The Committee generally meets virtually once a month, typically on a Wednesday or Thursday at 5:00 pm. In addition, it organizes one or two events each year for the local community, focused on reconciliation-related issues and resources. These events are to highlight services available to lawyers working with Indigenous clients, as well as to support Indigenous individuals within the community.  

If you are interested in joining the Reconciliation Committee, please submit an email to opps@ccla-abcc.ca with a copy of your CV. In your message, please provide a few words expressing interest in this important demographic within the Ottawa region and/or your reasons for wanting to join this committee.  

The deadline for applications is May 29th, 2026. Thank you! 

Please note: All applicants must be members in good standing of the CCLA.  

Should you require any additional information or have any questions prior to the Annual Meeting, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The AGM will take place at 4:30 PM on Thursday, April 9 online through Zoom and in person at the CCLA Boardrooms. Click here to register.

Please note: Registration for this event closes by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Registrations will not be accepted after this date. Reminder that to vote in the Annual General Meeting, you must be a current member in good standing with the CCLA. To renew your membership, sign in to the website; to join, click here. For any questions related to membership, please email Andrea McMullin, our Membership Services Assistant: membership@ccla-abcc.ca.

Regional Senior Justice Calum MacLeod
The Carleton Medal

For a someone who is most deserving of recognition for great diligence, high ideals and outstanding leadership in the practice of law throughout their career. 

Kimberly Hyslop
The Gordon F. Henderson Award  

For a lawyer who has made a significant contribution to the welfare of the community by performing charitable services on behalf of the community.


Shira Brass and James Plotkin
The Regional Senior Justice Award

For a lawyer in practice ten years or less who has made an outstanding contribution through their excellence as a professional, as well as outside the profession by making an outstanding contribution to the community. This year, we are celebrating two of our members!


Justice Julie Audet
The Hon. Heidi Levenson Polowin Award for Family Law

For someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the practice of family law through their career, whether as a litigator, solicitor, judge and/or alternative dispute resolution neutral. The celebration for this award will take place at the 35th Annual Institute of Family Law on March 27.


Colin Elsby
The Paralegal Award

For a paralegal (including a retired paralegal) who is most deserving of recognition for great diligence, devotion to professional duties and for advancing the ideals and bringing credit to the paralegal profession.


Edward K. Mann
The Abe Feinstein Solicitor Award

For a solicitor who has distinguished themselves throughout their career by exemplary service to the Association and to the profession and has shown commitment to the community. The celebration for this award will take place at the 32nd East Region Solicitors Conference on May 8.

CCLA Awards Gala – Friday, June 12, 2026

Save the date! The CCLA Awards Gala will be held Friday, June 12, 2026 at the Rogers Centre Ottawa. We will be celebrating our Carleton Medal, Regional Senior Justice Award, Gordon F. Henderson Award, and Paralegal Award recipients, as well as our 50 Years at the Bar Umbrella ceremony for the classes of 1976!  

Full details on the gala and how to register will be available at a later date. We look forward to this gathering of the Ottawa legal community!

• CCLA Elections occur every two years.
• Trustees serve a two-year term, with the longest consecutively serving lawyer Trustee moving to the Executive at the end of each year.
• There are 10 Trustees. Of these 10 positions, nine positions are for lawyers, with two positions reserved for Recent Calls (less than seven years from their date of Call as of the start of their term), and one position for a Paralegal.
• This year, the Recent Call Trustees must have been called on or after April 9, 2019. 

The Board of Trustees meets on a monthly basis (except for July and August) and is responsible for leading the organization through strategic direction, setting policy development and dealing with matters related to the profession, CLE initiatives, lobbying, and membership services. If you are passionate about these types of issues, becoming a CCLA Trustee is an excellent way to participate and make a difference.

At this time, the CCLA is seeking candidate nominations. Candidates must be voting members of the CCLA, which encompasses the following individuals:

• Lawyers or Paralegals from any year of call, in good standing of any Law Society of any Province or Territory, who live and/or practice in Ottawa

In accordance with our by-laws, the following individuals are considered to be non-voting CCLA members and are not eligible to run for a Trustee position or to vote. They may, however, nominate a candidate:

• Students – law, articling, LPP, or paralegal
• Judges
• Lawyers not in practice who live outside of Ottawa
• Any former member of the Law Society of Ontario who is retired from the practice of law but has, during his/her legal career, been a member in good standing of the CCLA for a minimum of 10 years

All nominations must be received by email, mail, or in person, no later than Saturday, January 31, 2026. Interested candidates can find the nomination form here. Nomination forms must be signed by a nominator who is not the candidate themselves.

