2022 Winners & Excellence Awardees

Hundreds of nominations were received from firms and legal departments across the nation.
The Awards research team reviewed all nominations, applying its own knowledge and some third-party information, to identify the outstanding firms, teams, individuals, deals or cases in each category that receive an ‘’Excellence Award’’.
The second phase of the research process involves the ‘’Excellence Awards’’ nominations material being forwarded to the extensive independent judging panel for scoring against strict criteria.
Judges’ scores are aggregated to produce a single ‘Winner’ in each category, a process that is fully verified by the Official Ballot Accountants, PwC.
The Winners of each category will be announced during the Canadian Law Awards event on May 19, 2022.

Quick links

LEGAL PROFESSION AWARDS

DEAL AWARDS

Capital Markets Deal of the Year

Definity Insurance IPO

Firms:

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Stikeman Elliot LLP, Shearman & Sterling LLP

Accountants:

Ernst & Young LLP

Banks:

Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets, National Bank Financial Inc., UBS Securities Canada Inc., Desjardins Securities Inc., Raymond James Ltd., Canaccord Genuity Corp., Cormark Securities Inc., Scotia Capital, TD Securities Inc.

Excellence Awardees

CAE purchase of L3Harris Technology Military Training Assets

Firms:

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP, DLA Piper, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Accountants:

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Banks:

Goldman Sachs, RBC Capital Markets

Launch of Sprott Physical Uranium Trust

Firms:

Stikeman Elliott LLP, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Goodmans LLP, Thorsteinssons LLP, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

Banks:

Cormark Securities Inc.

Li-Cycle Corp go-public SPAC Transaction

Firms:

McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, Ogier

Accountants:

Deloitte, Withum Smith+Brown, PC

Banks:

Barclays, Citi, Cowen, INFOR Financial Inc., UBS Investment Bank

Northern Private Capital purchase of MacDonald Dettwiler and IPO

Goodmans LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Covington & Burling LLP, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP

Firms:

Telus International IPO

Firms:

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP

Accountants:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year

Henvey Inlet Wind LP Refinancing

Firms:

Torys LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Excellence Awardees

Burnaby Hospital Redevelopment

Firms:

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, McMillan LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Canada Infrastructure Bank Zero-Emission Buses Initiative

Firms:

Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Banks:

Canada Infrastructure Bank

Pembina Pipeline Corp Acquisition of Stake in Cedar LNG Project

Firms:

Stikeman Elliott LLP, Bennett Jones LLP, Miller Titerle Law Corporation, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

Scarborough Subway Extension P3 Advanced Tunnel Project

Firms:

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

St. Paul's Hospital and Health Campus Project

Firms:

Bennett Jones LLP, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP

Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year

Groupe Dynamite CCAA and Chapter 15 Restructuring

Firms:

McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Camelino Galessiere LLP, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, Minden Gross LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Dentons, Kirkland & Ellis

Accountants:

Deloitte Restructuring Inc.

Banks:

National Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, The Toronto-Dominion Bank and Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec

Excellence Awardees

CannTrust Group – CCAA Plan of Arrangement

Firms:

McCarthy Tétrault, Aird & Berlis LLP, Bennett Jones, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP, Dentons Canada LLP, Henein Hutchison LLP, Kalloghlian Myers LLP, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP, Siskinds LLP, Stikeman Elliot LLP, Stockwoods, Strosberg Sasso Sutts, Torys LLP, Tyr LLP, Cleary Gottlieb, Paul Weiss, Skadden

FNX-INNOV Successful Opposition to City of Montreal's SCC appeal in SM Group Restructuring

Firms:

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP

iAnthus Capital Holdings Restructuring

Firms:

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Kornfeld Shapray & Partners LLP, McMillan LLP, M. Singh Law, Skylaw Professional Corporation, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Duane Morris LLP

Banks:

Canaccord Genuity

North American Lithium restructuring under CCAA

Firms:

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Woods LLP

Spectra Premium Group Insolvency

Firms:

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Fishman Flanz Meland Paquin sencrl/LLP, Lavery de Billy LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Miller Thomson LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Dickinson Wright, FCA US LLC

