| James Herbert Laycraft | |
| Office: | Chief Justice of Alberta, Canada |
| Term Start: | 1984 |
| Term End: | 1991 |
| Predecessor: | William A. McGillivray |
| Successor: | Catherine Fraser |
| Birth Date: | 5 January 1924 |
| Birth Place: | Veteran, Alberta, Canada |
| Death Place: | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Alma Mater: | University of Alberta |
| Occupation: | lawyer, judge |
James Herbert "Herb" Laycraft, (January 5, 1924 – August 5, 2015) was a judge in the Canadian province of Alberta. Born in Veteran, Alberta, he is a veteran of World War II, serving with the Royal Canadian Artillery in Australia.
Laycraft was admitted to the Alberta bar in 1952 after attending the University of Alberta. Appointed Queen's Counsel in 1963 and to the bench in 1975, Laycraft was Chief Justice of the Alberta Court of Appeal from 1985 to December 31, 1991, when he retired.[1] [2]
He died on August 5, 2015, aged 91. The Calgary Herald opined, "It’s hard to fathom how different the legal profession might be today for Albertans and the rest of Canadians, for that matter, if not for the gigantic footprints left behind by James Herbert (Herb) Laycraft over a momentous four-decade career as a litigator and judge."[3]