OBA Award of Excellence in Child and Youth Law

Nominations and supporting material must be filed by 5:00 pm on Friday, May 23, 2025.

The award recognizes contributions in any or all of the following areas:

• teaching and advancement of Child and Youth Law,
• taking on challenging and precedent-setting cases, or promoting alternative dispute resolution in child and youth matters,
• development of Child and Youth Law, including lecturing, scholarly writing, policy advocacy, and the development of youth-focused legislation or policies, especially those involving interdisciplinary or holistic approaches,
• enhancement of Child and Youth Law practice, and
• leadership in the child and youth legal community.

Any person or group is eligible for the award, except a member of the OBA Board or the Child & Youth Law Section Executive Committee. All eligible candidates must be OBA members.

The award recipient will be selected from the candidates recommended by the Nomination Committee through a vote of the Child and Youth Section Executive at a scheduled or special meeting.

Nominations will be solicited:

• through a request in at least one issue of the Child and Youth Section newsletter,
• via Executive members of the Child and Youth Section, and
• through members of the child and youth legal community across Ontario.

Any OBA member in good standing may nominate a candidate by submitting a written nomination along with a CV outlining the nominee’s qualifications.

The Nomination Committee will recommend two recipients, to be voted on by the Executive.

The Nomination Committee will consider OBA policies, rules, and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion in selecting the award recipient.

A sub-committee consisting of the Chair of the Child & Youth Section, a member of the Executive appointed by the Chair, an Executive Member from outside the Toronto area, and one additional Executive Member will be formed. This committee will:

• solicit nominations from members across Ontario,
• gather supporting materials about candidates, including letters of support and CVs,
• make recommendations to the Executive of the OBA Child and Youth Section, with supporting rationale.

The award is presented in conjunction with National Child Day annually each fall.