Keith was a lifelong Vancouverite, born here on June 13, 1945, and sadly passing away too soon on October 26, 2021.  From his offices at Farris, Keith advised many of the leading companies, institutions and individuals in British Columbia over a career that spanned almost 50 years, from summer 1971 until December 2020.  He served as Managing Partner of Farris from 1994 to 2007, and as Chair from 2007 to 2017.

Anywhere he went, from client boardrooms to his favourite restaurants, from the Farris offices to dinner parties everywhere, Keith had an unmistakable and irreplaceable presence.  His enthusiasm and the range of his knowledge, carried by a booming voice, meant that we always knew when Keith was in the room.  For those of us fortunate enough to have been in those rooms, we miss that unique energy keenly, even at the one year mark of Keith’s passing.

Keith was passionate about many things:  his family, Farris, politics, ideas, travel, books, Vancouver real estate gossip and good food and wine chiefly among them.  His incredibly detailed knowledge of Italy, Hawaii, international affairs and US politics was legendary.

Among Keith’s lifelong passions was his alma mater, UBC.  Keith received his B.A. from UBC in political science and history in 1967, and his LL.B. from UBC in 1971, and he never lost sight of how important UBC was to him, to Mary Jane and his family, and to Farris.  Keith was instrumental in fundraising for the new law school building, served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for many years, and was counsel to UBC in a number of important and sensitive legal matters.  He was also a confidant and friend to successive (and successful) UBC presidents over the years, and for much of his life he and Mary Jane lived within a stone’s throw of campus.

It would be impossible to put a narrow definition on the broad scope of Keith’s practice over the decades, but there is no mistaking that he had a magic touch and exceptional judgment when it came to challenging matters that involved the public sphere.  With the endowment of this award for outstanding UBC law students in perpetuity, we know that Keith’s legacy will live on.

To help us remember Keith, and to take a small step to mark his many contributions to our lives, Farris, Keith’s family, and a number of “friends of Keith” are together establishing the A. Keith Mitchell Award in Public Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC.

Your gift will pay tribute to Keith’s life and career by supporting students at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC. Gifts will be directed to the A. Keith Mitchell Award in Public Law, with final decisions on the award description and student eligibility made in consultation with Farris and Keith’s family.

For those that may be interested in other ways to give or have questions about the fund, please contact Joyce Lau, Development Officer, at jlau@allard.ubc.ca.