2023 WINNERS & EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Award Categories

Capital Markets Deal of the Year

2023 CAPITAL MARKETS DEAL OF THE YEAR

Winner: Rogers Communications bond offering to finance purchase of Shaw Communications

Firms
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; DAVIES; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Banks and Accountants
BofA Securities, Inc.; Ernst & Young LLP; KPMG LLP; Merrill Lynch Canada Inc.; RBC Capital Markets, LLC; RBC Dominion Securities Inc.; Scotia Capital Inc.; Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Government of Canada inaugural Green Bond issue
Firms
DAVIES; McMillan LLP

Organizations
Department of Justice; Sustainalytics

Banks and Accountants
BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.; Casgrain & Company Limited; CIBC World Markets Inc.; Desjardins Securities Inc.; HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc.; Laurentian Bank Securities Inc.; Merrill Lynch Canada Inc; National Bank Financial Inc.; RBC Dominion Securities Inc.; Scotia Capital Inc.; The Toronto-Dominion Bank

Shopify dual-class structure change
Firms
McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year

2023 INFRASTRUCTURE & PROJECTS DEAL OF THE YEAR

Winner: GO Transit corridor expansion project

Firms
Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); DAVIES; Eversheds-Sutherland (UK); McCarthy Tétrault LLP; McMillan LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

LG Energy Solution and Stellantis battery plant joint venture
Firms
Dickinson Wright PLLC; Gowling WLG; Lee & Ko; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Line transit system project
Firms
DAVIES; DLA Piper; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; McMillan LLP

Organizations
360 Alliance (Stantec and Jacobs); Agentis Capital; BDO Consulting; Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance; Henningson, Durham & Richardson; Optimus SBR; BDO Canada LLP

Pembina Pipeline Corporation and KKR & Co. joint venture to create Pembina Gas Infrastructure
Firms
Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP; Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Torys LLP

Banks and Accountants
RBC Capital Markets; TD Securities

Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year

2023 INSOLVENCY & RESTRUCTURING DEAL OF THE YEAR

Winner: Aldo cross-border restructuring

Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); DAVIES; Dentons Canada LLP; Eversheds; Gowling WLG; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Schellenberg Wittmer; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations
Ernst & Young Inc.

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

BlackRock Metals restructuring
Firms
Dentons Canada LLP; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Goodmans LLP; Gowling WLG; IMK LLP; Lavery de Billy LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Torys LLP

Harte Gold Corp restructuring
Firms
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Goodmans LLP; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP; Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP

Groupe Sélection restructuring under the CCAA
Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; DAVIES; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Fishman Flanz Meland Paquin LLP; Gowling WLG; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP; Woods LLP

M&A Deal of the Year

2023 M&A DEAL OF THE YEAR

Winner: Rio Tinto acquisition of Turquoise Hill Resources

Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Organizations
BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.; TD Securities Inc.; Credit Suisse; RBC Capital Markets; Rothschild & Co

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Canderel-led Consortium Acquisition of Cominar REIT
Firms
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); DAVIES; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; McCarthy Tetrault LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations
BMO Capital Markets; CIBC; KPMG; National Bank Financial Inc.; Moelis & Company LLC; RBC Capital Markets; Scotiabank

Kinross Gold Corp. acquisition of Great Bear Resources
Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Kirkland Lake Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines merger of equals
Firms
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP; DAVIES; Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP; Shearman & Sterling LLP

Organizations
BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.; BofA Securities, Inc.; CIBC World Markets, Inc.; Maxit Capital LP; TD Securities Inc.; Trinity Advisory Group, LP

Banks and Accountants
Chess Depositary Nominees Pty Ltd.; Computershare Investor Services Inc.

Telus acquisition of LifeWorks
Firms
Clifford Chance LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations
BMO Capital Markets; CIBC World Markets; Goldman Sachs Canada Inc.

