2024 Canadian Law Awards Excellence Awardees revealed

The Excellence Awardees for the 2024 Canadian Law Awards have been revealed.

Lexpert has also published an overview of the 2024 Awards of Excellence for Top Deals.  

Now in its fifth year, the Canadian Law Awards celebrates the most outstanding accomplishments in the legal community. With the support of event partner LEAP Legal Software Canada, the highly anticipated gala features Canada’s leading lawyers, law firms, legal departments, and initiatives.

The winners will be announced at the Canadian Law Awards Gala, which will be held on May 9 at the Liberty Grand in Toronto.

The following are the Excellence Awardees, listed by award category.

COMMERCIAL LITIGATION TEAM OF THE YEAR

• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (“BLG”): Ouellet c. Compagnie de chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique, 2022 QCCS 4643
• Bennett Jones LLP; Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (“BLG”); Branch MacMaster LLP; Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP; Dutton Brock LLP; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Koskie Minsky LLP; Lerners LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliot LLP; Thomas Gold Pettingill LLP: Workman Optometry Corporation et al. v. Certas Home and Auto Insurance et al.
• Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Dentons Canada LLP, Petty v. Niantic Inc., 2023 BCCA 315
• Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Sandoz Canada Inc. v. British Columbia, 2023 BCCA 306
• McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Canada (Privacy Commissioner) v. Facebook, Inc., 2023 FC 533

THE DYE & DURHAM AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION – IN-HOUSE

• The recipient will be announced at the Canadian Law Awards Gala

THE LAWSON LUNDELL LLP AWARD FOR LAW DEPARTMENT LEADER OF THE YEAR

• Carisa Gordon, Calian Group Ltd.
• David Taylor, Corporation of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent
• Gassim Bangoura, Birks Group
• Laurie Sargent, Indigenous Rights and Relations Portfolio at the Department of Justice Canada
• Sarah Qadeer, Deloitte LLP
• Sharon Haward-Laird, BMO Financial Group

THE SINGLETON URQUHART REYNOLDS VOGEL LLP AWARD FOR CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION LAW DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR

• Aecon Group Inc.
• BC Ministry of the Attorney General, Legal Services Branch Transportation Major Projects Team (LSB)
• CDPQ Infra Inc.
• Manitoba Hydro Legal Services
• Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation / (“Infrastructure Ontario” or “IO”)
• Pomerleau
• Transdev Canada

LAW DEPARTMENT INNOVATION

• Laurentian Bank of Canada
• City of Vaughan

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES LAW DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR

• BMO Financial Group
• Fengate Asset Management
• iA Financial Group
• OPTrust

CANADIAN LAW DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR

• Dow Chemical Canada
• EY Canada (Ernst & Young LLP)
• Linamar Corporation Legal Department
• Northland Power
• Teck Resources Limited
• The Descartes Systems Group Inc.

BOUTIQUE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

• Deeth Williams Wall LLP
• Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP
• Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP
• Landings LLP
• Roper Greyell LLP
• Smart & Biggar

LITIGATION & DISPUTE RESOLUTION BOUTIQUE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

• Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
• Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP
• Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
• Lenczner Slaght
• Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP
• Thomson Rogers

LITIGATOR OF THE YEAR

• Craig Ferris, Lawson Lundell LLP
• Crawford Smith, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
• Kimberly Gale, Gale Law Professional Corporation
• Morgan Camley, Dentons Canada LLP
• Rob Martz, Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP
• Sophie Melchers, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada

MANAGING PARTNER OF THE YEAR

• Allan Ritchie, Loopstra Nixon LLP
• Anik Trudel, Lavery
• Charles Hurdon, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
• Jean-François Gagnon, Langlois Lawyers LLP
• Jeffrey Cohen, Torkin Manes LLP
• Kevin Kiley, McInnes Cooper

REGIONAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC CANADA & PRAIRIES

• Cox & Palmer
• McKercher LLP

CENTRAL CANADA

• Delegatus
• Langlois Lawyers LLP
• Lavery
• Torkin Manes LLP
• WeirFoulds LLP

WESTERN CANADA

• Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP
• Clark Wilson LLP
• Farris LLP
• Lawson Lundell LLP
• Witten LLP

