• Ross Mackay: The Saga of a Brilliant Criminal Lawyer

  • And His Big Losses & Bigger Wins in Court and in Life
  • By: Jack Batten
  • Narrated by: Lorene Shyba
  • Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

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Ross Mackay: The Saga of a Brilliant Criminal Lawyer  By  cover art

Ross Mackay: The Saga of a Brilliant Criminal Lawyer

By: Jack Batten
Narrated by: Lorene Shyba
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Publisher's summary

Ross Mackay: The Saga of a Brilliant Criminal Lawyer is a great fit for people who love Perry Mason’s courtroom drama and Better Call Saul’s criminal subculture.

Two murder trials were held in Toronto in the spring of 1962, only 19 days apart. The accused man in each trial, one a pimp accused of stabbing a fellow pimp to death, the other a thief who killed a policeman in a shootout, were the last two men to be hanged in Canada. Toronto criminal lawyer Ross Mackay was the counsel for the accused in both trials, a mere 30 years old when he lost them both to the gallows. But the trials were far from the last times that Mackay defended accused murderers in the most horrendous circumstances.

Author Jack Batten tells the story of Mackay’s dedication to the maxim that every man is entitled to a defense - a story of Mackay’s courage and the harsh penalties he paid for the daring and controversial choices he made in life and in the courtroom.

©2020 Jack Batten (P)2020 Durvile Publications Ltd.

Critic reviews

"A compelling and insightful chronicle of a brilliant, eclectic and charismatic maverick. Despite the roller coaster of his life described with candor and compassion, it is Ross Mackay’s unfailing dedication and steadfast commitment both to his clients and to justice for all which will remain his lasting legacy." (Brian Greenspan, criminal lawyer)

"When tragedy hits the gifted, the loss is hard to explain. But Jack Batten succeeds. He marries journalism and law, meticulous fact-driven research, to give us this riveting book on the talented Ross Mackay, who flew too close to the sun." (Hon. Nancy Morrison, former judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia)

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Good court stories

Ross MacKay was a talented Canadian criminal defense attorney active from the 60s through the 80s. He had raging substance abuse problems (he "cured" his alcoholism by using cocaine and marijuana instead). He befriended many of his clients and sometimes lived with them or their associates. This is a good collection of older court stories.

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