Candidate biographies and statements are also due to the CCLA by January 31, 2026. Specifically:

• Candidate Biography and Headshot: This will be used on the ballot sent to voters. Please provide a good quality headshot, a short biography or statement (limit to 150 words), and any links to social media or professional websites that you'd like to share. These can be provided bilingually.
• Candidate Statement: An email will be sent the week of February 2nd to introduce our candidates. You can provide the same information that will be on your ballot, of if you'd prefer a candidate statement. Please keep these to 150 words. These can also be provided bilingually.

The election will run from February 9 to 20, 2026 through an online voting system. The slate of winners from this election will be voted upon at our Annual General Meeting on April 9, 2026.

We encourage all eligible members to consider this exciting opportunity.

The committee is a standing committee of the CCLA, accountable to the CCLA’s Board of Trustees, to which it reports through its Chair.

We are looking for enthusiastic candidates that have a minimum of 5-10 years of real estate law experience and are from a large national or local medium sized law firm. Our Committee meets regularly and works to maintain high standards among real estate lawyers, enhance understanding of the real estate lawyers role and ensure the future of the real estate bar in Ontario.

Interested candidates should contact committee Chair Mark Habib at mark@markhabiblawyers.com.

The deadline for applications is September 5, 2025 by 5:00 PM.

Please note: All applicants must be members in good standing of the CCLA.


Thank you!

Mark Habib
Chair, CCLA Real Estate Lawyers Committee

Rick Haga
Award of Merit (New)

Presented by the CCLA Board of Trustees to a member of the legal community who has gone above and beyond in support of the profession, its members, and advocacy, demonstrating an exceptional and unique commitment to advancing the welfare and integrity of the legal community.


Congratulations to all of our award recipients!

We will be celebrating our award recipients at this year's CCLA Gala. For more information on the Gala, please click here.

The survey will remain open until June 1, 2025.

If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact CCLA Executive Director Tanya Jenkins (tjenkins@ccla-abcc.ca).

• 2025 AGM Agenda (EN/FR)
• 2025 AGM Motions List (EN/FR)
• 2024 Audited Financial Statements (EN)
• 2024 Financial Highlights (EN/FR)
• 2024 AGM Minutes (EN)

Should you require any additional information or have any questions prior to the Annual Meeting, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The AGM will take place at 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 10 in person at the CCLA Boardrooms, or via Zoom. Click here to register.

Please note: Registration for this event closes by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Registrations will not be accepted after this date. Reminder that to vote in the Annual General Meeting, you must be a current member in good standing with the CCLA. To renew your membership, sign in to the website; to join, click here. For any questions related to membership, please email Ana Jimenez, our Membership Services Assistant: membership@ccla-abcc.ca.

Nomination forms must be submitted by Friday, February 28, 2025. The nomination form and submission guidelines can be found here, or on our Awards page. If you are working on a nomination package and aren’t sure it will be ready by February 28, please let us know.  

Nominate an outstanding colleague today!

 
The Carleton Medal 

The Carleton Medal is given to a lawyer (including a retired lawyer, judge, former judge, or paralegal) who is most deserving of recognition for great diligence, high ideals and outstanding leadership in the practice of law throughout their career. Those who will receive the medal will have made a significant contribution to the profession of law, whether as a solicitor in effectively performing services in that position, as a barrister in attaining an excellent reputation in the courts, as an academic, or for a single act of notable distinction that advances the ideals of the profession. The medal will be awarded only to a member or former member of the County of Carleton Law Association.  


The Gordon F. Henderson Award  

The Gordon F. Henderson Award is presented to a lawyer (including a retired lawyer, a judge, a former judge, or a paralegal) who has made a significant contribution to the welfare of the community by performing charitable services on behalf of the community. In recognition of the recipient’s their great dedication and high ideals in service to the community, a $1,000 donation will be made by the CCLA, on the recipient’s behalf, to a charity of the recipient's choice. The award will be given only to a member or former member of the County of Carleton Law Association.  


The Regional Senior Justice Award 

The Regional Senior Justice (RSJ) Award honours a lawyer in practice ten (10) years or less who has made an outstanding contribution as a litigator or as a solicitor within the profession through their excellence as a professional, as well as outside the profession by making an outstanding contribution to the community. The RSJ Award will be awarded only to a member or former member of the County of Carleton Law Association.   


The Legal Innovator Award 

The Legal Innovator Award is given to a lawyer, paralegal or judge (or group thereof) who practiced or practices in the County of Carleton and whose courage, perseverance and/or innovations in the practice of law contributed to the betterment of the profession and/or made it easier for those who followed.


The Paralegal Award 

The Paralegal Award is given to a paralegal (including a retired paralegal) who is most deserving of recognition for great diligence, devotion to professional duties and for advancing the ideals and bringing credit to the paralegal profession. Those who will receive the award will have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the paralegal profession, whether in effectively performing services as a paralegal, for mentoring others and/or making it easier for those who followed, or for attaining an excellent reputation in the courts. The award will be awarded only to a member or former member of the County of Carleton Law Association. 


The Hon. Heidi Levenson Polowin Award for Family Law 

The Polowin Award is given to a lawyer who has made an outstanding contribution to the practice of family law through their career, whether as a litigator, solicitor, judge and/or alternative dispute resolution neutral. The medal will be awarded only to a member or former member of the County of Carleton Law Association. In recognition of the recipient’s great dedication to and high ideals in the practice of family law, a $1,000 donation will be made by the Polowin Family in Heidi’s memory to a charity of the recipient's choice.  


The Abe Feinstein Solicitor Award  

The Abe Feinstein Award is given to a solicitor who has distinguished themselves throughout their career by exemplary service to the Association and to the profession and has shown commitment to the community. This will be awarded only to a member or former member of the County of Carleton Law Association.

A Phase One Report was issued in May 2024 and is available for review here. The Phase One Report identified 22 areas of proposed reform, touching on almost every area of a civil case. This ranges from discovery (documentary and oral), motions, pre-trials, trials, costs, enforcement, and more.

The Civil Rules Review expects to release Phase 2 of its reporting in early February and is seeking consultation from stakeholders across the Province.

The CCLA is forming a Consultation Working Group (“CCLA Working Group”) with representation from the local Bar to:

• Review the Phase 2 Report;
• Solicit feedback and commentary from the bar; and
• Provide consultation and feedback.

If you are interested in assisting with this Working Group, please submit the following information via email to Rick Haga (rhaga@ccla-abcc.ca) no later than January 24:

1. Name
2. Year of Call
3. Areas of Practice
4. Percentage of your practice that represents plaintiffs and percentage that represents defendants
5. Location of Practice
6. Entity for which you provide legal services and number of lawyers in your law firm, organization, or government department

You will also have the opportunity to give your feedback to the CCLA at a Town Hall to be scheduled for early Spring. More information on the Town Hall will follow.

The Committee is a standing committee of the CCLA, accountable to the CCLA’s Board of Trustees, to which it reports through its Chair and Vice-Chair.

The Committee typically meets once every six to eight weeks and from time to time may be required to meet more often when the need arises. In addition to advocating for paralegals by responding to requests from the Law Society of Ontario, it provides information via continued professional development (CPD) seminars and conferences for paralegals, lawyers, articling students and law clerks. It is important that its members attend the CPDs it organizes and attend various CCLA social events throughout the year.

The CCLA fosters and promotes a culture of diversity and inclusion by promoting the values and principles of equality and equity in its Committee selection and programming. When choosing Committee members, the CCLA also attempts to ensure, as much as possible, that there is representation by gender, firm size, practice area and year of call.

The Committee currently has one opening for a licensed paralegal as a regular member. The background of the licensed paralegal and work experience are very important to help diversify the Committee. The Committee has a second opening for a student paralegal.

If you are interested in joining the Committee, please send an email of interest and include any information you feel appropriate to the CCLA at events@ccla-abcc.ca. Please tell us what you would bring to the Committee and the nature of your area of practice and background.

The deadline for applications is 4:00 pm Friday, January 10, 2025.

Please note: All applicants must be members in good standing of the CCLA.

Thank you!

Jennifer Gravel Vanasse

Chair, CCLA Paralegal Committee

Performance dates: April 30 and May 1-3

Book Your Audition!

ABOUT THE SHOW:

• The CCLA/GCTC Lawyer Play is a fundraising project that supports the operations of Great Canadian Theatre Company and each year benefits an additional charity partner.

• This year’s production is the classic As You Like It by William Shakespeare.

• This year’s Charity Partner is Cornerstone Housing for Women.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Anyone in the legal profession, including articling students, paralegals, and judges are eligible to audition for the Lawyer Play. No acting experience required, just an open mind and a passion for theatre!

• Cast members must be available when called throughout the rehearsal period:

  • Tuesday and Thursday evenings from January through April. Sunday afternoons will be added beginning March 23, with some holiday exceptions.

  • Technical Rehearsals during the following days prior to performances (April 26 & 27)

• Cast members must be present for all performances: April 30 through May 3, plus a dress rehearsal before an invited small audience on April 29.

• ALL cast members are required to sell a minimum number of tickets (40) and seek sponsors for the Lawyer Play.

WHERE:

Omni Room, 3rd floor of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, at 1233 Wellington St. West

WHEN:

Tuesday, December 3rd - 6:30-9:30pm

Thursday, December 5th - 6:30-9:30pm

Saturday, December 7th - 12pm-4pm

To book your audition date, contact Carolina at lawyerplay@gctc.ca and indicate your preference of audition date. Please state in subject line "2025 LP Audition.”

The Committee will be continuing the tradition of hosting an annual conference, fun Advocacy Club socials, and super-helpful “Wiki-How” workshops.

The Advocacy Club Bootcamps will still be in the capable hands of John Hollander. Trust us — you don’t want to miss these fantastic experiential training sessions!

And here’s the best part: the events hosted by this newly minted Committee are open to ALL lawyers, paralegals, and students across all levels of seniority and practice areas. Whether you're a solicitor, litigator, or anything in between, there is something for everyone!

Stay tuned for more updates and get ready to dive into an exciting lineup of events that’ll help you connect, learn, and grow in your legal career.

If you are interested in joining the Committee, please send an email to tandrews@ccla-abcc.ca. Please tell us what you would bring to the Committee and do not forget to tell us about your practice areas and your year of call. Kindly note that all applicants must be members in good standing of the CCLA.

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is a day to reflect on the tragic legacy of the residential school system and the ways it continues to affect Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It is a day to mourn the children who did not return from residential school and to honour the survivors, their families, and the resilience of their communities.

Ontario’s Courts will continue to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by limiting operations on this day as follows:

In the Ontario Court of Justice, only Weekend and Statutory Holiday (bail) courts will operate.
In the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, only urgent matters such as those heard on statutory holidays will be heard.
In the Court of Appeal for Ontario, no motions or appeals will be scheduled for that day.
At all levels of court, counter services will not be available.
In years when September 30th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Courts will honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on the Monday that follows September 30th. For example, because September 30th, 2028 falls on a Saturday, the Courts will honour the Day on Monday, October 2nd, 2028.

The CCLA will join the Ontario Courts in amending its schedule for Monday, September 30. 

CCLA Awards Gala – Thursday, June 13, 2024

The CCLA Awards Gala will be held Thursday, June 13, 2024 at the Shaw Centre. We will be celebrating all of our awards, including the Abe Feinstein Solicitor Award and the The Hon. Heidi Levenson Polowin Award for Family Law, as well as our 50 Years at the Bar Umbrella ceremony for the class of 1974!

Tickets are available now, for single seats or tables of 10. Please visit our events page for more information and to purchase.

• 2024 AGM Agenda (EN/FR)
• 2024 AGM Motions List (EN/FR)
• 2023 Audited Financial Statements (EN)
• 2023 Financial Highlights (EN)
• 2023 AGM Minutes (EN) / 2023 AGM Minutes (FR)

Should you require any additional information or have any questions prior to the Annual Meeting, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The AGM will take place at 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 11in person at the CCLA Boardrooms, or via Zoom. Click here to register.

Please note: Registration for this event closes by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Registrations will not be accepted after this date. Reminder that to vote in the Annual General Meeting, you must be a current member in good standing with the CCLA. To renew your membership, sign in to the website; to join, click here. For any questions related to membership, please email Leanne Fair, our Membership Services Assistant: membership@ccla-abcc.ca.

• Les élections de l'ABCC ont lieu tous les deux ans.
• Les administrateurs ont un mandat de deux ans, l'avocat-administrateur consécutif le plus ancien rejoignant l'exécutif à la fin de chaque année.
• Il y a 10 administrateurs. De ces 10 postes, neuf postes sont destinés aux avocats, dont deux postes réservés aux membres nouvellement admis au Barreau de l'Ontario  (moins de sept ans à compter de la date de leur admission au Barreau de l'Ontario au début de leur mandat) et un poste de parajuriste.

Cette année, les administrateurs récemment admis au Barreau de l’Ontario devront avoir avoir été admis le ou après le 11 avril 2017.