THE LEAP LEGAL SOFTWARE AWARD FOR BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN A LAW FIRM

• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (“BLG”)
• Dentons Canada LLP
• Lavery
• Legate Injury Lawyers
• McInnes Cooper
• MT>3, a division of
• McCarthy Tétrault LLP
• Torys LLP

THE LEAP LEGAL SOFTWARE AWARD FOR FAMILY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

• Crossroads Law
• MacLean Law
• McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP
• Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers
• Wood Gold LLP

THE DYE & DURHAM AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION – PRIVATE PRACTICE

• The recipient will be announced at the Canadian Law Awards gala

THE LINCOLN ALEXANDER SCHOOL OF LAW AWARD FOR SHAPING THE FUTURE

• Caravel Law LLP
• Dentons Canada LLP
• Gale Law Professional
• Corporation for NCA Network
• Legal Aid Alberta
• Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
• PooranLaw

DIVERSITY INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

• Aird & Berlis LLP, Black Voices (In)Justice: Supporting Black Youth
• Representation in the Legal Profession
• McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Action Groups
• WeirFoulds LLP, Racial Equity Audit

PRO BONO INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

• Cochrane Saxberg LLP, Cochrane Saxberg Indigenous Empowerment
• Legal Initiatives
• Fasken, Dickson v Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, SCC docket number 39856
• McCarthy Tétrault LLP, McCarthy Tétrault’s work with Egale Canada
• and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick
• McInnes Cooper, Immigration Project
• Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, Housing Empowerment Legal Program
• (HELP)

FEMALE TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR

ACADEMIA & IN-HOUSE

• Angela Yadav, HSBC Bank Canada
• Ashley Butts, BASF Canada
• Caroline Healey, Transportation Industry
• Christine Chen, University Pension Plan Ontario
• Jana Prete, Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)
• Sara Ross, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University
• Soma Choudhury, Onex Canada Asset Management Inc.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

• Anne Merminod, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (“BLG”)
• Jacqueline Dinsmore, Caravel Law LLP
• Karen Sargeant, Fasken
• Karima Kanani, Miller Thomson LLP
• Katherine Hensel, Fogler, Rubinoff LLP
• Olga Farman, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
• Rima Ramchandani, Torys LLP
• Tara Vasdani, Remote Law Canada  

DEAL AWARDS

Pembina Pipeline Corporation’s $1.28 Billion Offering of Subscription Receipts

Canadian Law Firms

• Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (for Pembina Pipeline Corporation)
• Stikeman Elliott LLP (for underwriters)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

• Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Accountants

• KPMG LLP
• RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
• Scotia Capital Inc.
• TD Securities Inc.

Thoma Bravo's acquisition of Magnet Forensics Inc.

Canadian Law Firms

• Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (for Magnet Forensics)
• Dentons Canada LLP (for Special Committee of Magnet)
• Goodmans LLP (for Nellore)
• McMillan LLP (Canadian Counsel for Thoma Bravo)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

• Allen & Overy LLP (for the Lenders)
• Kirkland & Ellis LLP (US Counsel for Thoma Bravo)

Organizations

• CIBC Capital Markets (independent valuator to the Special Committee)
• Morgan Stanley (exclusive financial advisor to the Special Committee of Magnet)

Thomson Reuters’ US$2.2 billion return of capital and reverse-stock-split transaction

Canadian Law Firms

• Torys LLP (for Thomson Reuters)

Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year

Canada Infrastructure Bank’s $52 million investment in the Thompson Regional Airport redevelopment project

Canadian Law Firms

• McCarthy Tétrault LLP (for Canada Infrastructure Bank)
• MLT Aikins LLP (for Thompson Regional Airport Authority)

Organizations

• Canada Infrastructure Bank
• Thompson Regional Airport Authority

Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations' energy infrastructure equity partnership with ATCO

Canadian Law Firms

- Bennett Jones LLP (for ATCO)

Organizations

- ATCO EnPower

Oneida Energy Storage Project

Canadian Law Firms

- Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (for Northland Power)

- Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (for Aecon Construction Group)

- Fogler Rubinoff LLP (for Six Nations)

- McCarthy Tétrault LLP (for Canada Infrastructure Bank)

- Torys LLP (for Oneida)

Organizations

- Aecon Concessions

- Canada Infrastructure Bank

- Northland Power

- NRStor Inc.

