John R. Varley M.A. J.D.

Our friend and colleague, Mr. John Varley, passed away on the morning of August 27, 2015. He was a statesman, advisor, and lawyer with a huge heart. He always wanted to do the right thing. R.I.P, dear friend.

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In 2011, John retired after a 34-year career in law.

John’s specialty focus was insolvency law, including matters involving most aspects of personal property security law, secured transactions, receivership, personal bankruptcy, corporate restructuring and related aspects of trust law, pensions, corporate, employment and real estate law.

For decades, he worked in Court and behind the scenes on deals that appeared in the pages of The Globe and Mail and The National Post.

Even with his volunteer work for Law Help Ontario and on three charitable Boards, retirement seemed, well, boring. A let down.

He found that he missed the company and camaraderie of other lawyers—and the art of the deal.

First Principles Communication is delighted to have John join our public relations firm, with the title of Consultant.

With many Canadians dabbling in entrepreneurship, John brings to FPC an intimate working knowledge of a full range of Canadian, North American and international business enterprises: large, medium and small; single-product or conglomerate; manufacturing, retail or service-based; public and private.

Some of the law firms whose clients benefited from John’s advice and counsel include: Fogler Rubinoff, Pallett Valo, Miller Thomson, and Fasken Martineau DuMoulin.

Successful corporate reorganization demands an ability to analyze the financial and management viability of an enterprise, quickly conclude whether it has realistic prospects and advise as to what systems, personnel, debt, equity and operational deficiencies must be corrected.

A few of the more publicized corporate restructurings in which John has acted include:  Algoma Steel, Confederation Life Insurance, Eatons of Canada, St. Marys Paper Inc., The Canadian Red Cross Society, Ontario Hydro, Royal Oak Mines, General Publishing, Otis Elevator Inc., Paramount Pictures (Canada) Inc., Air Canada, and Stelco Inc.

John Varley was a Law Clerk for Chief Justice George Gale and then Chief Justice Willard Estey, from 1976 to 1977.

He articled under John Sopinka, Q.C. (later Mr. Justice Sopinka of the Supreme Court of Canada), and worked with Walter Williston , R.J. Rolls and R. N. Robertson of the firm then called Fasken Calvin.

He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1976 after obtaining his degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1974. John had previously obtained his B. A. from the School of Business at Wilfrid Laurier and an M.A. in Economics and Political Science from York University.

He remains a non-practicing member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.