M&A Deal of the Year

Brookfield Acquisition and Privatization of Inter Pipeline

Firms:

McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP, Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP, Dentons Canada LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Torys LLP, White & Case

Excellence Awardees

Alstom acquisition of Bombardier Transportation

Firms:

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Cleary Gottlieb, Freshfields, Jones Day

Canadian Pacific Railway - Kansas City Southern Merger

Firms:

Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP, Bennett Jones LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Torys LLP, Baker & Miller PLLC, Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C., Freshfields LLP, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, Law Office of David L. Meyer, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, White & Case, S.C., Willkie Farr & Gallagher, WilmerHale

Banks:

BofA Securities, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, BMO Capital Markets, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Evercore

Cenovus Energy - Husky Energy Merger

Firms:

Bennett Jones LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Stikeman Elliot LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright, Paul Weiss, Skaddens

IFM and Ontario Teachers Joint Acquisition of Enwave Canadian District Energy Operations

Firms:

Goodmans LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Torys LLP, Mayer Brown LLP

Synnex Corporation Acquisition of Tech Data

Firms:

McMillan LLP, Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP

Tilray - Aphria merger

Firms:

DLA Piper, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Cooley LLP, Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP, Cooley LLP

Accountants:

PwC, Deloitte

Banks:

Jefferies LLC, Cowen, Imperial Capital

Mid-Market Deal of the Year

Agnico Eagle Acquisition of TMAC Resources

Firms:

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Torys LLP

Banks:

Trinity Advisors Corporation, First Asia Group Ltd., Blair Franklin Capital Partners, BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets

Excellence Awardees

CVC Capital Partners and Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec Acquisition of Majority Stake in BlueFocus Intelligent Communication Group’s international group of marketing, advertising, and communications agencies

Firms:

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, White & Case

Accountants:

PJT Partners

Empire Company Acquisition of Longo's

Firms:

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Stewart McKelvey, Stikeman Elliott LLP

Newmont Purchase of GT Gold

Firms:

Stikeman Elliott LLP, Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP, Goodmans LLP, Lawson Lundell LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Banks:

BMO Capital Markets, Maxit Capital LP, Agentis Capital Mining Partners, Rothschild & Co.

TMX acquisition of AST Investor Services

Firms:

Torys LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

WELL Health Technologies Acquisition of CRH Medical

Firms:

Torys LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Clark Wilson LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Chapman & Cutler, Foley Lardner, Skaddens

Accountants:

KPMG

Banks:

JP Morgan

CASE AWARD

Commercial Litigation Case of the Year

Goodmans LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP – Cineplex v. Cineworld

Excellence Awardees

Alberta Securities Commission, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Dentons Canada LLP – Re Bison Acquisition Corp., 2021 ABASC 100 (Order) / Re Bison Acquisition Corp., 2021 ABASC 188

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson, Torys LLP, Attorney General of British Columbia – Wastech Services Ltd. v. Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District, 2021 SCC 7

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Aitkin Klee LLP - Pharmascience Inc. v. Pfizer Canada ULC

Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Department of Justice Canada – Tataskweyak Cree Nation et al. v. Canada and Curve Lake First Nation et al. v. Canada

IN-HOUSE AWARDS

The Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP Award for Construction, Infrastructure and Transportation Law Department of the Year

EllisDon

Excellence Awardees

Canada Post Corporation

Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Infrastructure Ontario

Metrolinx

Banking & Financial Institutions Law Department of the Year

Definity Financial Corporation

Excellence Awardees

Intact Financial Corporation

Novacap

Energy & Resources Law Department of the Year

Enbridge

Excellence Awardees

TransAlta Corporation

Canadian Law Department of the Year

Cineplex Entertainment

Excellence Awardees

Celestica Inc.

City of Vaughan

Definity Financial Corporation

EllisDon

Enbridge

Ivanhoé Cambridge

Law Department Leader of the Year

Innes Dey - Definity Financial Corporation

Excellence Awardees

Albert Lin - Brookfield Infrastructure

Cecile Chung - Samuel, Son & Co.

