Born in Vancouver, B.C., in 1937, the Hon. Mr. Justice Iacobucci received his B.Com. from the University of British Columbia in 1961and his LL.B. from the University of British Columbia in 1962. In 1964, Cambridge University awarded him the LL.M. and in 1966, the Diploma in International Law. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1970 and was awarded a Q.C. by the Federal Government in 1986. In 1987, he was awarded the Law Society Medal of the Law Society of Upper Canada . In 1989, he received an Honourary Doctor of Laws from the University of British Columbia and from the University of Toronto , and in 1995, he received the Doctor of the University Degree from the University of Ottawa . In 1993, the Italian Government conferred upon him the honour of Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. He has also received special awards from Italian Canadian communities in Vancouver , Montreal and Toronto .

He joined Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood of New York , New York , in 1964, and specialized in corporate law and related fields until 1967. In 1967, he became Associate Professor of Law of the University of Toronto and was a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto from 1971 to 1985.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Iacobucci was appointed Associate Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, in 1973, Vice-President, Internal Affairs, in 1973, Dean of Faculty of Law in 1979, and was Vice-President and Provost of the University of Toronto from November 1983 to September 1985, at which time he was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada. In September 1988 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. He was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Canada on January 7, 1991 .

He was a member of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Law Society of Upper Canada. He was Chairman of the Ontario Law Deans in 1983, Vice-President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians from 1980 to 1983 and Vice-President and Member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies from 1981 to 1985. He has also been a Director of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario . He is currently serving as a Governor of the National Judicial Institute as well as of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, and is a Member of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy.

Mr. Justice Iacobucci acted in various consulting capacities for federal and provincial departments and officials and served as a special adviser. From 1982 to 1985, he served as a member of the Ontario Securities Commission. He has also written articles and texts in corporate law, taxation and related fields, as well as commentaries in other fields.

Mr. Justice Iacobucci is married to Nancy Elizabeth Eastham, B.A. ( Mt. Holyoke ), LL.B. (Harvard), Diploma in International. Law (Cambridge), and they have three children: Andrew, Edward and Catherine.