There was no prouder dad in the country Thursday when Justice Ian Gordon watched his son, Rob, sworn in as the newest member of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice at the Sudbury Courthouse.
“I believe this is the first time a son has been named to replace his father on the bench,” said Gordon.
Rob Gordon, 45, who has been a lawyer in Haileybury for the past 20 years, won’t exactly be replacing his father, at least for the time being. Gordon is taking semi-retirement and will work part-time for the next several months.
“I’ve committed to working supernumerary probably until the end of 2007, and then I think that will be it,” said the senior Gordon, 67, one of the most respected senior judges in Northern Ontario.
Rob is the middle child. Eldest son, Paul, is a high school teacher in New Liskeard, while daughter, Tammie, was recently named recreation director of Temiskaming Shores, near the Tri-Towns (New Liskeard, Haileybury and Cobalt).
“I’m equally proud of all three of my children, but Rob is an outstanding lawyer, and I know he’s going to be a terrific judge,” he said. “The regional justice for the Superior Court has been after him for some time as has the regional justice for the Ontario Court, so it’s nice to know he’s so respected and wanted.”
Father and son both attended the University of Toronto and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School. Both practised law in the Tri-Towns.
“I moved to Haileybury in 1968 to start a practice with a man named Dalton Dean, who was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials,” said Gordon. “He was a fantastic counsel, and he whipped my butt several times in some big civil cases when I was working out of Timmins...one day he asked me to join his firm. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Gordon kept working in Haileybury before being accepted to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 1991.
Over the past 15 years, he’s oversaw some of the biggest, highest-profile cases to hit courtrooms in Greater Sudbury.
While he loved being a lawyer, he’s never missed the long hours and time away from family.
“It got to the stage where I was working ridiculous hours and most weekends...to be honest it was a great relief to be named to the bench and be taken out of practice,” he said.
A judge must be patient and a good listener, he said.
“I also try to do my research and I take pride in being a good listener. Being impatient and frustrated will only get you in trouble.”
Sometimes it was hard for him to leave his job at work.
“There are a lot of nights when you go home and forget about the job and other nights when a case sticks in your head and you can’t help but think of it,” he said. “You try and block things out once you get home, but I’ll admit I haven’t always been successful.”
Gordon and his wife plan to retire in the Tri-Towns area.
Gordon junior said filling his father’s robe on the bench won’t be easy, but he welcomes the challenge.
“I know my father was an excellent judge and he’s very well respected,” he said. “We’re each our own person and I know I’ve learned from him, but I’ll try and bring my own unique style to the bench as well.”
Rob is one of Northern Ontario’s top curlers. He’s been skip of two teams that have qualified for The Brier. He’s looking forward to winning a few tournaments in Sudbury.
His first day on the bench is Monday.
