The Hamilton Lawyers’ Show

The genesis of the Lawyers’ Legacy for Children – The Ray Harris Fund is found in the story of the Hamilton Lawyers’ Show.  

In 1983, the Hamilton Lawyers’ Club produced Twelve Angry Men at Hamilton Place with a cast made up entirely of Hamilton Lawyers. The production was the brainchild of Hamilton lawyers Jeff Manishen and Randy Mazza and was directed by their colleague Ray Harris. Thus was born the unique theatrical genre known as the Lawyers’ Show.  

The Lawyers’ Show concept caught on and spread across Canada, the U.S. and Europe as a popular vehicle for raising money for the arts and other charities and for showcasing the theatrical talents of the legal profession.

After inventing the Lawyers’ Show, the Hamilton bar did not return to the stage until 17 years later in 2001 when A Few Good Men was produced in collaboration with Hamilton’s regional professional theatre, Theatre Aquarius. 

Hamilton’s lawyers, judges and theatre professionals went on to give Hamilton audiences first- rate productions of To Kill a Mockingbird (2003), Inherit the Wind (2006), A Man for All Seasons (2011) and Witness for the Prosecution (2017).

In 2006 they resolved to find a way to pay their efforts forward by creating a foundation for Hamilton's children and to build it with the proceeds of their shows. Since then, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised by the Hamilton Lawyers' Shows in support of the Lawyers' Legacy for Children. 

In the spring of 2024, Hamilton's lawyers will present the stage play of the classic film, "The Sting", which starred Robert Redford and Paul Newman and won Best Picture honours at the 1973 Oscars.