The nominations for the fifth annual Benchmark Canada awards have been announced.
For all of the litigation firm and lawyer of the year shortlists, please see below. The nominees have been chosen based upon research conducted between September 2016 and January 2017. Please note that there will be no pro bono firm of the year, impact case, or lifetime achievement winner shortlists. Those winners will be announced on the evening of the ceremony.
The ceremony will be held on Thursday, February 23 2017 at the Park Hyatt Hotel Yorkville in Toronto.
Please contact Jonathan McReynolds at jmcreynolds@euromoneyny.com or on 212-224-3337 to reserve your place.
PROVINCIAL AWARDS
ALBERTA
Firm of the year
Bennett Jones
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Borden Ladner Gervais
Peacock Linder Halt & Mack
Rose
Litigator of the year
David Bishop, Gowling WLG
Clarke Hunter, Norton Rose Fulbright
Maureen Killoran, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Munaf Mohamed, Bennett Jones
David Tupper, Blake Cassels & Graydon
Lowell Westersund, Rose
ATLANTICS
Firm of the year
McInnes Cooper
Patterson Law
Stewart McKelvey
Litigator of the year
Michelle Awad, McInnes Cooper
William “Mick” Ryan, Stewart McKelvey
Dennis James, Patterson Law
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Firm of the year
Fasken Martineau
Harper Grey
Hunter Litigation Chambers
Nathanson Schachter & Thompson
Lawson Lundell
Litigator of the year
Ward Branch, Branch MacMaster
Geoffrey Cowper, Fasken Martineau
Michael Feder, McCarthy Tetrault
Kenneth McEwan, Hunter Litigation Chambers
Stephen Schachter, Nathanson Schachter & Thompson
MANITOBA
Firm of the year
Fillmore Riley
Hill Sokalski Walsh Olson
MLT Aikins
Pitblado
Litigator of the year
Ted Bock, MLT Aikins
Bernice Bowley, Fillmore Riley
Thor Hansell, MLT Aikins
Dave Hill, Hill Sokalski Walsh Olson
Stephen Vincent, Pitblado
ONTARIO
Firm of the year
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Lax O'Sullivan Scott Lisus
Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin
McCarthy Tétrault
Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein
Stikeman Elliott
Torys
Litigator of the year
Sheila Block, Torys
Michael Barrack, Blake Cassels & Graydon
Peter Griffin, Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin
Robert Harrison, Fasken Martineau
Peter Howard, Stikeman Elliott
Kent Thomson, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
Benjamin Zarnett, Goodmans
QUÉBEC
Firm of the year
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
Irving Mitchell Kalichman
McCarthy Tétrault
Stikeman Elliott
Woods
Litigator of the year
Frederic Gilbert, Fasken Martineau
Eric Azran, Stikeman Elliott
Douglas Mitchell, Irving Mitchell Kalichman
Nick Rodrigo, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
James Woods, Woods
SASKATCHEWAN
Firm of the year
MLT Aikins
McDougall Gauley
McKercher
Miller Thomson
Litigator of the year
Christine Glazer, McKercher
Gordon Kuski, McDougall Gauley
Roger Lepage, Miller Thomson
Robert Leurer, MLT Aikins
PRACTICE AREA AWARDS - FIRMS
ABORIGINAL LAW
Borden Ladner Gervais
Fasken Martineau
Gowling WLG
Lawson Lundell
ARBITRATION
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Borden Ladner Gervais
Fasken Martineau
Norton Rose Fulbright
CLASS ACTION
Bennett Jones
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Borden Ladner Gervais
Branch MacMaster
Fasken Martineau
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Stikeman Elliott
Torys
COMPETITION
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
McCarthy Tétrault
Stikeman Elliott
Torys
CONSTRUCTION
Bennett Jones
Borden Ladner Gervais
Rose
Singleton Urquhart
ENERGY/RESOURCE LITIGATION
Bennett Jones
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Borden Ladner Gervais
Fasken Martineau
Lawson Lundell
Norton Rose Fulbright
INSOLVENCY
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
Fasken Martineau
Goodmans
Gowling WLG
Stikeman Elliott
Thornton Grout Finnigan
INSURANCE
Borden Ladner Gervais
Fasken Martineau
Gowling WLG
Guild Yule
Stewart McKelvey
Stikeman Elliott
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Aitken Klee
Belmore Neidrauer
Bereskin & Parr
Goodmans
Gowling WLG
Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh
MEDICAL/HEALTH
Borden Ladner Gervais
Gowling WLG
Harper Grey
McCarthy Tetrault
PRODUCT LIABILITY
