Toronto’s criminal defence community is mourning the loss of veteran lawyer Marshall Sack.
According to an obituary published today, Sack died yesterday while surrounded by family. The husband of Vicki Sack, he had four children.
“He did good work and was well-respected and built a terrific practice,” says John Rosen, a lawyer with Rosen & Co. who knew Sack since his call to the bar. “He was a bright, energetic, smart trial lawyer.”
“He had a command of the English that surpassed the great Sir Marshal Hall whom his mother presciently named him after. He was a leader at the bar and a great advocate,” wrote Toronto litigator James Morton on his blog.
A sole practitioner who often practised in association with other lawyers, Sack took on several high-profile criminal cases in Toronto. One of the recent ones was the murder trial over the death of teenager Stefanie Rengel in 2008. He represented the girlfriend of the teen who actually killed Rengel. The court ultimately found his client, who had urged her boyfriend to kill Rengel over MSN and text messages, guilty of first-degree murder.
Further back, he represented Rose Cece, who along with Mary Barbara Taylor was accused of killing Toronto police Det.-Const. Billy Hancox on Aug. 4, 1998.
According to Rosen, Sack had a reputation for his fierce courtroom skills. “He was well-known for his cross-examination skills,” he says. “When Marshall was on, he was really on.”
The
obituary says a service will take place tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel at 2401 Steeles Ave. W. and has details about shiva visitations. Donations can be made to the Israel Cancer Institute.
