Through hard work and determination, John Naccarato, the son of working-class Italian immigrants, earned his law degree at Queen’s in 1981. He then parlayed that degree into a successful real estate practice, becoming a partner with international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s Ottawa office. Following his passing on August 12, his firm made a generous $150,000 donation to help the next generation of talented students, with limited finances, obtain a JD at Queen’s Law.
“Norton Rose Fulbright established The D. John Naccarato Memorial Award in Law at Queen’s University as a fitting tribute and to honour the memory of our dear friend, colleague, and partner of more than 25 years,” says Charles E. Hurdon, Managing Partner (Canada), and Pierre-Paul Henrie, Managing Partner (Ottawa). “A proud Queen’s graduate himself, John is remembered for his warmth, kindness and compassion for others, and his qualities will continue to shine through the work of his award, and the law students who will receive it.”
The endowed award, for demonstrated financial need and academic achievement, will first be presented to a JD student in the next academic year.
Delighted to accept the donation, Dean Mark Walters says, “John Naccarato exemplified the highest virtues of this institution, that of dedication, collegiality, leadership, and service to others. Queen’s Law is honoured to commemorate his contributions and enduring legacy. Through the generosity of Norton Rose Fulbright, this award will advance our mission of expanding access to justice by supporting brilliant law students with financial needs and creating a more diverse and representative legal sector, today and for generations to come.”
It was back in September 1978 in Naccarato’s first-year, small-section criminal law class, when he met Law’81 classmate Richard Wagner (now Senior Partner with Norton Rose Fulbright). The two would become lifelong friends, as well as colleagues. “John and I easily became friends, given we were both first generation Canadian sons of working-class immigrants,” recalls Wagner, whose parents were from Germany. “One evening in first year, we were standing around with classmates talking about what area of law we wanted to practice. John blurted out ‘real estate law'. There was a bewilderment as none of us had a clue as to what that was (there wasn’t a lot of it on TV – Perry Mason never searched title!). But John obviously had it all thought out.”
While Naccarato was known to classmates as “The NACC” – pronounced as and paying homage to The Knack, the rock band whose hit “My Sharona” topped the charts in 1979 – he was also known for taking his studies seriously and having a great analytical mind. Even when discussing complex cases, Wagner still remembers Naccarato saying, “I did not come to law school to learn what I would need to know in the practice of law; I came here to learn the law.”
Not long after Naccarato started his real estate practice in Markham, he received a call from Wagner who had seen an influx of German real estate investors in his Ottawa practice, and asked if his friend would be interested in moving there. A few months later, Naccarato joined Wagner at Perley-Robertson, Panet, Hill & McDougall. “John quickly built a solid practice and made a name for himself as one of the top real estate lawyers in Ottawa, working for major developers, construction companies, and real estate lenders,” recalls Wagner.
In the mid-1990s, the two friends moved to Ogilvy Renault, where Naccarato excelled as one of a few lawyers carrying the firm’s real estate practice throughout Ontario for several years. By 2011 when the firm became Norton Rose Fulbright, Wagner recalls, “John’s practice included large-scale projects across Canada and major federal government projects, such as the LeBreton Flats redevelopment, which will reshape Ottawa for years to come. He would remain highly respected in the real estate bar.”
When asked how Naccarato would have felt about an award in his memory, Wagner replies, “John would be embarrassed by the attention drawn to him by the award, but extremely proud and very glad that its objective is to make a legal education at Queen’s financially accessible to future talented students. Coming from a similar working-class immigrant background as me, he surmounted cultural and financial barriers to get to law school. Both he and I would likely not have wound up in law school today with current tuition fees. Middle- and upper-class families do not understand the incredible barrier that high tuition fees can be to working- and lower-class students and their families. While student loans are there, the thought of racking up six-figure debt to get through university and law school, is a bridge too far for most. Accordingly, I know John would be truly pleased and honoured to have this award with its objective of helping financial accessibility named after him.”
John Naccarato is survived by his wife, Selena Labrecque, and children Justin and Alexa.
Through the generosity of its network of alumni and friends, Queen’s Law is able to provide needs-based and merit-based financial support to students in the JD program. Over 80 per cent of the school’s students are the first in their family to attend law school, and roughly one quarter are from households earning less than $70,000 a year. Through financial support, Queen’s Law alumni and friends are creating a positive, lasting impact and shaping the future of students, such as Yakin Ebsim, Law’23.
“I appreciate that awards like the new Naccarato Award exist for Queen’s Law students because they allow us to be financially supported so that we may better focus on our studies and fulfill our educational goals,” says Ebsim. “Recognizing the efforts we put into our educational studies provides us with more motivation to pursue our legal studies zealously.”
Contributions can be made online to support The D. John Naccarato Memorial Award in Law.