Tom McGrenere was a profoundly loyal friend and family man, seen by many as the most honourable lawyer they had ever met. He graduated from Osgoode in 1963, was called to the Bar in 1965 and then began a long and distinguished career in Toronto. He started practicing for the firm Bassel Sullivan and subsequently was a co-founder and partner of the firm Lawson, McGrenere, Wesley, Jarvis and Rose. He was a teacher of the Bar Admission course, a Director of the Advocate Society, a Board member of the Ontario Police Commission and the Medical Legal Society, a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and an appointee to the King’s Council. Still, Tom was a humble, gracious and generous man whose focus was always on seeing, celebrating and supporting his family and friends, paying a particular attention to those in need. When Tom first went to law school, he couldn’t afford his $500 fee and fortunately relied on a friend to loan him the money to be able to attend classes that year.
The funds for this endowment will be matched by Osgoode Hall Law School through the No Barriers initiative and will supports JD students in financial need who face visible and invisible obstacles like income; mental health; racial, cultural and gender inequalities; or physical and learning challenges.