known for his business acumen, his philosophy he Law Society of Alberta has bestowed a once-in-a- lifetime honour on a Calgary A 77-year-old former lawyer was found guilty of fraud and theft in British Columbia's Supreme Court in December after using almost half a million dollars from a deceased client's trust fund two decades ago to finance a failed mountain-living complex that included growing wild rice. Justice Elizabeth Arnold-Bailey refused to enter a judicial stay of proceedings for Marvin Kenneth Singleton's claim that the RCMP had "dragged their heels" in bringing him to trial and his constitutional rights to a speedy trial had been ignored. Singleton practised law in Nelson, B.C., and Maclean Everett Jones was feted for his 70 years of service in Alberta. of tending to the client, and his abil- ity to "get the deal done." Perry Spitznagel, Bennett Jones' Calgary managing partner, says Jones' 70 years as a lawyer encom- passes virtually 70 per cent of the history of Bennett Jones. "His years as an oil and gas lawyer, where he crafted many of the oil and gas con- tracts that are still in use today, were integral to the formation and development of the legal basis of the modern energy business in Canada. He laid the foundations of our firm's values and his 'client first' style of practice and his many admirable personal attributes are the personifi- cation of our firm's culture today." During his illustrious career, Jones was elected a law society bencher from 1966 to 1968 and was awarded a life- time achievement award from the LSA in 1999. Although Jones is no longer in active practice, he still attends his namesake firm's events and regularly visits the Calgary office to keep in touch with the firm's lawyers. — DC www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com FEBRUA R Y 2011 11 became the executor and trustee of the million-dollar- plus estate of John Alexander George between March 30, 1988 and Dec. 31, 1990. The Crown alleged Singleton stole and defrauded the estate of just under $500,000 by converting it for use in a planned develop- ment, which subsequently failed. The trust funds were earmarked to go to charities and a local hospital. Singleton came to the attention of the Law Society of B.C. in the mid-1980s because of "a significant number of complaints" about his practice, Arnold-Bailey said in her ruling. "Several reviews were undertaken and on October 23, 1990, the day before a three mem- ber panel was being sent to evaluate his competence, he voluntarily withdrew from the practice of law." The mountain-living complex had failed in 1990 and three years later, the land was defaulted for non- payment of property taxes. Civil lawsuits were com- menced against Singleton to remove him as trustee of several estates and the LSBC's special compensation fund paid out beneficiaries of the George and another estate affected in 1994 and early 1995. By that time Singleton had left Canada for the United States. By September 1998, Singleton knew of the fraud and theft charges against him and contacted lawyers about rep- resenting him but did not return to Canada to face the charges. Canadian authorities eventually located him in Kansas, where he was arrested Aug. 30, 2004 and held until his extradition in September 2006. He sought and obtained judicial interim release once he was back in Canada and returned to Nelson to face trial. "In convicting Mr. Singleton of theft and fraud as charged, it is my view that Mr. Singleton, as a highly intelligent man educated in both law and letters . . . simply gave into the venal urge to engage in activi- ties of interest to him with money within his sole control but belonging to others," the judge rea- soned. His sentence has yet to be decided. — JEAN SORENSEN jean_sorensen@telus.net