College of Law establishes Estey Chair in Business Law

John and Bill Estey, sons of the late Willard "Bud" Estey, former Supreme Court of Canada Justice, have given the largest-ever private donation to the college in their father's honour to establish the chair.

Estey graduated from the College of Law in 1942 and went on to serve as a member of the Ontario Court of Appeal, Chief Justice of the High Court and as Chief Justice of Ontario. In 1977, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Estey Chair in Business Law is intended to attract outstanding scholars in the area of business law. Chairholders will be expected to teach business law courses within the college, conduct world-class research in their field, as well as share their expertise and engage in outreach activities with the wider legal community.

By founding the chair, it is the donors' hope that the initiative will help position the College of Law as one of
Canada's leading institutions in business law.

"We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the establishment of the Estey Chair in Business Law, in honour of our father and his legacy in the law in Canada," said Bill and John Estey in a joint statement. "He was very proud of his Saskatchewan roots and was honoured to be a graduate of, and a teacher at, the College of Law and the University of Saskatchewan."

Sanjeev Anand, dean of the College of Law, said he is excited for what the chair means for the future of the college. "The presence of this chair will really enhance the research culture of our college and create opportunities for increased collaboration between chair-holders, other faculty members and our students," he said.

It is expected that the first holder of the Estey Chair in Business Law will begin their term on July 1, 2014.

The college aims to raise a total of $5 million for the fund through a campaign, which began earlier this fall during the College of Law's centennial celebrations.