A trailblazer: Colleagues pay tribute to Alan Young after legal scholars death [Video]

York University says Alan Young, a lawyer and legal scholar known for leading the challenge of Canada’s prostitution laws before the country’s top court, has died at age 69.

The university’s Osgoode Hall Law School says Young’s death on Saturday is a “profound loss” for the legal profession.

Young was a central figure in a landmark Supreme Court case that struck down Canada’s prostitution laws as unconstitutional in 2013 and forced the federal government to revise the legislation.

A statement from the university notes that Young was also known for representing people with AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis who were charged for using medical marijuana, leading to federal regulations permitting its use.

Canadian Lawyer magazine listed Young among the 25 most influential people in the legal profession over several years.

York’s law school dean Trevor Farrow says in a statement that the entire Osgoode community sends its condolences to Young’s family.

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