Awarding ceremony to be held in person on May 25
The Law Society of Ontario has announced that it will recognize 11 legal professionals across the province with this year’s Law Society Awards.
The Law Society Awards recognize legal professionals for their outstanding career achievements and contributions to their communities. The LSO will hold the awarding ceremony in person on May 25.
“The Law Society Awards recognize excellence,” LSO Treasurer Teresa Donnelly said. “The work, commitment and dedication of this year’s outstanding recipients enhance the public perception of the legal professions, promote the public interest and inspire all of us.”
For 2022, the award recipients are Lawrence Greenspon, Marian Jacko, François Larocque, Beth Beattie, Christopher Bredt, Brian Gover, Lorin MacDonald, Deepa Mattoo, Albert Oosterhoff, Stuart Wuttke, and Paula Callaghan.
Lawrence Greenspon will receive the Lincoln Alexander Award.
Greenspon has been an Ottawa-based lawyer for over 35 years, specializing in criminal defence and civil litigation. He has represented disadvantaged and diverse individuals and groups against governments, institutions, corporations, and insurance companies and gained prominence as counsel for the first person charged in Canada under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The Lincoln Alexander Award recognizes a legal professional who has demonstrated long-standing interest and commitment to the public and the pursuit of community service on behalf of residents of Ontario.
Marian Jacko will be the recipient of the Laura Legge Award.
Jacko has spent her entire legal career working on behalf of children and Indigenous peoples. In 2015, she joined the Indigenous Justice Division of the Ministry of Attorney General. She is currently the Children’s Lawyer for Ontario – the first Indigenous female lawyer in this role.
The Laura Legge Award recognizes women lawyers from Ontario who have exemplified professional leadership.
François Larocque will receive the J. Shirley Denison Award.
Larocque is a full-time law professor and the holder of the Canadian Francophonie Research Chair in Language Rights at the University of Ottawa. As a research chair, he engages directly with community organizations to develop and improve Canadian jurisprudence and legislation protecting language rights.
The J. Shirley Denison Award recognizes a legal professional for making a significant contribution to access to justice and addressing poverty.
Meanwhile, the LSO will award the Law Society Medal to the following lawyers:
- Beth Beattie − a senior counsel for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, who has become an agent of change in the mental health space within the legal profession;
- Christopher Bredt – a senior litigation partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, who has made exceptional contributions to the legal profession through his work with the LSO, government, legal education, and pro bono and charitable work;
- Brian Gover − a partner at Stockwoods LLP, who has shown outstanding commitment to legal education and mentorship;
- Lorin MacDonald – a human rights lawyer, a disability rights advocate, and a professional speaker;
- Deepa Mattoo − the executive director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, a multi-service agency that provides trauma-informed legal, counselling, and interpretation services to racialized and marginalized women;
- Albert Oosterhoff – a Western University Faculty of Law professor emeritus, renowned legal scholar, and author in the area of trusts and estates in Canada;
- Stuart Wuttke – a general counsel for the Assembly of First Nations and an advocate of Indigenous rights and policy reform.
The LSO awards the Law Society Medal to lawyers who have made a significant contribution to the profession. Recognition can be for devotion to professional duties over a long term or a single outstanding act of service.
Paula Callaghan is the recipient of the William J. Simpson Distinguished Paralegal Award.
Callaghan has been a licensed paralegal since 2011. She is the former chair of the paralegal committee of the County of Carleton Law Association and its board of directors’ newly elected paralegal trustee.
The William J. Simpson Distinguished Paralegal Award recognizes a paralegal who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, contribution to the profession’s development, and devotion to professional duties.