Mid-Market Deal of the Year

2023 MID-MARKET DEAL OF THE YEAR

Winner: Audax Private Equity Acquisition Of Harbourfront Wealth Management

Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP; Kirkland & Ellis LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Organizations
Raymond James Ltd.

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Enercare Acquisition of HydroSolution L.P. and HydroSolution Ltd.
Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); Ekitas Avocats & Fiscalistes Inc.; McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP

Essity acquisition of 80 percent share of Knix Wear
Firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Wyloo Metals Acquisition of Noront Resources
Firms
Bennett Jones LLP; Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Commercial Ligitation Team of the Year

Winner: Davies; Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP; Bennett Jones LLP- Commissioner of Competition v Rogers Communications, Inc. and Shaw Communications, Inc.

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG); Gilbert Séguin Guilbeault – Lamoureux v. Organisme canadien de réglementation du commerce des valeurs mobilières (OCRCVM), 2022 QCCA 685

Fasken – Owsianik v. Equifax Canada Co., 2022 ONCA 813

Lawson Lundell LLP- Remington Development Corporation v. Canadian Pacific Railway Company, 2022 ABKB 692

Lenczner Slaght – Annapolis Group Inc v Halifax Regional Municipality, 2022 SCC 3

Stikeman Elliott LLP; DAVIES – Centerra Gold Inc. v. Bolturuk, 2022 ONSC 1040

The Dye & Durham Award for Law Department Innovation

2023 THE DYE & DURHAM AWARD FOR LAW DEPARTMENT INNOVATION

Winner: EY Canada

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Ivanhoé Cambridge
Lightspeed Commerce
Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
Wattpad Corp.

The Lawson Lundell LLP Award for Law Department Leader of the Year

2023 THE LAWSON LUNDELL AWARD FOR LAW DEPARTMENT LEADER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Roger Chouinard – QuadReal Property Group

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Marisa Muchnik – Ferrero Canada Limited
Erin Eizenman – MaRS Discovery District
Eric Tilley – Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation (Infrastructure Ontario)
Jay Vaghela – Propel Holdings Inc.
Patti Chan – Sunwing Travel Group

Banking & Financial Services Law Department of the Year

2023 BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES LAW DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR

Winner: HSBC Bank Canada

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Otéra Capital
Scotiabank

The Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogell LLP Award for Construction, Infrastructure and Transportation Law Department of the Year

2023 THE SINGLETON URQUHART REYNOLDS VOGEL LLP AWARD FOR CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION LAW DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR

Winner: Metrolinx

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Alstom Group
BC Hydro
Brivia Group
Pomerleau
TransAlta Corporation
VIA Rail Canada Inc.

The LexisNexis Canada Award for Canadian Law Department of the Year

2023 THE LEXISNEXIS CANADA AWARD FOR CANADIAN LAW DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR

Winner: Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

QuadReal Property Group
Sunwing Travel Group
Valsoft Corporation Inc.
Wattpad Corp.
HSBC Canada
Metrolinx

Boutique Law Firm of the Year

2023 BOUTIQUE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

Winner: Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

BH Legal
Glaholt Bowles LLP
Green and Spiegel LLP
Landings LLP
McLeish Orlando

IP Boutique Law Firm of the Year

2023 IP BOUTIQUE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

Winner: Smart & Biggar

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Gilbert’s LLP
ROBIC LLP

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Boutique Law Firm of the Year

2023 Litigation & Dispute Resolution Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Winner: Lenczner Slaght

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP
Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP (JSS Barristers)
Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP

Litigator of the Year

2023 LITIGATOR OF THE YEAR

Winner: Monique Jilesen – Lenczner Slaght

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

François Grondin – Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Peter Aprile – Counter Tax Litigators LLP
Grant Vogeli, KC – Lawson Lundell LLP
Crawford Smith – Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Sarit Batner – McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Managing Partner of the Year

