Top Lawyers In Canada

Assistant general counsel, labour and employment law, Air Canada, Montreal, Que. As chairman of the Canadian Bar Association's Futures Initiative, Headon has given over 25 presentations to attorneys, law professors, professors, librarians, law firm personnel, and labs in Toronto to Buenos Aires, Victoria to Halifax, in person and online. The Futures report was released in August 2014 and its own recommendations place Headon squarely in the middle of many important discussions on topics crucial to the profession. He continues to lead the Futures steering committee because it now turns its recommendations into actions. Headon is an essential component of the debate on the future of this profession and he was the very first in-house counsel to become the president of this CBA. What voters had to say: Brings energy and decency and the smarts to what he does.

Professor and associate dean-academic, University of Calgary Faculty of Law, Calgary, Alta. Woolley is a true changemaker in the area of law and technology in addition to law regulation. She has been a valuable member of the Canadian Bar Association's integrity and professional responsibility committee. Her job with the CBA Futures project as an ethics and regulatory problems staff member is really making a mark at the legal community. Woolley is also responsible for sweeping educational changes as chairwoman of the committee that developed and embraced significant curricular changes at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law, which concentrate on the practical elements of legal instruction and will come into effect in September. What voters had to say: top expert on legal profession and ethics; once she talks, people listen. Alice is a pragmatic visionary. Teaching law students in a way that will prepare them for a 21st century practice is of critical importance to the future of our profession.

Rocco Galati Law Firm PC, Toronto, Ont. Rocco Galati is famous for being a one-man opposition to the present authorities, so far spending $42,000 of his own money on court problems. He launched a case that blocked Stephen Harper's appointment of Justice Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court of Canada. His resistance to the appointment of Federal Court of Appeal Justice Robert Mainville to the Quebec Court of Appeal was not as Profitable. While he doesn't always win, Galati is dogged in his own efforts to defend the Constitution against a government he sees pushing the boundaries using a lack of respect to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He's now also been elected because bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and it will be interesting to see exactly what he brings to the regulation of the profession.What voters needed to say: A true Canadian constitutional and individual rights hero.

Executive manager, Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver, B.C. Pacey was recently appointed executive director of Pivot Legal and continues the good work of her predecessors. Pivot focuses on issues related to health, police accountability, drug policy, and homelessness, poverty, and gender workers' rights. She might be best known for her part in the Bedford case, however, Pivot is about more than that and often has intervener status in important Supreme Court of Canada cases, including the recent one on mandatory minimums. She is also gifted at bringing on board highly admired counsel to perform pro bono on many of these instances that can definitely influence the lives of a number of the city, and country's, most vulnerable citizens. What Republicans needed to say: Incredible devotion to social justice at every level with keen passionate intellect. She's helped change draconian laws that threaten the lives of sex trade workers and restore dignity to people who've been marginalized.

Executive manager, Lawyers Without Borders Canada, Quebec City, Que. Back to his second time on the Top 25, Paradis is a unstoppable force and also a fervent advocate for human rights, particularly for women and kids. As a result of Paradis' initiative, the Quebec bar joined LWBC to act as global counsel in favour of Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger condemned to prison and flogging for his comments criticizing the regime. Since January 2015, Paradis and LWBC are leading a consortium of Canadian organizations working to get a wide-range five-year job to boost justice. They plan to execute means of balancing and prevention for women victims of sexual abuse and other individuals affected by the Malian armed battle. He also discusses several international conferences on human rights issues. What Republicans needed to say: He's left a very profitable position in a big federal law firm to head LWBC for quite a compact paycheque since he followed his heart and his enthusiasm.

Defence adviser, Edmonton, Alta. In a rare move, Edney and Whitling have been termed as Best 25 honourees as a group. Both have spent more than a decade advocating for Omar Khadr, nearly universally on a pro bono basis. From Guantanamo Bay to the Supreme Court of Canada (three occasions ), the improbable duo have fought for Khadr to have him released from prison (success in May), have him treated as a child soldier, and continue to fight for his lawful rights at home and abroad. It's been exactly what the Globe and Mail called waging a war of legal attrition against the authorities, that has always done everything to paint Khadr as a dangerous terrorist who should be kept behind bars. Edney, a former football player who only started practising law at 40, has been the public and press face of the continuing legal conflicts, even taking Khadr to his own home after he was recently released on bond. Whitling, a Harvard law grad and former SCC clerk, is a much quieter and reserved drive behind the scenes. What Republicans needed to say: Dennis has gone above and beyond the call of duty in his defence of Omar Khadr. The nobility of the profession depends on attorneys like Dennis as we're occasionally called on to defend unpopular entities or people -- but individuals who are not as deserving of natural justice and procedural fairness. Whitling is a intelligent and extremely effective advocate who remains out of the limelight. He is a excellent lawyer. Exceptionally intelligent and excellent to use.