En ce moment, l’ABCC désire obtenir des nominations à titre de candidats. Les candidats doivent être membres votants de l’ABCC, ce qui comprend les personnes suivantes :

• Tout avocat ou parajuriste qui est membre en règle du barreau d'une province ou d'un territoire du Canada, qui réside à Ottawa ou qui exerce le droit à Ottawa

Conformément à nos statuts, les personnes suivantes sont considérées comme étant des membres non votants de l’ABCC et ne sont pas éligibles pour présenter leur candidature à un poste d’administrateur ou pour voter. Elles peuvent par contre soumettre une mise en candidature.

• les étudiants – en droit, les stagiaires, PPD, ou les parajuristes
• les juges
• les avocats qui ne pratiquent pas et qui demeurent à l’extérieur d’Ottawa
• tout ancien membre du Barreau de l’Ontario qui n’exerce plus le droit mais qui, au cours de sa carrière de droit, a été membre en règle de l’Association pendant au moins dix (10) ans.

La date butoir pour soumettre une mise en candidature est le vendredi 9 février 2024, à 16 h au plus tard. Les nominations peuvent être soumises par courrier électronique, la poste, ou en personne. Les candidats intéressés peuvent télécharger le formulaire ici. Le formulaire de mise en candidature doit être signé par la personne qui soumet la nomination et qui ne peut pas être la personne nommée.

Les biographies et déclarations des candidats doivent également être soumises à l'ABCC d'ici le 9 février 2024. Nous invitons tous nos candidats à consulter notre Guide d'élection de l'ABCC (disponible en anglais seulement), qui fournit des informations sur la soumission de votre matériel électoral.

L’élection se déroulera par le biais d’un vote en ligne du 15 au 29 février 2024. La liste des candidats élus suite à cette élection sera soumise à un vote lors de l’assemblée générale annuelle qui aura lieu le 11 avril 2024.

Nous encourageons tous les membres éligibles de bien vouloir prendre en considération cette occasion excitante de servir.

• CCLA Elections occur every two years.
• Trustees serve a two-year term, with the longest consecutively serving lawyer Trustee moving to the Executive at the end of each year.
• There are 10 Trustees. Of these 10 positions, nine positions are for lawyers, with two positions reserved for Recent Calls (less than seven years from their date of Call as of the start of their term), and one position for a Paralegal.

This year, the Recent Call Trustees must have been called on or after April 11, 2017. 

The Board of Trustees meets on a monthly basis (except for July and August) and is responsible for leading the organization through strategic direction, setting policy development and dealing with matters related to the profession, CLE initiatives, lobbying, and membership services. If you are passionate about these types of issues, becoming a CCLA Trustee is an excellent way to participate and make a difference.

At this time, the CCLA is seeking candidate nominations. Candidates must be voting members of the CCLA, which encompasses the following individuals:

• Lawyers or Paralegals from any year of call, in good standing of any Law Society of any Province or Territory, who live and/or practice in Ottawa

In accordance with our by-laws, the following individuals are considered to be non-voting CCLA members and are not eligible to run for a Trustee position or to vote. They may, however, nominate a candidate:

• Students – law, articling, LPP, or paralegal
• Judges
• Lawyers not in practice who live outside of Ottawa
• Any former member of the Law Society of Ontario who is retired from the practice of law but has, during his/her legal career, been a member in good standing of the CCLA for a minimum of 10 years

All nominations must be received by email, mail, or in person, no later than 4:00 PM on Friday, February 9, 2024. Interested candidates can find the nomination form here. Nomination forms must be signed by a nominator who is not the candidate themselves.

Candidate biographies and statements are also due to the CCLA by February 9, 2024. We invite all our candidates to review our CCLA Election Guide, which provides information on submitting your election materials

The election will run from February 15 to 29, 2024 through an online voting system. The slate of winners from this election will be voted upon at our Annual General Meeting on April 11, 2024.

We encourage all eligible members to consider this exciting opportunity.

There is one vacancy that needs to be filled. This vacancy is for a family law lawyer with 15+ years in practice.

The Committee meets, on average, four times a year. Meetings are held at 8:30 a.m. at the court house or virtually.  On occasion, additional meetings and work outside of the regular meetings are required by members of the Committee.

It is expected that the lawyers appointed to the Committee will serve a three year term.

Interested persons should submit their cv with a brief covering letter by November 24, 2023 to Mimi Marrello at mmarrello@lmrlawyers.com.

- 2023 AGM Motions List (EN/FR)

- 2022 Audited Financial Statements (EN)

- 2022 AGM Minutes (EN) / 2022 AGM Minutes (FR) 

Should you require any additional information or have any questions prior to the Annual Meeting, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The AGM will take place at 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 13 via Zoom. Click here to register.