Dale Doan to receive prestigious “Leaders in Learning” award posthumously

Dale Doan to receive prestigious “Leaders in Learning” award posthumously

Carolynn Doan receives the Leaders in Learning award from CLEBC chair Todd McKendrick on behalf of Dale Doan while their three sons Michael, Evan, and Jonathan look on: (Left to right: Michael Doan, Carolynn Doan, Evan Doan, Todd McKendrick, and Jonathan Doan.)

CLEBC Staff/October 28, 2009

Dale Doan, a tireless volunteer for CLEBC during his life and a continuing inspiration after his passing, will receive the “Leaders in Learning” award from CLEBC to recognize his outstanding contributions toward educating the legal profession over the course of his distinguished legal career.

The award is given every two years to recognize a lawyer whose efforts to help educate other members of the profession have been extraordinary. Previous recipients of the award include Jim Taylor, QC and John Lundell, QC in 2005, and Ed Wilson in 2007.

Doan is survived by his wife Carolynn and their three sons, Jonathan, Michael and Evan.

Doan was a founding partner of Cleveland Doan LLP and practiced law since 1980 in Saskatchewan and 1991 in BC. His practice focused on business law, and his projects with CLEBC were plentiful.

Known to his colleagues as “Mr. PPSA” (short for Personal Property Security Act), Doan answered a calling to educate the legal profession about personal property security issues. He had experience with a PPSA regime in Saskatchewan, so when BC instituted its own PPSA legislation in 1995, CLEBC turned to Dale to help educate the profession—and he continued to do so for many, many, years.

Of particular note was his pivotal role in conceiving of the Personal Property Security Act Practice Manual and his dedication in seeing it to fruition and continuing as both an author and an editorial board member from first publication in 1995 through nine subsequent updates. In 2007, he fulfilled an urgent need by co-authoring a “Bulletin to Subscribers” of that manual to guide the profession immediately on the most pressing requirements of the Securities Transfer Act, a complex piece of legislation enacted on very little notice that considerably changed the landscape of secured transactions.

Dale was a chair and/or faculty member and course materials author in more than 15 CLEBC courses, he fielded inquiries about the PPSA from lawyers all over BC daily, he gave his precedents to the Canadian Bar Association, and he taught bar admissions courses for 19 years.

In both his work and his personal life, Doan was known for his upbeat attitude and his ability to focus on the goal and see the humour in life. He was known to say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff… and it’s all small stuff.”

Doan’s passions in life aside from his law career were his friends, family, music, and humanitarian work. He was active in the White Rock community where he lived, acting as an honourary consul for the White Rock Chamber of Commerce and supporting the Semiahmoo Secondary Music Society. He also served on the national boards of directors for Red Cross Canada and UNICEF Canada. Even in illness, Dale was generous and community-minded, participating as a speaker at the Light the Night marathon walk for the Cancer Society earlier this year.

Working with Doan was a great pleasure for those who had the privilege, and he will be greatly missed at CLEBC.