Leonard Pollock joined the Faculty of Law in 1972, during the Deanship of Gerald Fridman and at the behest of Julien Payne, then the Faculty's only full-time instructor in Family Law. Prior to teaching at the Faculty of Law, Len was a partner at the firm Miller, Miller, Witten, Vogel and Pollock.
For more than 30 years, until his retirement in 2002, Len was a full-time professor at the Faculty, teaching a number of courses including: Family Law, Problems in Family Law, Negotiation Techniques, Professional Responsibility, Civil Procedure, and Advocacy.
Len was considered an institution within the Faculty of Law; a legendary professor to his students for his energetic teaching style, which was punctuated by practical examples and ribald humour. During his time as a professor, Len served on numerous Faculty committees, counselled generations of students, wrote articles, and spoke at conferences in Canada and abroad.
His contribution to the legal profession was immense. He served as President of the Edmonton Bar Association and as a Bencher for the Law Society of Alberta. He served on a large number of Law Society Committees, was a mentor to generations of practitioners in Family Law, and a speaker at many Canadian Bar Association and Legal Education Society of Alberta seminars.
Frank Jones, former dean of the Faculty of Law, remembers Len as someone who, "liked to put on a tough persona, but those who knew him-both students and faculty, knew otherwise. He was a caring and big hearted gentle man."
Len loved his law school and his profession, and he will be sorely missed by his great many friends among Alberta's legal community, those here at the Law School and those among the practicing bar and the judiciary.
Leonard Pollock passed away suddenly at the age of 74 on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 in Edmonton.
Leonard Pollock, Q.C.