Jace grew up in Sarnia and attended Hanna Memorial Public School, Sarnia Central Collegiate and Sarnia Northern. He first studied Economics at Queen’s University in Kingston before attending law school at the University of Western Ontario in London. Jace graduated from law school with distinction in 1979 and was called to the Ontario Bar in the spring of 1981. He has practiced with the firm since his call, becoming a partner in 1983.

On the personal side Jace is married to Denise who heads the physical education department at St. Christopher's High School in Sarnia. They have three daughters Amy, Alyson and Kristin. Amy and Alyson are nationally ranked middle distance runners and both have represented Canadian international teams. Jace is an avid amateur golfer.

Jace is a member of the Canadian Bar Association as well as the Canada Tax Foundation. His interest in Income Tax led him to the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountant’s In-depth Tax Course, which he successfully completed in the summer of 1996. His heavy involvement in his profession and the Sarnia community includes: