2023 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 Winner in each category.
The Winners of each category will be announced during the Canadian Law Awards event on May 11, 2023.

Quick links

LEGAL PROFESSION AWARDS

DEAL AWARDS

Capital Markets Deal of the Year

Rogers Communications bond offering to finance purchase of Shaw Communications

Firms

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; DAVIES; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Banks and Accountants

BofA Securities, Inc.; Ernst & Young LLP; KPMG LLP; Merrill Lynch Canada Inc.; RBC Capital Markets, LLC; RBC Dominion Securities Inc.; Scotia Capital Inc.; Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.

Excellence Awardees

Government of Canada inaugural Green Bond issue

Firms

DAVIES; McMillan LLP

Organizations

Department of Justice; Sustainalytics

Banks and Accountants

BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.; Casgrain & Company Limited; CIBC World Markets Inc.; Desjardins Securities Inc.; HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc.; Laurentian Bank Securities Inc.; Merrill Lynch Canada Inc; National Bank Financial Inc.; RBC Dominion Securities Inc.; Scotia Capital Inc.; The Toronto-Dominion Bank

Shopify dual-class structure change

Firms

McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year

GO Transit corridor expansion project

Firms

Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); DAVIES; Eversheds-Sutherland (UK); McCarthy Tétrault LLP; McMillan LLP

Excellence Awardees

LG Energy Solution and Stellantis battery plant joint venture

Firms

Dickinson Wright PLLC; Gowling WLG; Lee & Ko; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Line transit system project

Firms

DAVIES; DLA Piper; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; McMillan LLP

Organizations

360 Alliance (Stantec and Jacobs); Agentis Capital; BDO Consulting; Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance; Henningson, Durham & Richardson; Optimus SBR; BDO Canada LLP

Pembina Pipeline Corporation and KKR & Co. joint venture to create Pembina Gas Infrastructure

Firms

Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP; Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Torys LLP

Banks and Accountants

RBC Capital Markets; TD Securities

Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year

Aldo cross-border restructuring

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); DAVIES; Dentons Canada LLP; Eversheds; Gowling WLG; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Schellenberg Wittmer; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations

Ernst & Young Inc.

Excellence Awardees

BlackRock Metals restructuring

Firms

Dentons Canada LLP; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Goodmans LLP; Gowling WLG; IMK LLP; Lavery de Billy LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Torys LLP

Harte Gold Corp restructuring

Firms

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Goodmans LLP; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP; Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP

Groupe Sélection restructuring under the CCAA

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; DAVIES; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Fishman Flanz Meland Paquin LLP; Gowling WLG; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP; Woods LLP

M & A Deal of the Year

Rio Tinto acquisition of Turquoise Hill Resources

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Organizations

BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.; TD Securities Inc.; Credit Suisse; RBC Capital Markets; Rothschild & Co

Excellence Awardees

Canderel-led Consortium Acquisition of Cominar REIT

Firms

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); DAVIES; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; McCarthy Tetrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations

BMO Capital Markets; CIBC; KPMG; National Bank Financial Inc.; Moelis & Company LLC; RBC Capital Markets; Scotiabank

Kinross Gold Corp. acquisition of Great Bear Resources

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Kirkland Lake Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines merger of equals

Firms

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP; DAVIES; Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP; Shearman & Sterling LLP

Organizations

BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.; BofA Securities, Inc.; CIBC World Markets, Inc.; Maxit Capital LP; TD Securities Inc.; Trinity Advisory Group, LP

Banks and Accountants

Chess Depositary Nominees Pty Ltd.; Computershare Investor Services Inc.

Telus acquisition of LifeWorks

Firms

Clifford Chance LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations

BMO Capital Markets; CIBC World Markets; Goldman Sachs Canada Inc.

Mid-Market Deal of the Year

Audax Private Equity Acquisition Of Harbourfront Wealth Management

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Kirkland & Ellis LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations

Raymond James Ltd.

Excellence Awardees

Enercare Acquisition of HydroSolution L.P. and HydroSolution Ltd.

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); Ekitas Avocats & Fiscalistes Inc.; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Essity acquisition of 80 percent share of Knix Wear

Firms

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Wyloo Metals Acquisition of Noront Resources

Firms

Bennett Jones LLP; Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; McCarthy Tétrault LLP

CASE AWARD

Commercial Litigation Team of the Year

Davies; Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP; Bennett Jones LLP- Commissioner of Competition v Rogers Communications, Inc. and Shaw Communications, Inc.

Excellence Awardees

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); Gilbert Séguin Guilbeault - Lamoureux v. Organisme canadien de réglementation du commerce des valeurs mobilières (OCRCVM), 2022 QCCA 685
Fasken - Owsianik v. Equifax Canada Co., 2022 ONCA 813
Lawson Lundell LLP- Remington Development Corporation v. Canadian Pacific Railway Company, 2022 ABKB 692
Lenczner Slaght - Annapolis Group Inc v Halifax Regional Municipality, 2022 SCC 3
Stikeman Elliott LLP; DAVIES - Centerra Gold Inc. v. Bolturuk, 2022 ONSC 1040

IN-HOUSE AWARDS

The Dye & Durham Award for Law Department Innovation

EY Canada

Excellence Awardees

Ivanhoé Cambridge
Lightspeed Commerce
Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
Wattpad Corp.

