Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m J U N E 2 0 1 5 11 to assist other counsel. "I want to be active," he says. In 2007, he helped prominent Edmonton lawyer Shannon Prithipaul with a case headed to Canada's highest court. "I had never been to the Supreme Court," recalls Prithipaul, "and I was nervous. But he read my arguments and he was helpful. I was impressed and surprised." Recently, Chipman's wife of 52 years, Ann, has been in care. "Right now, that is my main concern." When Chipman learned he is the most senior lawyer in the Prairies he con- fessed he was uncertain about the future, "I want to finish out this year," he says, referring to his law society member- ship which will come up for renewal on March 31, 2016. "Beyond that I don't know, but I don't want to retire." According to Law Society of Manitoba records, the longest serving lawyer still practising in Manitoba is Gordon Pullan. He was called to the bar May 9, 1951 and just weeks later on June 1, hung up his shingle and has practised continuously ever since. "I call myself semi-retired now," says the quotable Pullan, then quips "that's because I don't work nights anymore." What kind of law did he practise back then? "Anything that walked through the door." His work ethic, working 9-to-9, brought success and longevity. At 90, he is still lively and engaging and is now the Pullan in Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger. What is his secret? "Don't tell anybody but you have to be extremely careful in choosing your parents." Pullan just edges out another Winnipeg lawyer in seniority, Reeh Taylor who remains with one of the city's biggest law firms, Taylor McCaffrey LLP. Taylor was also called in 1951, but in June rather than May. Pullan came from Winnipeg's famous North End, once the home of several striving ethnic communities. His father ran a second-hand store and "it was paramount that I go to university." But the Second World War intervened. After graduating early from high school, Pullan signed up in 1943 at 18 and did stints with the RCAF and the Royal Canadian Navy. When he got back, the Department of Veteran Affairs financed a law degree at the University of Manitoba. He chose law because "things were different back then." There was not a lot of opportunity for young Jewish men and Pullan wanted a job where he could be "independent and responsible and earn a living." He says he has never regretted the choice and plans to continue being a lawyer as long as "I am physically and mentally capable. I'm working for fun. I enjoy what I'm doing." In Saskatchewan, 86-year-old Lyle Oswald Phillips has been practising in Moose Jaw since his call to the bar on July 2, 1954. He is now the oldest active lawyer in the province. A native of Moose Jaw, he graduated from high school in 1946. He then went to the University of Michigan and later Assumption College in Windsor, Ont., on a Detroit Red Wings' hockey scholarship. He never cracked the big team but did get to know some young men who made the NHL, among them Gor- die Howe and Ted Lindsay. After graduation, he turned down a chance to play with a Wings' farm team and decided he wanted to follow his father, John Phillips, into the law. He enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan and while studying law captained the university's Huskies for three years. He was named the uni- versity's outstanding athlete in 1953/54. On graduation, he articled with his father and will therefore have practised for 61 years this July. He entered practice with his father and continued with him until his father retired at 90. One of Phillips' career highlights came when he had barely a year of experience. He took a land dispute, (Rogen v. Thorpe) first to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and then, in 1955, to the Supreme Court of Canada. "We lost in both courts but it was exciting," he remembers. Phillips ran a general practice in Moose Jaw; "We did a little bit of everything." Later he became corporate counsel and vice president financing for a local industrial firm, where he remained for a decade. Then back to solo practice until in 2008, at 79, "I was invited to join [the Moose Jaw firm] Chow McLeod." Philips still puts in five days a week, except during the summer when he takes every Thursday off to play golf. "The thing I'm finding," he chuckles, is "I'm losing my clients because a lot of them are dying off." How long will he continue? Phillips replies with a touch of lawyerly caution, "So long as my health is good and I'm still enjoying it, we'll see what happens." — GEOFF ELLWAND writerlaw@gmail.com \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ P R A I R I E S \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP What do your clients need? The means to move on. Guaranteed ™ . Baxter Structures customizes personal injury settlements into tax-free annuities that can help your clients be secure for life. Need more information? Contact us at 1 800 387 1686 or baxterstructures.com Kyla A. Baxter, CSSC PRESIDENT, BAXTER STRUCTURES Untitled-1 1 13-09-16 2:53 PM

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