Alex Pringle, Q.C., one of Alberta's and Canada's most respected criminal lawyers and a long time and distinguished sessional instructor at the Faculty of Law, passed away on Saturday after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer.
Pringle served the University of Alberta Faculty of Law and the professional community for more than 30 years as one of this Faculty's most respected and beloved teachers, principally in criminal law but also in Criminal Trial Procedure, Advanced Criminal Law, and Advocacy. The Faculty's Sessional Teaching Excellence Award was renamed the Pringle/Royal Sessional Teaching Excellence Award in 2013 to honour his contributions and those of Peter Royal, Q.C., both of whom were previous winners of the award.
Pringle was a senior member of Edmonton criminal law boutique Pringle Chivers Sparks and had been practicing as a criminal defence lawyer since 1973. A native Edmontonian, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta in 1968 and earned his law degree from the University of Toronto in 1971. He was called to the Alberta Bar in 1972 and was subsequently called to the Northwest Territories Bar and Yukon Bar in 1977 and finally the Saskatchewan Bar in 1980.
As a letter today from Dino Bottos notes, "We lost a giant. [...] Ask anyone who knew him or saw him in court, or listened to him in his class, and you would know there was a universal high regard for him both as a person and as a lawyer. His virtues included a high ethical standard, integrity, honesty, empathy, humility, and pursuit of excellence."
Dane Bullerwell commented, "He knew that real mentorship required teaching more than just the nuts and bolts of the law, but also how to practice with integrity and compassion. Anyone who was lucky enough to observe him provide advice to a client came away awed by his respectful, straightforward, and down to earth style. He combined his deep knowledge of the law with a strong instinct for justice, and served as a role model for a generation of lawyers. He will be missed."