From high-stakes mergers to quiet diligence, this year's winners highlight lasting legal impacts
Each year, the Canadian Law Awards recognize not just momentous deals or headline-making wins but the dedication, innovation, and resilience that define Canada’s legal profession. The 2025 winners once again highlighted how legal professionals continue to guide their clients and organizations through complexity and change with exceptional skill.
More than a celebration, the event reaffirmed the values that underpin legal excellence: strategic thinking, ethical judgment, and a relentless drive to support business success in evolving markets.
A standout success at this year’s awards was the Royal Bank of Canada, which earned three significant honours: Banking & Financial Services Law Department of the Year, Canadian Law Department of the Year, and M&A Deal of the Year for its landmark C$13.5 billion acquisition of HSBC Bank Canada. As highlighted in the coverage of this deal, it was a complex, high-stakes transaction involving extensive regulatory review and significant cross-border coordination.
These recognitions underscore RBC’s exemplary legal leadership and ability to drive operationally effective and legally sound outcomes. Their work exemplifies how in-house legal departments are not just supporting business – they are shaping its future.
This year’s awards also spotlighted excellence across various practice areas and organization types. In post-event reflections, winners emphasized the collaborative, often behind-the-scenes nature of their achievements.
Their stories reflect a consistent theme: meaningful legal work is often about long-term impact, not just courtroom wins or closing dates. This year’s winners demonstrated strategic thinking, creativity, and a deep understanding of their clients’ industries – all hallmarks of leading legal professionals.
Again, I want to express my gratitude to our esteemed advisory panel, whose thoughtful evaluations make these awards so credible and well-respected. Judging nearly 200 nominations is no small feat, and the integrity of the process is central to the value these awards bring to the legal community.
The panel’s diligence ensures that each award recognizes past performance and signals future professional leadership.
As I noted in a previous column, Canadian legal professionals continue to rise above uncertainty. The 2025 Canadian Law Awards once again affirmed that our legal community is not merely reacting to change but actively shaping the future of Canadian business and society.
Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. Your achievements raise the bar for us all and inspire the next generation of legal leaders.
