Toronto Estate Law Blog : Toronto Estate Lawyer : Hull & Hull Law Firm : Trust Mediation and Succession Planning : Serving Ontario, Ottawa, Mississauga, Hamilton

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Listen to: Rodney Hull Q.C., LSM - Hull on Estates #191

This week on Hull on Estates, Megan Connolly and Craig Vander Zee talk about the passing of Rodney Hull, founding partner of Hull & Hull LLP.

If you have any comments, send us an email at hull.lawyers@gmail.com or leave a comment on our blog.

Megan F. Connolly - Click here for more information on Megan Connolly.

Craig R. Vander Zee - Click here for more information on Craig Vander Zee.

 Rodney Hull Q.C., LSM - Hull on Estates- Episode #191

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Hull & Hull LLP

Megan Connolly:  Hello and welcome to Hull on Estates.  You’re listening to episode 191 on Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

Welcome to Hull on Estates, a series of podcasts for the Canadian legal community dealing with issues and insights surrounding estate planning in Canada.   Hosted by the lawyers of Hull & Hull, the podcast will touch on some key considerations when planning estates and wills.  Now, here are today’s hosts.

Megan Connolly:   Hi and welcome to another episode of Hull on Estates.  I’m Megan Connolly.

Craig Vander Zee:   And I’m Craig Vander Zee.

Megan Connolly:   And if you want to be heard on Hull on Estates, you can participate by leaving us a comment.  E-mail us at hull.lawyers@gmail.com or you can visit our blog at estatelaw.hullandhull.com.  Hi Craig.

Craig Vander Zee:   Hi Megan.  Today will be a change from our normal routine where we talk about legal matters today.  And as many of our listeners may already know, Rodney Hull passed away over the weekend, on December 5, 2009. And we thought it apropos that we remember the wonderful founding partner, mentor and friend in Rodney that we at the firm had in today’s podcast.

Megan Connolly:   And Rodney was a wonderful, wonderful man.  Lots of you out there know him as a lawyer and some of you may know him as a Deputy Small Claims Court judge north of the city but he was also the loving husband of Anne and he had 5 children and lots of grandchildren too, all of whom loved him very much. 

Craig Vander Zee:   And Rodney was such a wonderful gentleman. And I had the privilege of knowing him for a number of years, being here at Hull & Hull and being across files from him prior to coming to Hull & Hull.  His professionalism, his pure passion, his wit were all things amongst his excellence and striving for excellence are all things that come to mind when I think of Rodney and the time that I spent with him and the time that those in the firm have been very fortunate to have spent with him as well.

Megan Connolly:   And I remember starting here, must have been not that long ago – November of 2006.  And right away I was just struck by what a nice, obviously intelligent but accessible personal Rodney was.  No matter how busy he was, he always had time to help me, to answer all the questions I had.  Although in hindsight they may not have always been the most brilliant questions, you’d never know it by talking to Rodney.  And you know I remember I’d been here less than a year and that’s when he won the Law Society Medal.  It would have been in, I think, April 2007.  And you know working with him I always had some idea of how prominent and how successful.  But I remember going to that ceremony and really sort of crystallizing just how important his contribution to the legal community had been and the profession itself.

Craig Vander Zee:   Well aside from the books that Rodney wrote and the many articles he authored and too many to count programs of CLE and presentations that he was involved with, he was honoured in other ways as well.  He had also received the Ontario Bar Association’s Award of Excellence for Trusts and Estates and had been recognized in many other ways and with many other awards, not just from within Ontario but outside of Ontario and into the United States.  And certainly Rodney’s distinguished career and legacy are things that we’re all very proud of.  On a personal note, Rodney and I are both graduates of Royal Military College, Rodney having graduated I think in 1953.  And it was absolutely a joy to sit down with Rodney over lunch and to chat about his involvement with the College and his career as a hockey goalie there which some may, if they heard this story, think that it was an NHL career.  But just wonderful stories and to listen to him regale stories of those prominent and not prominent people he had come across over the decades was just a very enjoyable way to have a lunch.  And he always included you in commenting on any of these stories.  So for me, quite apart from his legal prominence, there is a heartfelt fondness for Rodney for the other side of him that I got to know and that others will have their own, you know, connections with Rodney.

Megan Connolly:   And you know a lot of people feel that way because I know even when I’m at events or whenever I tell people I work for Hull & Hull, anyone who’s familiar with the area will always ask after Rodney.  And it’s usually accompanied by sort of a very, very fond anecdote.  Lots of people are successful but not everyone who’s successful are nearly as well liked as he is and I think it’s really a testament to not just how hard he worked but how well he treated everyone he knew that people react so fondly and positively toward him.

Craig Vander Zee:   Yeah that’s so true Megan.  I’ve dealt with a number of lawyers, you know, from outside of Toronto where at the end of a conversation they’ll say, say hello to Rodney for me.  And I think that is so true in what you’re saying.  One thing that I certainly want to convey on my behalf and on behalf of the firm is our deepest sympathies to Anne and Ian and their family in respect of Rodney’s passing.

Megan Connolly:   He’s had a really, really, wonderful, long life but it’s never really long enough.  And he is somebody I think who anyone who’s known him and who he’s touched will miss him very, very much.

Craig Vander Zee:   Absolutely, absolutely.  And I think with that, Megan, we are at a close today. And our thoughts are with the family.

Megan Connolly:   And it was a pleasure Craig, and I look forward to podcasting with you again soon.   And we also look forward to hearing from our listeners.  You can send us an e-mail at hull.lawyers@gmail.com and be sure to visit our blog at estatelaw.hullandhull.com where you’ll find even more information and discussion on today’s practice on estates law.  And I should note there are also a couple of videos out there with Rodney in them talking about the practice.  So for those who are interested, I definitely encourage you to check them out and we hope that you enjoyed the show.  I’m Megan Connolly.

Craig Vander Zee:   And I’m Craig Vander Zee.

Megan Connolly:   Until next week, so long.

This has been Hull on Estates with the lawyers of Hull & Hull.  The podcast you have been listening to has been provided as an information service.  It is a summary of current legal issues in estates and estate planning.  It is not legal advice and you are reminded to always talk with a legal professional regarding your specific circumstances.

To listen to other podcasts, or to leave a question or comment, please visit our website at www.hullandhull.com.

Our theme music is Upper Structure by DJ AKid  and is courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.