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of claim in Ontario Superior Court in September alleging it was misled by Deutsche Bank about the risk involved in its purchase of $10 million worth of ABCP. Its purchase of ABCP did not fall under Crawford's arranged agreement so the city had not waived its right to sue. Esteem and awards So after all that excitement in his career, why hasn't Crawford officially retired? At 78, he continues to go to work at Oslers, although he's no longer practising law. He begins his day early; rising before 6 a.m. and often gets to the office around 7 a.m. He attests he is still in good health and continues to sit on the boards of several large public companies and actively fund- raises for charitable organizations. Over the course of his career, Crawford has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Officer of the Order of Canada, and he maintains a high degree of respect amongst fellow lawyers. David Jackson, a partner in the securities group at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, has known Crawford for years. "I remember with particular fondness my first expo- sure to his kindness and thoughtfulness. I was a relatively junior lawyer who had been engaged to make an argument before the Ontario Securities Commission for a new client for whom Blakes had not pre- viously acted. The argument was based on an opinion provided by a senior part- ner of another major Toronto law firm that was, to put it kindly, rather sketchy at best. I made the argument as best I could. Purdy was acting for an interested party who was not totally sympathetic to our new client's position. He stood up after I had finished, and gently but thoroughly destroyed the effect of my presentation," says Jackson. "Some days later, I received a handwritten note from Purdy, apolo- gizing. He said that he had not known that the argument had been imposed on me by others and had he been aware, he would never have dealt with it in the way he had. I don't know which I appreciated more, the unnecessary apology or the fact that a very senior practitioner had taken the time to write it." At Oslers, Crawford serves as a men- tor to the next generation of lawyers while also helping to facilitate business for a handful of government clients and continuing his work for charities. Dale Ponder, managing partner at Oslers' Toronto office provided the following statement about Crawford's current role as counsel at the firm: "We have been very fortunate to draw upon Purdy's legal talents and business acumen during peri- ods when he was an Osler partner and leader of the firm — and also during more recent times when he has filled more of an advisory role to a new genera- tion of our lawyers. "Mentorship and leadership develop- ment have been hallmarks of Purdy's career and a long list of Osler partners have benefited from his passion to see succeeding generations successfully rise to leadership." Ponder continues: "I personally mar- vel at Purdy's continuing commitment and drive to making a difference. He continues to pursue his business interests, but also makes time for numerous chari- table causes of importance to him. Along with this, he is periodically called upon for special mandates of national signifi- cance, such as the recent ABCP crises. He has had a major impact on the Canadian business scene throughout his career and this is just one recent example." Currently, Crawford spends his time helping with the mandate of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research at the University of New Brunswick, and his principal charity is the Mount Allison University where he's been bestowed the title of chancel- lor emeritus. He still accepts speaking engagements, most recently addressing the Montreal Board of Trade about the value of leadership in the context of risk and corporate governance. "I'm not quite as busy as I used to be," he says almost regrettably, but adds, "I do have the lux- ury of being able to do these things with- out being paid." When he's not working, he is an avid follower of the sports pursuits of his 15 grandchildren and spending time with his family at his country home in Caledon, Ont. Will he ever fully retire? "I guess I will when I just can't do it anymore." But for the time being he figures at Oslers, "I think they just like to have my name around." www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com NO VEMBER / DECEMBER 2009 33 ntitled-3 1 10/20/09 3:23:48 PM