James Walter Hemens : 1923-2000

André d'Orsonnens, avocat

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James Walter Hemens was called to the Bar on August 4th 1947. I first met him some 36 years later. I was a third-year student who had just joined his firm. He was a seasoned attorney, a Queen's Council, a Knight of Malta, the founding president of the Lakeshore General Hospital. But he also had the heart of a 22 year-old. And so we be-came friends. We worked together, or should I say had fun together, on a daily basis, for 11 years.

What struck me at first, aside from his legendary sense of humour, was Mr. Hemens' brilliant mind and uncanny command of the English language. He would dictate letters of opinion which, once typed, often required no changes; quickly earning him from this young attorney the nickname « First-draft Hemens ». But a few more years of practice allowed me to realize that such designation did not properly encompass the man's talent. He was therefore subsequently known as « Ace ». And an ace he truly was.

A tremendous litigator, I saw him plead before the Superior Court, the Quebec Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, each time commanding a well-deserved respect. Ace was equally gifted with the drafting of agreements. His advice was sought and valued by many. Long-standing clients such as St. Mary's Hospital and the City of Beaconsfield called upon him regularly for almost 40 years.

All of the above made him a very good lawyer. But he was more than that. I believe he was a great lawyer because of his desire and ability to teach, and to convey his passion to others. As a true generalist, Ace taught many of us that while knowledge is important, what you do with it is even more important. A great number of young and not so young attorneys were thus reminded to think. This lesson, of course, was always served with a healthy dose of humor.

Son sens de l'humour lui a d'ailleurs permis de contribuer à l'évolution du droit en y introduisant de nombreux nouveaux concepts. Certains d'entre nous se souviendron des « MSO » souvent utilisés en plaidoirie (MSO pour « Massive Statement of the Obvious »), ou encore de ses objections fondées sur l'absence de « relevance » (un concept que seul un avocat vraiment bilingue pouvait énoncer, mais surtout, un concept dont le débat avait souvent pour effet de briser le rythme du contre-interrogatoire d'un client alors passablement malmené...).

Imaginez encore la surprise de l'avocat qui, lors de la dernière journée d'un long procès, découvre en marge de son plan de plaidoirie la mention « Raise voice here : weak argument ».

Ace ne s'est jamais pris au sérieux. Il s'agissait là pour lui de la pire chose qui pouvait arriver à quelqu'un. Mais il prenait son travail au sérieux. Et nous avons tous probablement bénéficié, à un moment ou à un autre, de ses judicieux conseils, du temps qu'il nous donnait si généreusement.

As Ace would have put it : he has now « gone to his eternal reward ». And we should all be eternally grateful for having had the chance of knowing him, for having had the privilege of being his friend.

Cet hommage a été rendu lors des funérailles de James W. Hemens, le 17 octobre dernier, en l'Église Saint-Thomas d'Aquin.

 

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