Honouring the legal profession's top talent 40 years old and under
As Halloween approaches, the leaves fall, and temperature sinks, the 2023 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards are right around the corner.
Lexpert Rising Stars honours the legal profession’s most dazzling in the 40-and-under age range. Lawyers have nominated peers from law firms, in-house departments, and other practice areas for their outstanding contributions to the legal sphere. Key Media will reveal the winners on Thursday, Nov. 23, at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. The night begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception. The awards ceremony and dinner banquet begin at 7:30, and a post-party celebration follows at 10:30.
Registration is still open but will be closing soon. Lexpert will reveal the Rising Stars winners in its upcoming Special Edition on Litigation.
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Among the judges who decided the Rising Stars is Leola Pon, associate director of education, organizational transformation and accountability at the Toronto District School Board. She says it was not easy choosing the standouts from the pool of nominated talent.
“It's probably one of the most difficult assignments to do because there are a lot of good candidates with a really diverse set of experiences and accomplishments. One of the greatest challenges is trying to find what distinguishes one from another.”
Pon says she examined the nominees’ accomplishments outside the regular practice of law, including community involvement and volunteering.
Event sponsors include Event Partner Fasken, Innovation Partner Dye & Durham and Silver Sponsors Norton Rose Fulbright, LEAP and Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP.
Malcolm Muthulingum, CEO of LEAP Canada, says his company is thrilled to recognize the legal profession’s “diverse, young, and gifted talent” driving positive change in the industry.
“We see the nominees inspired by the positive impact they have on people; how they are energized by the exciting new technologies helping to shape our industry, and motivated to offer the best solutions to their clients,” Muthulingum. “At LEAP, we’re excited to be a part of the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards and are proud to be a part of their journey to success.”
The tech entrepreneur Nicole Verkindt will give the keynote address at the awards. Startup Canada named her Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017, and she appeared as a Dragon on CBC’s Next Gen Den, a version of the Dragon’s Den focused on early-stage technology. Verkindt will speak about the future of ESG – innovation in sustainability. She founded OMX, an online supply chain data analytics company, in 2012. Verkindt is also an active angel investor for dozens of early-stage technology companies and serves as CEO of Buggy.ca, an online grocery delivery service.