- Oneida Energy Storage LP

- Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation

Umicore's investment in Ontario, building an EV battery components factory

Canadian Law Firms

- Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (lead; for Umicore)

Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year

Bank of Montreal's acquisition of Loyalty One's AIR MILES reward business

Canadian Law Firms

- Bennett Jones (for Ad Hoc Group of Loyalty Ventures Inc. Lenders)

- Borden Ladner Gervais (Canadian counsel to Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent)

- Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP (for Loyalty One)

- Goodmans LLP (counsel to the monitor)

- McCarthy Tetrault (counsel to RBC Investor Services Trust)

- Stikeman Elliott LLP (Canadian counsel to Bread Financial Holdings Inc.)

- Torys LLP (for BMO)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (U.S. bankruptcy counsel to Loyalty Ventures)

- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (U.S. counsel to Bread Financial Holdings Inc.)

- Dentons LLP (counsel to American Express)

- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (U.S. counsel to Ad hoc term loan B lenders)

- Haynes And Boone LLP (U.S. counsel to Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent)

- Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (U.S. bankruptcy counsel to BMO)

Organizations

- Alvarez & Marsal Holdings, LLC (Financial Advisor to LoyaltyOne and Loyalty Ventures)

- BMO Financial Group

- KSV Restructuring, Inc., CCAA Monitor

- Morgan Stanley (Financial Advisor to BMO)

- Piper Sandler & Co. (Financial Advisor to Ad hoc term loan B lenders)

- PJT Partners Inc. (Financial Advisor to LoyaltyOne and Loyalty Ventures)

Groupe Selection’s financial restructuring under CCAA

Canadian Law Firms

- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (for Investissement Québec, Otéra Capital Inc., and Timbercreek Mortgage Servicing, Inc.)

- Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (for Revera Inc., Desjardins, Fonds de Solidarité FTQ, Blackstone and SmartCentres)

- Dentons Canada LLP (for Laurentian Bank of Canada)

- Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (for Scotiabank, CIBC Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP)

- Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP (for National Bank of Canada)

- Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (for Groupe Montoni, Royal Bank of Canada)

- Stikeman Elliott LLP (for Groupe Sélection Inc. et. al.)

- Woods LLP

Repsol's restructuring

Canadian Law Firms

- Bennett Jones LLP (for Repsol Oil & Gas Inc.))

- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (for Landlords to Repsol Oil & Gas Inc.)

Xebec and its affiliates’ restructuring under CCAA

Canadian Law Firms

- Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (for National Bank of Canada)

- Goodmans LLP (for Sullair, LLC, the purchaser of Xebec’s California Compression business)

- McCarthy Tétrault LLP (for Deloitte Restructuring Inc.)

- Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP (for Export Development Canada)

- Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (for Xebec)

Organizations

- Deloitte Restructuring

- PricewaterhouseCoopers

- Richter

M & A Deal of the Year

Cameco Corporation's partnership with Brookfield Renewable for Westinghouse Electric Company $10.861 billion acquisition

Canadian Law Firms

- Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

- Goodmans LLP (for the independent directors of Brookfield Renewable Partners)

- McCarthy Tétrault LLP (for Cameco Corporation)

- Stikeman Elliott LLP (for Westinghouse Electric Company)

- Torys LLP

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Covington & Burling LLP

- Conyers Dill & Pearman

- Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

- Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP

Pan American Silver Corp. and Agnico Eagle Mines’ $6.59 Billion joint acquisition of Yamana Gold Inc.

Canadian Law Firms

- Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (lead counsel; for Pan American Silver Corp.)

- Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP (for Yamana Gold Inc.)

- Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (lead counsel; for Agnico Eagle Mines Limited)

- Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP (counsel to the special committee of the Board of Yamana Gold Inc.)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Ashurst (UK counsel to Pan American)

- Carey y Cia Ltda (Chilian counsel to Pan American)

- Mattos Filho Advogados (Brazilian counsel to Pan American)

- Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP (US counsel to Yamana)

- Pinheiro Neto Advogados (Brazilian counsel to Yamana)

- Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP (US counsel to Pan American)

Organizations

- BMO Capital Markets (financial advisor to Pan American)

- Canaccord Genuity Ltd (financial advisor to Yamana)

- GenCap Mining Advisory Ltd (financial advisor to Pan American)

- Scotia Capital Inc. (financial advisor to the special committee of the Board of Yamana)

- Stifel Financial Corp (financial advisor to Yamana)

Rogers Communications' $26 billion acquisition of Shaw Communications

Canadian Law Firms

- Bennett Jones LLP

- Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP

- Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (lead counsel; for Shaw Communications Inc.)

- Dentons Canada LLP

- Torys LLP (for Rogers Control Trust)

- Goodmans LLP (lead counsel; for Rogers Communications Inc.)

- Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP

- McCarthy Tetrault (for Bank of America N.A. and Bank of America Securities Inc.)

Smith Financial Corporation's US$1.7 billion acquisition of Home Capital

Canadian Law Firms

- Stikeman Elliott LLP (for Smith Financial Corporation)

- Torys LLP (for Home Capital)

Organizations

- BMO Capital Markets

- Deloitte

- Home Capital Group Inc.

- RBC Capital Markets

- TD Securities

Strathcona Resources' $8.6 billion acquisition of Pipestone Energy

Canadian Law Firms

- Bennett Jones LLP (for Riverstone Pipestone – largest shareholders of Pipestone)

- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (lead counsel; for Strathcona Resources Ltd.)

- McCarthy Tétrault LLP (for Pipestone Energy Corp.)

- Stikeman Elliott LLP (for Waterous Energy Fund)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (US legal advisors to Strathcona)

Organizations

- BMO Capital Markets

- CIBC Capital Markets

- Mizuho Securities USA

- Raymond James Ltd.

- Scotiabank

- Strathcona Resources Ltd.

- TD Securities

- The Bank of Nova Scotia

TotalEnergies' $5.5 billion sale of its Canadian oil and gas assets

Canadian Law Firms

- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (lead for Suncor Energy)

- Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (lead for Conoco)

- Torys LLP (lead for TotalEnergies)

Organizations

- KPMG France (accountant for TotalEnergies)

TotalEnergies

Mid-Market Deal of the Year

Linamar’s acquisition of Mobex Global's Propulsion-Agnostic Business

Law Firms

- Aird & Berlis LLP (for Linamar Corporation

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Warner Norcross + Judd LLP (US Counsel to Linamar)

Organizations

- Linamar Corporation

Sagicor Financial Company Ltd.'s acquisition of ivari

Canadian Law Firms

- Stikeman Elliott LLP (for Sagicor)

- Torys LLP (for ivari)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Appleby (for Wilton Re Ltd.)

- Paul Hastings LLP (US Counsel to Sagicor)

Organizations

- National Bank Financial (lead financial advisor)

- J.P. Morgan (financial advisor)

- RBC Capital Markets (financial advisor)

- ET (financial and due diligence advisor)

- RSM (assisted with actuarial diligence)

- Goldman Sachs (financial advisor to Wilton Re Ltd.)

- Wells Fargo (financial advisor to Wilton Re Ltd.)

Skyservice’s investment in Fontainebleau Aviation’s fixed-based operator at Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport

Canadian Law Firms

McCarthy Tétrault LLP (for Skyservice™)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Cooley LLP

- DLA Piper LLP

Organizations

- William Blair & Company

Wonderfi, Coinsquare, and CoinSmart business combination

Canadian Law Firms

- Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP (for WonderFi)

- Goodmans LLP (legal counsel to Coinsquare)

- Wildeboer Dellelce LLP (counsel to CoinSmart)

Non-Canadian Law Firms

- Dorsey & Whitney LLP (US legal counsel to WonderFi)

Organizations

- Eight Capital Corp. (financial advisor to CoinSmart)

- Haywood Securities Inc. (financial advisor to WonderFi)

- Origin Merchant Partners (financial advisor to Coinsquare)

Excellence Awardees are also listed on the Canadian Law Awards website.