2023 MANAGING PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Tim Haney – Dentons Canada LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Stuart Wood – Caravel Law LLP
Kristin Taylor – Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
James Speakman – Clark Wilson LLP
Morgyn Chandler – Hammerco Lawyers LLP
Kevin Kiley – McInnes Cooper
Brendon Pooran – PooranLaw

Regional Law Firm of the Year - Atlantic Canada

2023 REGIONAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR – ATLANTIC CANADA

Winner: McInnes Cooper

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Stewart McKelvey

Regional Law Firm of the Year - Ontario

2023 Regional Law Firm of the Year - Ontario

Winner: WeirFoulds LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Blaney McMurtry LLP
Torkin Manes LLP

Regional Law Firm of the Year - Praries

2023 REGIONAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR – PRAIRIES

Winner: Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

McDougall Gauley LLP
McKercher LLP

Regional Law Firm of the Year - Quebec

2023 Regional Law Firm of the Year - Quebec

Winner: Langlois Lawyers, LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Lavery

Regional Law Firm of the Year - Western Canada

2023 Regional Law Firm of the Year - Western Canada

Winner: Lawson Lundell LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP
Farris LLP

The Leap Legal Software Award for Family Law Firm of the Year

2023 The Leap Legal Software Award for Family Law Firm of the Year

Winner: McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Benmor Family Law Group
Burrison Hudani Doris LLP
Crossroads Law
Epstein Cole LLP
MacLean Law
Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers

The LexisNexis Canada Award for Best Use of Technology in a Law Firm

2023 THE LEXISNEXIS CANADA AWARD FOR BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN A LAW FIRM

Winner: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Caravel Law LLP
Counter Tax Litigators LLP
Fasken
Torys LLP

Diversity Initiative of the Year

2023 DIVERSITY INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

Winner: Access Pro Bono Society of BC – Everyone Legal Clinic

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Aird & Berlis LLP – Indigenous Community Initiatives and Support
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) – The PRISME Conference
Fasken – Fasken’s Commitment to Reconciliation
Gale Law Professional Corporation – NCA Network
McCarthy Tétrault LLP – Mentorship Plus Program
TransAlta Corporation – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Program

Female Trailblazer of the Year (In-House Counsel)

2023 Female Trailblazer of the Year (In-House Counsel)

Winner: Terrie-Lynne Devonish – Altus Group Limited

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Ashley Butts – BASF Canada Inc.
Shara Roy – EY Canada
Patricia Callon – Sun Life
Noren Howg – TransAlta Corporation

Female Trailblazer of the Year (Private Practice)

2023 FEMALE TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR (PRIVATE PRACTICE)

Winner: Alicia Quesnel – Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Cherie Brant – Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Corina S. Weigl – Fasken
Sania Chaudhry – Forte Workplace Law
Ivanna Iwaykiw – Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein Lawyers
Yola Ventresca – Lerners LLP
Alison Babbitt – Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Charmaine Panko – Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation

Pro Bono Initiative of the Year

2023 PRO BONO INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR

Winner: Dentons Canada LLP – 30 Birds Foundation

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP – The Clinic (The Black and Indigenous Business Law Clinic)‎
McCarthy Tétrault LLP – British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Council of Canadians with Disabilities, 2022 SCC 27
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP – Obtaining relief for taxpayers from financial loss
PooranLaw – I Decide Law Program
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services – Representation of Residents of Homeless Encampment at Superior Court in Municipal/Constitutional case
WeirFoulds LLP – Constitutional Challenges to Anti-LGBT+ Laws in the Eastern Caribbean

The Lincoln Alexander School of Law Award for Shaping the Future

2023 THE LINCOLN ALEXANDER SCHOOL OF LAW AWARD FOR SHAPING THE FUTURE

Winner: Access Pro Bono Society of BC

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Caravel Law LLP
Community Justice Collective
Counter Tax Litigators LLP
Fasken
Suresh Law