A Queen’s Law grad and founding member of a leading Canadian law firm, Christopher Riggs was one of Canada’s most renowned administrative lawyers. Following his passing in January, his firm has ensured his name will live on through a scholarship.

Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP has announced a commitment of $50,000 to create the Christopher Riggs Administrative Law Scholarship. The award will honour the career of the 44-year practitioner who retired in 2014 and passed away on January 13 following a courageous and lengthy battle with cancer.

Stephen Shamie, Law’86, managing partner at Hicks Morley, explains why it was fitting to honour his colleague with the scholarship. “Chris was one of Canada’s pre-eminent lawyers in the administrative law bar, appearing throughout his career on behalf of employers before administrative tribunals and at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada,” he says. “Chris was also was a strong supporter of the value of education and cherished with pride his positive experience as one of the early graduates of the law school at Queen’s.”

Pending university approval, the annual $2,500 scholarship in memory of Riggs will be awarded on the basis of academic excellence in administrative law courses to full-time upper-year law students. It is expected that the first award will be given for the 2016-17 academic year.

Christopher Riggs, QC, Law’67, was part of the creation of Hicks Morley in 1972 with the five named partners (Robert Hicks, Colin Morley, Fred Hamilton, Bruce Stewart, Tom Storie) and Harvey Beresford, Law'67. He received many awards and distinctions throughout his long career, which spanned five decades. He was named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and was a recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Guelph in 2013.

One of the country’s leading lawyers in labour and employment law, in addition to administrative law, Riggs was universally respected by his colleagues, the judiciary and opposing counsel. Many of the seminal workplace law cases decided in Canada over the past 25 years, including McKinney v. University of Guelph SCC 1990, and Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education SCC 1995 were cases that Riggs argued.

He was managing partner of the firm from 1994 to 2002 and was a mentor and role model to a younger generation of lawyers during his tenure.

“Through his strong leadership, Chris was able to cement our reputation as the leading human resources law and advocacy firm in the country,” says Shamie. “He ran his practice and the firm with the highest degree of integrity, intelligence and wit. Those who dealt with him came to love and respect him not only as an advocate but for his personal qualities.”