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Borden Ladner Gervais
Fasken Martineau
Gowling WLG
McCarthy Tétrault
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
SECURITIES
Bennett Jones
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Crawley MacKewn Brush
McCarthy Tétrault
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Stikeman Elliott
Torys
WHITE-COLLAR CRIME/ENFORCEMENT
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
Fasken Martineau
McCarthy Tétrault
Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein
Stockwoods
Sugden McFee & Roos
PRACTICE AREA AWARDS - LAWYERS
ABORIGINAL
Keith Bergner, Lawson Lundell
Maxime Faille, Gowling WLG
Nicholas Hughes, McCarthy Tétrault
Tracy Pratt, Fasken Martineau
Neal Smitheman, Fasken Martineau
ARBITRATION
Tina Cicchetti, Fasken Martineau
Robert Deane, Borden Ladner Gervais
Stephen Drymer, Woods
Clarke Hunter, Norton Rose Fulbright
Gerald Ranking, Fasken Martineau
CLASS ACTION
Andrew Borrell, Fasken Martineau
Ward Branch, Branch MacMaster
Michael Eizenga, Bennett Jones
David Klein, Klein Lawyers
Laurent Nahmiash, Dentons
David O’Connor, Roy O’Connor
Mahmud Jamal, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Cheryl Woodin, Borden Ladner Gervais
COMPETITION
Randall Hofley, Blake Cassels & Graydon
Mahmud Jamal, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Katherine Kay, Stikeman Elliott
David Kent, McMillan
Linda Plumpton, Torys
Kent Thomson, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
CONSTRUCTION
Stuart Hankinson, Bennett Jones
Bruce Reynolds, Borden Ladner Gervais
Chris Rusnak, Harper Grey
Phillip Scheibel, Rose
John Singleton, Singleton Urquhart
Sharon Vogel, Borden Ladner Gervais
ENERGY/RESOURCE
Randall Block, Borden Ladner Gervais
Clarke Hunter, Norton Rose Fulbright
Maureen Killoran, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Blair Yorke-Slader, Bennett Jones
Glenn Zacher, Stikeman Elliott
INSOLVENCY
DJ Miller, Thornton Grout Finnigan
Howard Gorman, Norton Rose Fulbright
Elizabeth Pillon, Stikeman Elliott
Chris Simard, Bennett Jones
Alain Riendeau, Fasken Martineau
Ashley Taylor, Stikeman Elliott
INSURANCE
David Bishop, Gowling WLG
Ariel DeJong, McCarthy Tétrault
Alan D’Silva, Stikeman Elliott
David Rosenbaum, Fasken Martineau
David Tupper, Blake Cassels & Graydon
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
David Aitken, Aitken Klee
Anthony Creber, Gowling WLG
Steven Garland, Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh
Francois Guay, Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh
Robert MacFarlane, Bereskin & Parr
Jason Markwell, Belmore Neidrauer
Marek Nitoslawski, Fasken Martineau
MEDICAL/HEALTH
Darryl Cruz, McCarthy Tetrault
Kimberly Jakeman, Harper Grey
John Morris, Borden Ladner Gervais
Mary Thomson, Gowling WLG
PRODUCT LIABILITY
Jill Lawrie, Blake Cassels & Graydon
Laurent Nahmiash, Dentons
Peter Pliszka, Fasken Martineau
Martin Sheehan, Fasken Martineau
Mary Thomson, Gowling WLG
Robert Torralbo, Blake Cassels & Graydon
SECURITIES
Sean Boyle, Blake Cassels & Graydon
David DiPaolo, Borden Ladner Gervais
Mark Gelowitz, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt
Melissa MacKewn, Crawley MacKewn Brush
John Fabello, Torys
Linda Fuerst, Norton Rose Fulbright
Robert Staley, Bennett Jones
Paul Steep, McCarthy Tetrault
WHITE-COLLAR CRIME/ENFORCEMENT
Stephane Eljarrat, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
Francois Fontaine, Norton Rose Fulbright
Mark Morrison, Blake Cassels & Graydon
Peter Mantas, Fasken Martineau
David Porter, McCarthy Tetrault
PLAINTIFF FIRM OF THE YEAR
Branch MacMaster
Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman
Klein Lawyers
Koskie Minsky
Roy O’Connor
Siskinds
LITIGATION BOUTIQUE OF THE YEAR
Aitken Klee
Chernos Flaherty Svonkin
Crawley MacKewn Brush
Hill Sokalski Walsh Olson
Lax O’Sullivan Scott Lisus
Polley Faith
Renno Vathilakis
Rose
Roy O’Connor
Stockwoods
Woods
IN-HOUSE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Air Canada
BC Hydro
Bombardier
CIBC
Kinder Morgan
Scotiabank
TRIAL LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Sheila Block, Torys
Geoffrey Cowper, Fasken Martineau
Michael Barrack, Blake Cassels & Graydon
Robert Harrison, Fasken Martineau
Peter Howard, Stikeman Elliott
Jonathan Lisus, Lax O’Sullivan Scott Lisus
Kent Thomson, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg