About the Award
This award was created to recognize contributions and/or achievements of members of the Ontario Bar Association who are emerging leaders in the area of the Civil Litigation and who demonstrate:
- skills in oral and written advocacy
- integrity, civility, and professionalism;
- mentorship of members of the bar and leadership through pro bono work, volunteer work, or involvement in professional associations;
- a willingness to share knowledge through any means including lectures, writing or, presenting.
1. Eligibility
Any member of the Civil Litigation Section of the OBA in good standing with 15 years of practice, or less.
2. Nominating Committee
2.1 A committee consisting of:
2.1.1 the Section Chair;
2.1.2 the Section Vice Chair; and
2.1.3 a third member selected by the Section Chair.
2.2 To promote the Award and to solicit nominations for the Award, the Nomination Committee shall work with OBA staff to encourage a more varied pool of applicants by:
2.2.1 approaching equity seeking groups;
2.2.2 approaching regional bar associations;
2.2.3 sending a request to all Regional Senior Judges in Ontario for identification of potential nominees at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations;
2.2.4 sending a request to all OBA Council Members for identification of potential nominees at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations; and
2.2.5 publishing a request for nominations in the Ontario Reports at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations.
2.3 As an exception to clause 3.1.3, below, if the Nomination Committee receives a submission in respect of a nominee that, in its sole discretion, it determines should be considered by the Selection Committee (as defined below), the Nomination Committee may submit that name and direct OBA staff to gather any additional information required.
3. Nomination Process
3.1 Nominations shall be solicited by the Nomination Committee through:
3.1.1 members of the Executive of the Civil Litigation Section;
3.1.2 through members of the Civil Litigation Sections; and
3.1.3 members of the civil litigation bar throughout the province of Ontario.
3.2 Any member of the Civil Litigation Section of OBA in good standing is eligible to nominate a candidate by submitting words or less on how the candidate demonstrates the criteria described below in section 5.1.
3.3 In addition to answering the above question, the nominator may submit a maximum of two letters of support and a curriculum vitae outlining the nominee's qualifications.
3.4 Unless required by the Nomination Committee, the nominator is not required to advise (or obtain the conset of) the nominee of the nomination prior to the nomination deadline.
3.5 Nominations and supporting materials must be filed through the OBA online nomination system by the deadline established by the OBA from time to time and in accordance with this policy.
3.6 As an exception to clauses 3.2 - 3.5 above, if the Nomination Committee receives a submission in respect of a nominee that, in its sole discretion, it determines should be considered by the Selection Committee (as defined below), the Nomination Committee may submit that name and direct OBA staff to gather any additional information required.
4. Selection Committee
4.1 A committee consisting of:
4.1.1 the Section Chair (hereinafter the “Committee Chair”);
4.1.2 the Past Chair of the OBA Civil Litigation Section;
4.1.3 the Section Vice Chair;
4.1.4 a member of the OBA Equality Committee;
4.1.5 the three most recent and available past recipients of the Emerging Leader Award;
4.1.6 a representative Justice from the Superior Court of Justice; and
4.1.7 a representative Justice from the Ontario Court of Appeal shall be formed (the “Selection Committee”).
4.2 The Selection Committee shall perform the following functions:
4.2.1 review the information provided by the Nominating Committee for the Emerging Leader Award and the Award of Excellence;
4.2.2 ask OBA staff to obtain additional information about any candidate including letters of support and curriculum vitae, if required in the opinion of the Committee Chair; and
4.2.3 otherwise coordinate matters relating to the Awards.
5. Criteria for Selection
5.1 The Award shall recognize an advocate who demonstrates one or more of the following criteria:
5.1.1demonstrated skills in oral and written advocacy;
5.1.2 integrity, civility, and professionalism;
5.1.3 demonstrated mentorship of members of the bar and leadership through pro bono work, volunteer work or involvement in professional associations;
5.1.4 sharing knowledge through any means including lectures, writing or presenting.
5.2 The Selection Committee shall consider OBA policies, rules and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion when selecting the winner of the Award.
5.3 The Selection Committee shall choose the recipient of the Award from the candidates submitted by the Nominating Committee and shall not substitute or otherwise consider any other candidate.
5.4 The Selection Committee shall consider OBA policies, rules and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion when selecting the winner of the Award.
6. Presentation
6.1 The Award will be presented at an annual gala dinner hosted by the Civil Litigation Section, on a date and time and at a venue determined by the Civil Litigation Executive sitting during that annual term.
Deadline for Applications
Submit a Nomination
Nominations and supporting material must be filed by 5:00 pm on Friday, May 16, 2025.
Decision
The Selection Committee shall choose the recipient of the Emerging Leader Award from the candidates submitted through the Nomination process.
Award
The award shall be a special plaque or other award approved by the Executive Committee of the Civil Litigation Section, appropriate to the importance of this honour. Only one award shall be awarded annually.
Additional Information
Peter Guennel
OBA Section Executive Liaison
Ontario Bar Association
300-20 Toronto Street
Toronto ON M5C 2B8
Tel: (416) 869-1047 ext 340 (Toll Free 1-800-668-8900)
E-mail: pguennel@oba.org