The Lawson Lundell LLP Award for Law Department Leader of the Year

Roger Chouinard - QuadReal Property Group

Excellence Awardees

Marisa Muchnik - Ferrero Canada Limited
Erin Eizenman - MaRS Discovery District
Eric Tilley - Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation (Infrastructure Ontario)
Jay Vaghela - Propel Holdings Inc.
Patti Chan - Sunwing Travel Group

Banking & Financial Services Law Department of the Year

HSBC Bank Canada

Excellence Awardees

Otéra Capital
Scotiabank

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

Metrolinx

Excellence Awardees

Alstom Group
BC Hydro
Brivia Group
Pomerleau
TransAlta Corporation
VIA Rail Canada Inc.

The LexisNexis Canada Award for Canadian Law Department of the Year

Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)

Excellence Awardees

QuadReal Property Group
Sunwing Travel Group
Valsoft Corporation Inc.
Wattpad Corp.
HSBC Canada
Metrolinx

FIRM AWARDS

Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP

Excellence Awardees

BH Legal
Glaholt Bowles LLP
Green and Spiegel LLP
Landings LLP
McLeish Orlando

IP Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Smart & Biggar

Excellence Awardees

Gilbert's LLP
ROBIC LLP

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Lenczner Slaght

Excellence Awardees

Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP
Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP (JSS Barristers)
Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP

Litigator of the Year

Monique Jilesen - Lenczner Slaght

Excellence Awardees

François Grondin - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Peter Aprile - Counter Tax Litigators LLP
Grant Vogeli, KC - Lawson Lundell LLP
Crawford Smith - Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Sarit Batner - McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Managing Partner of the Year

Tim Haney - Dentons Canada LLP

Excellence Awardees

Stuart Wood - Caravel Law LLP
Kristin Taylor - Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
James Speakman - Clark Wilson LLP
Morgyn Chandler - Hammerco Lawyers LLP
Kevin Kiley - McInnes Cooper
Brendon Pooran - PooranLaw

Regional Law Firm of the Year – Atlantic Canada

McInnes Cooper

Excellence Awardees

Stewart McKelvey

Regional Law Firm of the Year – Ontario

WeirFoulds LLP

Excellence Awardees

Blaney McMurtry LLP
Torkin Manes LLP

Regional Law Firm of the Year – Prairies

Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

Excellence Awardees

McDougall Gauley LLP
McKercher LLP

Regional Law Firm of the Year – Quebec

Langlois Lawyers, LLP

Excellence Awardees

Lavery

Regional Law Firm of the Year – Western Canada

Lawson Lundell LLP

Excellence Awardees

Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP
Farris LLP

The LEAP Legal Software Award for Family Law Firm of the Year

McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP

Excellence Awardees

Benmor Family Law Group
Burrison Hudani Doris LLP
Crossroads Law
Epstein Cole LLP
MacLean Law
Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers

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

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Excellence Awardees

Caravel Law LLP
Counter Tax Litigators LLP
Fasken
Torys LLP

LEGAL PROFESSION AWARDS

Diversity Initiative of the Year

Access Pro Bono Society of BC - Everyone Legal Clinic

Excellence Awardees

Aird & Berlis LLP - Indigenous Community Initiatives and Support
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) - The PRISME Conference
Fasken - Fasken's Commitment to Reconciliation
Gale Law Professional Corporation - NCA Network
McCarthy Tétrault LLP - Mentorship Plus Program
TransAlta Corporation - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Program

Female Trailblazer of the Year (In-House Counsel)

Terrie-Lynne Devonish - Altus Group Limited

Excellence Awardees

Ashley Butts - BASF Canada Inc.
Shara Roy - EY Canada
Patricia Callon - Sun Life
Noren Howg - TransAlta Corporation

Female Trailblazer of the Year (Private Practice)

Alicia Quesnel - Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP

Excellence Awardees

Cherie Brant - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Corina S. Weigl - Fasken
Sania Chaudhry - Forte Workplace Law
Ivanna Iwaykiw - Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein Lawyers
Yola Ventresca - Lerners LLP
Alison Babbitt - Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Charmaine Panko - Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation

Pro Bono Initiative of the Year

Dentons Canada LLP - 30 Birds Foundation

Excellence Awardees

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP - The Clinic (The Black and Indigenous Business Law Clinic)‎
McCarthy Tétrault LLP - British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Council of Canadians with Disabilities, 2022 SCC 27
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP - Obtaining relief for taxpayers from financial loss
PooranLaw - I Decide Law Program
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services - Representation of Residents of Homeless Encampment at Superior Court in Municipal/Constitutional case
WeirFoulds LLP - Constitutional Challenges to Anti-LGBT+ Laws in the Eastern Caribbean

The Lincoln Alexander School of Law Award for Shaping the Future

Access Pro Bono Society of BC

Excellence Awardees

Caravel Law LLP
Community Justice Collective
Counter Tax Litigators LLP
Fasken
Suresh Law