A huge thank you to our Advisory Panel for dedicating time to judge the 2026 Canadian Law Awards

The winners of the 2026 Canadian Law Awards were announced this week at the awards gala held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on May 5, 2026 – and none of it would be possible without the dedication of our extraordinary judges.

Each judge brought their own unique expertise and insight to the process, reviewing submissions and applying rigorous standards to ensure the most deserving winners were recognized. Their commitment to fairness, professionalism, and industry excellence is what gives the Canadian Law Awards their prestige.

View the 2026 winners list here and on the Canadian Law Awards website.

On behalf of the Canadian Lawyer and Lexpert teams, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all members of the 2026 judging panel for their time, energy, and dedication:

• Macdonald Allen, Partner, Litigation Practice Group, WeirFoulds LLP
• Stephen Beney, Principal, Smart & Biggar
• Michael Casey, Senior VP and General Counsel, EllisDon
• Nicholas Cerminaro, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, GardaWorld
• Lauren Cook, Global Corporate Counsel, Environment and Regulatory, Teck Resources Limited
• George Cooper, KC, Chief Executive Officer and Partner, Cox & Palmer
• Lindsay Cox, Partner, Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer, LLP
• Bindu Cudjoe, General Counsel, Canadian Banking, TD Bank
• Lydia de Guzman, VP & Chief Counsel, Group Benefits, Manulife
• Vincent de l'Étoile, Partner, Litigation Group; Member Board of Directors, Langlois Lawyers, LLP
• Camille De Mers, Partner, Business Law Group, Lavery
• Martin K. Denyes, Firm Chair, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
• Enzo Di Lorio, Chair, Miller Thomson LLP
• David Di Paolo, National Managing Partner and CEO, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
• Frédéric Duguay, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)
• Anita Dusevic Oliva, Executive Vice-President, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, TC Energy
• Paul Fruitman, Partner, Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
• Aileen Gien, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Capstone Infrastructure Corporation
• Monique Jilesen, Managing Partner, Lenczner Slaght
• Philippe Johnson, Managing Partner, Montreal, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
• David M. Kramer, Senior Legal Counsel, Suncor Energy Inc.
• François Lajeunesse, Senior Legal Counsel, Desjardins Group
• Sophie Lamonde, Managing Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP
• Adrian Lang, Chief Legal and Privacy Officer, Staples Canada
• Dale H. Lastman, C.M., Chair, Goodmans LLP
• Brian Lerner, Partner, MLT Aikins
• Jennifer Manning, Director and Senior Counsel Legal Affairs, BCI
• Carlton Mathias, Chief Legal, ESG and Governance Officer, Ontario Power Generation
• Blair McCreadie, Managing Partner, Toronto, Dentons Canada LLP
• Melanie McGrath, General Counsel, CBCL Limited
• Chelsea McKay Hazewinkel, K.C., Chief Legal Officer, Paladin Security Group Ltd
• Dave J.G. McKechnie, Partner, Employment & Labour Relations, McMillan LLP
• Benjamin Na, Managing Partner, Toronto, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP
• Teodora Niculae, Senior Counsel, Mastercard
• Lorne O'Reilly, KC, Lead Counsel, Dow Chemical Canada ULC
• Benoit Palmer, Chief Counsel, Minerals, Legal Services, Rio Tinto
• Heather Platt, Chief Legal Officer, Metrolinx
• Karrin A. Powys-Lybbe, Partner, Torys LLP
• Emmanuel Pressman, Chair, Corporate Department, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
• Clifford G. Proudfoot, KC, Managing Partner, Lawson Lundell LLP
• Bruce Reynolds, Co-Managing Partner, Mediator and Arbitrator, Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP
• Luisa Ritacca, Managing Partner, Stockwoods LLP
• Tracy Ross, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Global Businesses and Products, RBC
• Bo Rothstein, Managing Partner, Farris LLP
• Shara Roy, Chief Legal Counsel, Ernst & Young LLP
• Yasmin Shaker, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Invest Ontario
• David Snarch, Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, MDA
• Bryson A. Stokes, Firm Managing Partner, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
• David Taniguchi, Vice President, Legal & Corporate Secretary, Enbridge Inc.
• Kristin Taylor, Managing Partner, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
• Jennifer Teskey, Managing Partner, Canada, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
• Yasmin Visram, Associate General Counsel, Canadian Affairs, iA Financial Group
• Patrice Walch-Watson, Senior Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
• Andrea Wood, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Governance Officer, TELUS
• Caroline Zayid, Managing Partner, Ontario Region, McCarthy Tétrault LLP