Denis Boulianne - Ivanhoé Cambridge

Francis Lecomte - Airbus Canada Limited Partnership

Heather Mullen - Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health

Leola Pon - Toronto District School Board

Law Department Innovation Award

Enbridge

Excellence Awardees

Ivanhoé Cambridge

Sun Life

FIRM AWARDS

The LexisNexis Canada Award for Best Use of Technology in a Law Firm

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Excellence Awardees

Gluckstein Lawyers

Mason PC

McCarthy Tétrault LLP (MT>3)

IP Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Smart & Biggar LLP

Excellence Awardees

Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Lenczner Slaght

Excellence Awardees

Branch MacMaster LLP

Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP

Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP (JSS Barristers)

Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP

Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP

Thomson Rogers

Ontario Law Firm of the Year

WeirFoulds LLP

Excellence Awardees

Blaney McMurtry LLP

Gluckstein Lawyers

PooranLaw Professional Corporation

Torkin Manes LLP

Prairies Law Firm of the Year

Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

Excellence Awardees

McDougall Gauley LLP

McKercher LLP

Pitblado LLP

Taylor McCaffrey LLP

Quebec Law Firm of the Year

Lavery Lawyers

Excellence Awardees

Galileo Partners Lawyers Inc.

Langlois Lawyers, LLP

Western Canada Law Firm of the Year

Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer, LLP

Excellence Awardees

Clark Wilson LLP

Farris LLP

Hakemi & Ridgedale LLP

Harper Grey LLP

Lawson Lundell LLP

Roper Greyell LLP

Litigator of the Year

Nadia Effendi - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)

Excellence Awardees

Craig A.B. Ferris, QC, FCIArb. - Lawson Lundell LLP

Laura Cooper - Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

Peter Griffin - Lenczner Slaght

Philip J. Prowse - Prowse Chowne LLP

Sarit E. Batner - McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Managing Partner of the Year

Stephanie Vaccari - Baker McKenzie

Excellence Awardees

Charles Gluckstein - Gluckstein Lawyers

James Speakman - Clark Wilson LLP

John Murphy - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)

Mia Hempey - Nelligan Law

Robert Seidel, Q.C. - DLA Piper (Canada) LLP

Tom Curry - Lenczner Slaght

LEGAL PROFESSION AWARDS

The Bereskin & Parr Award for Diversity Initiative of the Year

Harper Grey LLP - Life in Law (LiL)

Excellence Awardees

Aird & Berlis LLP - The ABDI Educational Curriculum

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) - LGBTQ2s+ Firm Hop

Dentons Canada LLP - Indigenous inclusion: Foundations for reconciliation

TD Bank - TD Bank Diversity Initiatives 2021

The Lincoln Alexander School of Law Award for Shaping the Future

McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Excellence Awardees

Gale Law Professional Corporation

Jamieson Law

Lenczner Slaght

The Gowling WLG Award for Female Trailblazer of the Year (In-House Counsel)

Jane Langford - TD Bank

Excellence Awardees

Kate Salter - Ryerson University

Lara Speirs - Randstad Canada

Lilac Bosma - HSBC Bank Canada

The Gowling WLG Award for Female Trailblazer of the Year (Private Practice)

Ena Chadha - Ethical Associates Inc.

Excellence Awardees

Ashlee Froese - Froese Law

Danielle Bisnar - Cavalluzzo LLP

Karen Perron - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)

Kim Jakeman, QC - Harper Grey LLP

Lindsay Charles - McLeish Orlando LLP

Molly Reynolds - Torys LLP

Sana Halwani - Lenczner Slaght

Sherry Fitzsimmons, Q.C. - McDougall Gauley LLP

Yola Ventresca - Lerners LLP

Pro Bono Initiative of the Year

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) / Landings LLP - Initiative to support evacuations from Afghanistan

Excellence Awardees

Access Pro Bono BC - Virtual Family Mediation Project

Dentons Canada LLP - Galloway v A.B, 2019 BCSC 395

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP - The Black and Indigenous Business Law Clinic

Heron Law Offices - Heron Law’s initiative to help Indigenous people reclaim their traditional names

Taylor McCaffrey LLP - Manitoba families challenge Family Maintenance Act for LGBTQ2S+ discrimination