Lexpert’s Rising Stars Awards 

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Celebrating remarkable contributions by lawyers 40 and under 

The recipients of Lexpert’s Rising Stars Awards this year are diverse, with practices at law firms, in-house legal departments, and organizations as well as expertise in areas like privacy law, corporate litigation, and international trade. But all of them have at least one thing in common: their outstanding contributions to the legal profession.

While the legal experts that judged this year’s competition said they had an extraordinary pool of nominees to choose from, there were several factors that made the winners stand out.

“The range of candidates this year was remarkable, and several of them have the potential to influence our evolving Canadian legal landscape,” said Farah Ismail, senior vice president and chief legal, privacy, and compliance officer at SE Health. Ismail was one of 42 judges responsible for selecting this year’s Rising Stars.

“Not only did candidates have exceptional talent but they also demonstrated diversity of interests and involvement in initiatives, which made selection challenging,” Ismail said.

“Ultimately, I balanced my evaluation by focusing on measurable achievements such as contributions to significant cases and transactions;  professional capabilities and leadership potential including mentorship, publications, and speaking engagements; and dedication to professional growth and community.”

Another judge, Cox & Palmer chief executive officer and partner George Cooper, said it was important to make sure that the winners were representative of the legal profession’s diversity.

“The candidates are all thoroughly impressive, and it is very difficult to narrow the field,” Cooper said. “I do my level best to choose lawyers who have not only demonstrated significant professional achievement (which all applicants possess) but also to find those with an element of uniqueness based on practice areas, geography, and personal background.

“Practitioners from large firms will always be well represented, of course, but I make a conscious effort to look beyond that group as well,” Cooper added.

Each year, Lexpert Rising Stars Awards honours lawyers 40 and under who have made remarkable contributions in their careers thus far. The winners are selected by Lexpert’s advisory panels of legal experts. Key Media revealed the winners on Tuesday, November 19, at the Liberty Grand in Toronto.

The awards are presented by Lexpert magazine with support from Law Times and Canadian Lawyer. Sponsors included Event Partner Dye & Durham, Supporting Organization SABA Toronto, and Silver Sponsors Norton Rose Fulbright Canada and Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP.

Jennifer Teskey, managing partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, said, “We are thrilled to support the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards, recognizing the next generation of leaders in Canada's legal industry. These awards honour the best lawyers under 40 who have risen among the ranks and who provide outstanding leadership and contributions within the legal industry, to clients and communities.

“At Norton Rose Fulbright, we are so proud of our next generation of talent, and we wish to honour them, including through this event. Congratulations to all the Lexpert Rising Stars honoured this year,” Teskey added.

Key Media warmly thanks Event Partner Dye & Durham, Supporting Organization SABA Toronto, Silver Sponsors Norton Rose Fulbright Canada and Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, and Lexpert’s advisory panel for their support.  

Featured Winners

• 
  Jessica Bungay
  Partner
  Cox & Palmer
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• 
  Sarah Chiu 
  Partner
  Felesky Flynn LLP
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• 
  Caitlin Fell
  Partner
  Reconstruct LLP
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• 
  Leah Frank
  Partner
  Torys LLP
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• 
  Jacqueline (Jack) Goslett
  Partner 
  Aird & Berlis LLP
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• 
  Nader Hasan
  Partner
  Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
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• 
  Erin Hatch
  Partner
  Harper Grey LLP
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• 
  Aaron Kreaden
  Partner, Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group
  Stikeman Elliott LLP
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• 
  Aria Laskin
  Partner
  JFK Law LLP
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• 
  Jamie Litchen
  Partner
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
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• 
  Nicole Mantini
  Partner
  Torys LLP
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• 
  John Mather
  Partner
  DMG Advocates LLP
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• 
  Patrick McNally
  Partner, Corporate Group
  Stikeman Elliott LLP
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• 
  Kristopher Miks
  Partner 
  Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
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• 
  Jonathan Odumeru
  Senior Counsel
  TD Bank Group
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• 
  William Pellerin
  Partner, International Trade
  McMillan LLP
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• 
  Liza Volpiana
  Managing Partner
  Sampson Davie Fane Volpiana LLP
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• 
  Julia Wilkes
  Partner
  Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
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• 
  Lanette Wilkinson
  Partner, Real Estate Group
  Stikeman Elliott LLP
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• 
  Daniel Zuniga
  Partner
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
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2024 Winners

