James M. Spence

James Spence is a recently retired judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario and a former president of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice.  He has served as co-chair and member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics and as co-chair and member of the Education Committee of the Superior Court of Justice.

Before his appointment to the court in 1993, he served as head of the Law Society of Upper Canada and a director of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. He is a life bencher of the Law Society and an honorary member of the Advocates Society of Ontario. As a judge, Spence dealt with a wide variety of Commercial List cases and other commercial and civil disputes, as well as divisional court review of administrative decisions.

During his 24 years of law practice prior to appointment, he specialized in commercial and corporate matters and government relations as a member and partner in the firm which is now Torys LLP in Toronto. He has lectured and written on legal matters including professional and judicial practice and responsibility and has served as a director on a number of private and public company boards.