Mr. Earl Patrick Shea is a retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves and a practicing lawyer in Toronto, Ontario, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that those who served Canada are remembered and treated well. He has also volunteered considerable time to fundraising and events for the 48th Highlanders of Canada.
Mr. Shea’s commitment and dedication to commemoration is reflected in an impressive project he organized in November 2014 for the Law Society of Upper Canada, the governing body of lawyers in Ontario. Mr. Shea was moved by the number of lawyers who put their practices on hold in order to serve during the First World War. Many did not complete their studies and were never called to the bar as they were killed during the war. Mr. Shea spent countless hours researching these lawyers. He contacted their descendants and invited them to a posthumous call to the bar ceremony in Toronto. Prominent members of the military and the law profession were also in attendance. This remarkable event honoured this special group of First World War servicemen, touched the families of the fallen, and inspired the Law Societies of Alberta and Newfoundland to hold similar events.
Mr. Shea’s commitment to honouring Canada’s Veterans and war dead continues with a project he is working on to place poppy markers at the former homes of Canadians who died during the First World War. He is also very dedicated to serving Veterans in Toronto, as he is working to establish improved outreach programs for homeless Veterans in the city and to establish a pro bono legal network to assist Veterans with finding low cost or pro bono legal assistance.