FOG LOG CANADA NEWS LOG: CLAYTON RUBY , CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER DIES AT 80!

Clayton Ruby, renowned Canadian civil rights lawyer, dies Clayton Ruby, the Canadian civil rights lawyer who for decades took on some of the country's most notable and high-profile cases, was remembered Wednesday as a force in the legal world who changed lives through his advocacy and left an irreversible mark on the justice system.

Ruby, 80, died Tuesday afternoon surrounded by his family, his law firm said Wednesday. In a statement, Ruby Shiller Enenajor DiGiuseppe said it is mourning the loss of its leader and mentor, a "dedicated advocate for human rights, a champion of the underdog and a loving friend."

Joy Cheskes remembers working with Ruby over two years in the mid-2000s as he fought on her behalf and that of several others to prevent the Ontario government from unsealing confidential adoption records.

The Toronto lawyer's office had offered to take on the case, and filed a constitutional challenge of a new provincial law that would have retroactively released records so birth parents and adoptees could access information about one another. While she was initially nervous to meet him, Ruby was "just so calming and he had an air of confidence about him that made me feel confident," Cheskes said in an interview from Stratford, Ont., on Wednesday.

"We were just walking in blind and so to have the lion of the legal world take this on for us, it was truly remarkable."

At some point in the process, Cheskes asked the lawyer a key question: did he think they would win? "Clayton said, 'I can't say. All I know is that we're on the right side,"' she said.

The law was struck down in 2007 days after it took effect, ensuring Cheskes's privacy was protected, she said.

"He was a very important person to so many people," she said. "He was a lawyer working for the rights of everyday people and he changed people's lives."

Stephanie DiGiuseppe, a partner at Ruby's firm, said Ruby "loved life, he loved people."

"He understood justice and he fought for it. He made the world a better place," she said in a tweet. "Clay was funny, kind, and completely original. We will not see his like again. Rest in peace, dear friend."

Others in the legal, political and advocacy communities also expressed their grief and paid tribute to Ruby's extensive legacy.

Ruby was a "true giant of the Canadian bar," federal Justice Minister David Lametti said on Twitter.

"His decades of principled advocacy have left an indelible mark on our justice system and Canadian society. My sincere condolences to his loved ones on his passing."

York University, where Ruby was an alumnus, offered condolences to his family and friends.

"Known for his activism as a civil rights lawyer, he exemplified the commitment to driving positive change," the school's president and vice-chancellor, Rhonda Lenton, wrote in a statement.