•  
  Birinder “Sunny” Aujla
  Partner
  Farris LLP
•  
  Stephen Aylward
  Partner
  Stockwoods LLP
•  
  Trevor Bant 
  Litigation counsel 
  Ministry of Attorney General of British Columbia
•  
  Shannon Beddoe
  Partner
  McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP 
•  
  Laurence Bich-Carrière
  Partner, Lawyer
  Lavery, de Billy, LLP
•  
  Andrew Bigioni
  Director, Commercial, Contracts & Corporate Legal Services
  Hatch
•  
  Ryan Brothers
  Director, Solicitor Services, Legal Services Division
  Nova Scotia Department of Justice  
•  
  Jade Buchanan 
  Partner
  McCarthy Tétrault LLP
•  
  Jonathan Chen
  Partner
  True Lenczner Slaght
•  
  Andrew Chien 
  Assistant General Counsel
  Lightspeed Commerce Inc. 
•  
  Alexandra Cocks 
  Partner
  McCarthy Tétrault LLP 
•  
  Helen Cox
  Senior Legal Counsel
  Pembina Pipeline Corporation
•  
  Stephanie DiGiuseppe 
  Partner
  Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP
•  
  Olivia Dixon 
  Partner Osler
  Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
•  
  Marie-France Dompierre 
  Partner
  Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP 
•  
  Annamaria Enenajor 
  Managing Partner 
  Ruby Shiller Enenajor, Barristers 
•  
  Susan Fader 
  Partner 
  Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP
•  
  Ratika Gandhi
  Head of Legal and Compliance, LACAN (Canada and Latin America)
  Alcon
•  
  Shannon Gaudet
  Partner
  Lerners LLP
•  
  Danielle Glatt
  Partner
  Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
•  
  Moya Graham
  Partner
  McCarthy Tétrault LLP
•  
  Aron W. Grusko
  Partner
  Fillmore Riley LLP
•  
  Lara Guest
  Associate Litigation Counsel
  Google Canada
•  
  Ashley Hamp-Gonsalves
  Partner
  Burchell Wickwire Bryson LLP
•  
  Jessica B. Horwitz
  Partner, International Trade & Investment
  Bennett Jones LLP
•  
  Chi Iliya-Ndule
  Associate, Energy Practice Group
  Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
•  
  Ilan Ishai
  Partner
  Bennett Jones LLP
•  
  Christine Jackson
  Partner, Commercial
  Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
•  
  Sydney Kert
  Partner
  DLA Piper (Canada) LLP
•  
  Rosel Kim 
  Senior Staff Lawyer
  Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
•  
  Christie J. Kneteman
  Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
  Aypa Power
•  
  Gregory Ko
  Partner
  Kastner Ko LLP
•  
  Joanie Lapalme
  Partner
  Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
•  
  Jennifer Lau
  Senior Counsel
  TELUS
•  
  Michèle Lefaivre
  Managing Director
  Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
•  
  Laura Levine
  Partner; Chair of the ESG Steering Committee; Co-lead of BLG’s “Modern Slavery Taskforce”
  Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
•  
  Pei Li
  Partner 
  Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
•  
  Rachel Manno
  Partner
  Wildeboer Dellelce LLP
•  
  Jonathan Marin
  Partner, Pension and Benefits
  Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
•  
  Shelan Markus
  Executive Director
  Level Justice
•  
  Mariam Moktar
  Lawyer
  Paliare Roland Barristers
•  
  Caroline Moreau
  Managing Counsel, ESG Law
  RBC
•  
  Garth Myers
  Partner
  Kalloghlian Myers LLP
•  
  Michael O'Brien
  Partner
  Tyr LLP
•  
  Dominique Perron
  Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
  Lion Electric
•  
  Daniel Pink
  Director, Copyright and Broadband
  Rogers Communications Canada Inc.
•  
  Erin Pleet
  Partner
  Ross Nasseri LLP
•  
  Andrew Porter 
  Principal
  Porter Litigation
•  
  Kimberly Ellen Potter
  Partner
  Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
•  
  Jennifer Prieto
  Partner 
  Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
•  
  Ben Pryde
  Partner
  McInnes Cooper
•  
  Constantinos Ragas
  Partner | Co Leader, Emerging Technology
  Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
•  
  Manik Raina
  Vice President, Legal Services
  EllisDon
•  
  Natasha Rana
  Partner
  Gowling WLG
•  
  Élisabeth Robichaud
  Partner, Tax & Tax Disputes
  Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
•  
  Simon J. Seida
  Partner
  Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
•  
  Max Shapiro
  Partner
  Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
•  
  Megan Shaw 
  Partner
  Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
•  
  Dan Shea
  Partner, Corporate
  Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP 
•  
  Dev Singh
  Partner – Co-Leader, Banking & Finance Group 
  Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
•  
  Chloe Snider 
  Partner
  Dentons
•  
  Charles-Antoine Soulière
  Lead, Partner- Québec City Office
  McCarthy Tétrault LLP
•  
  Anand Srivastava
  Partner
  Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP
•  
  Kayla Theeuwen
  Partner
  WeirFoulds LLP
•  
  Sophie Tremblay
  Lawyer and Head of Social Impact
  Delegatus Legal Services Inc.
•  
  Jamie van Diepen
  Partner
  Goodmans LLP
•  
  Sophie Virji
  Partner
  Bennett Jones LLP
•  
  Edward Wang
  Partner
  Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
•  
  Chelsea A. Wilson 
  Partner
  Dentons
•  
  Aaron MJ Wilson
  Associate
  Mandell Pinder LLP