Law Practice

Lawyer, 82, Oldest Ontario Bar Admittee

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An 82-year-old Atlanta lawyer apparently has become the oldest member of the profession ever to be “called to the bar” to practice law in Ontario, Canada.

Although three other lawyers in their seventies previously hung out shingles as fledgling legal eagles, it appears that Gerald van Buskirk clearly holds the record as the oldest new admittee in Ontario, reports Law Times. He hopes to have a commercial litigation or criminal defense practice in a small firm, and do some pro bono work as well.

A certified public accountant who has represented corporate clients in Georgia for 20 years, van Buskirk earned his law degree as a retiree and was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1987 and the New York bar in 1999. He wanted to return to Canada to be closer to family.

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