About
Joseph James Mark Arvay was born inWelland, Ontario, on March 18, 1949, one of three children to Laura Teresa Monaco and James Arvay. His father of Hungarian descent, was a businessman who owned a stationery store; his mother was of Italian descent.[2]In 1968, he attendedHuron University College, an affiliate of theUniversity of Western Ontario. In January 1969, at the age of 21, he was injured in car accident in southwestern Ontario, where he suffered a spinal injury that left him aparaplegic.[2][a]He graduated from the University of Western Ontario with aBachelor of Laws(LL.B.) degree in 1974; and laterHarvard Law Schoolwith aMaster of Laws(LL.M.).[2] Arvay initially pursued an academic career, teaching law at theUniversity of Windsor.[1]In 1981 he moved to British Columbia where he practised in the Ministry of Attorney General. He was appointedQueen's Counselafter only ten years at the bar, shocking many with his youth.[3]In 1989 he started the boutique law firmArvay Finlaywith John Finlay, Q.C. andMurray Rankin. After Finlay's death[4]and Rankin's entry into politics, Arvay joined the firm of Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP in January 2014.[5]In October 2017, Arvay left Farris and rejoined former associates Mark Underhill, Catherine Boies Parker, Robin Gage and Alison Latimer in the newly reconstituted Arvay Finlay LLP.[6] Arvay recently represented the plaintiff in a landmark case granting children ofsperm donorsthe same rights regarding access to information about their birth parents as adopted children. Joseph Arvay stated that "this case represents a monumental victory for our client, Olivia Pratten, and all the donor offspring she represents who have for too long been disadvantaged by their exclusion from the legislative landscape which has promoted and perpetuated prejudice and stereotyping and caused them grave harm."[10]