(1920-1988)                                                                                               

Admitted to the Ontario Bar: 1948

 Practice: The founding member of Staples & Swain, Joe Staples was one of five children born to Dr. Samuel James and Margaret Staples. He was raised in the village of Woodville, Ontario where his father practiced medicine. Following completion of his Bachelor of Arts degree at Victoria College, University of Toronto, Mr. Staples joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1941 and served in the North Atlantic until his retirement to the Naval Reserve list at the rank of Lieutenant in 1945. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and honourably released on April 1, 1968. On Christmas Eve 1943, Joe married Violet Harvey from Toronto, and upon his return from overseas, he attended Osgoode Hall law school, graduating as a top student in 1948, and they returned to settle in Lindsay, Ontario.

 Practice: Mr. Staples began his general legal practice with Fulton, Fulton and Staples where he remained until 1959 when he began the practice that would become Staples & Swain, where he partnered with Robert Calverley until 1966. A champion of the underdog, Joe Staples served the legal needs of his community and his clients for forty years, appearing regularly before various levels of Ontario courts and administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Municipal Board. In addition to the many individuals and local businesses to whom he provided legal services, Mr. Staples’ clients included the Ross Memorial Hospital, the Lindsay Agricultural Society, the Toronto-Dominion Bank and the Town of Lindsay.

 Practice: A highly  respected and active member of the local community, Mr. Staples was a long-time member of the Lindsay Kiwanis Club and Canadian Club of Lindsay, a trustee of Queen Street United Church, a past director of the local Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Lindsay Law Association, past Governor of the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation and served six years as a member and past chairman of the Lindsay Public School Board.

 Practice: In his private life, Joe was the proud father of two sons, Donald and Norman, and was sadly predeceased by his daughter Gwen. Don currently lives with his wife, Carol, in Australia. They have two children, Gopal and Redhika. Norm and his wife, Jane-Ann, live near Kingston, Ontario and are blessed with two children, Scott (Caroline) and Jaclyn (Craig) and three grandchildren, Thompson, Brooklin and Jackson.