About the Award
The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on the practice of corporate counsel through leadership, mentorship, advocacy, or contributions to legal development. Eligible candidates may have enhanced the role of corporate counsel, influenced relevant laws through teaching, writing, or advocacy, participated in regulatory or professional bodies, or shared their expertise through mentoring and adjudication.
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Deadline for Applications
Nominations and supporting material must be filed by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 12, 2025.
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Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Award, an individual must have made a significant contribution in one or more of the following areas:
- Enhancement of the practice of corporate counsel
- Development of law applicable to corporate counsel, including teaching, writing and advocacy
- Leadership through participation in governmental/regulatory bodies and professional associations, including the In-House Lawyers
- Mentoring and teaching through the sharing of knowledge and experience
- Advocacy and/or adjudication
All nominees are required to be a member in good standing of the OBA and the In-House Lawyers (formerly the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association) to be eligible for the Award. Current members of the In-House Lawyers Ontario Chapter Executive, the In-House Lawyers National Executive and the OBA Board of Directors are not eligible.
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Nomination Process
Any OBA member, in good standing, may initiate a nomination. The nomination should comply with the following criteria:
- it must be submitted through the online nomination form and contain the contact information of both the nominator and candidate
- it must be accompanied by a statement of the achievements of the candidate for the award – a letter of recommendation.
While it is not mandatory, nominators and/or candidates may submit the candidate's resume and supporting letters with the application.
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Presentation of the Award
This award is under the discretion of In-House Lawyers Ontario Chapter Awards Committee and no award need be granted in any given year. The Award will be presented at the OBA Business Awards Gala in Toronto.
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Selection Process
- The selection of the Award recipient will be made by the OBA/In-House Lawyers Ontario Chapter Awards Committee appointed by the Executive of the OBA/In-House Lawyers Ontario Chapter from nominations received by the deadline date. There shall only be one award presented annually.
- The Selection Committee shall consider OBA policies, rules and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion when selecting the winner of the Award.
