Allan Leal

Who was Allan Leal?

Herbert Allan Borden Leal, OC QC was a Canadian civil servant and academic. He was Deputy Attorney General of Ontario, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, and Chancellor of McMaster University.

Born in Beloeil, Quebec, Leal received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1940 from McMaster University. A Rhodes Scholar from Ontario in 1940, he never took up the appointment due to the war. He served with the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II in Canada, England, and the United States. He was discharged with the rank of Captain. After the war, he attended Osgoode Hall Law School from 1945 to 1948. He received a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School in 1957. He was called to the Bar of Ontario 1948 and was created a Queen's Counsel in 1959.

Leal practiced law from 1948 to 1950. In 1950, he became a lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School. In 1956, he became Vice-Dean and a full Professor of Law. From 1958 to 1966, he was Dean of the Law School. He was Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, when it was engaged in a major debate about the future of legal education in Ontario - and in particular, how much influence the legal profession should have on legal education.