Advocates’ Society welcomes new officers, honours awardees via virtual end-of-term event

The Advocates’ Society conducted its end-of-term celebration virtually via webcast for the first time, owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The society welcomed its executive committee for the 2020-2021 term, composed of president Guy J. Pratte of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, vice-president Deborah E. Palter of Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, treasurer Peter W. Kryworuk of Lerners LLP and secretary Dominique T. Hussey of Bennett Jones LLP.

Pratte, who hosted the event alongside Palter, said the Society’s aim of advancing meaningful equal access to justice for everyone is especially crucial in these times. “We are committed to modernizing the justice system, without sacrificing that goal,” said Pratte.

The Society recognized its awardees at the virtual event, including Richard Dearden of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, who won the John P. Nelligan Award for Excellence in Advocacy for his work in advancing the law and exemplifying excellence in advocacy in Ottawa; Sarit Batner of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, who received the Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal for Excellence in Advocacy honouring outstanding mid-career advocates, for her leadership and oral advocacy skills; and Brian Grant of Brian Grant Mediation, who accepted The Advocates’ Society’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for his contributions to the Society’s education initiatives.

The society also recognized Ranjan Agarwal of Bennett Jones LLP as the inaugural recipient of the Eric Hoaken Award for Excellence in Mentoring for his dedication to mentoring and fostering the career development of fellow members.

Other awardees were Oliver Ho of JSS Barristers, honoured with the first Alberta Excellence in Mentoring Award for his mentorship of young advocates in Alberta, and Gina Addario-Berry of Eyford Partners, recognized with the David Stockwood Memorial Prize for excellence in legal writing for her upcoming article in the Fall 2020 issue of The Advocates’ Journal, entitled “Emotion and Advocacy: Optimizing Outcomes for Conflict Resolution.”

The event, which attracted almost 1,000 registrants, included appearances by Richard Wagner, Canada’s chief justice; Rosalie S. Abella, a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada; and David Lametti, federal justice minister and attorney general. The Society also made a tribute to Scott Maidment of McMillan LLP, its outgoing president.

The celebration included a networking event, held via the Zoom meeting platform, as well as a musical performance from the NAC Orchestra and The Force Majeures, a band composed of members of the Society.

The Advocates’ Society will donate the net proceeds from its virtual end-of-term event to Pro Bono Canada to further promote its goal of boosting access to justice. MNP, RSM Canada and OMNI Bridgeway acted as sponsors for the event.