Louise Arbour
Counsel, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Montreal, Que. An international lawyer who has recently settled in Canada, Arbour has certainly earned a spot on the Canadian Lawyer's Top 25 Most Influential record again this year. She is a winner of the 2015 Simons Foundation Award, recognizing world leaders that form and create an environment for a much safer and more just world. Arbour has spoken out against prolonged use of solitary confinement and has been inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. She's been a Supreme Court of Canada judge, an international war crimes prosecutor, and a law school professor. Her ability to pick things up quickly led her into different roles nationally and internationally. Arbour says economic disparities between and within counties is that the number-one inexcusable human rights issue at the moment. Always craving fresh and challenging surroundings, only last year she eventually did something she hadn't ever done: joined a law firm in Montreal where she proceeds to struggle for human rights. What voters had to state:Her magnificent contributions speak for themselves. International superstar, go to
https://gklaw.ca/.
Dennis Edney and Nate Whitling
Defence adviser, Edmonton, Alta. In a rare move, Edney and Whitling are being named as Top 25 honourees as a group. Both have spent more than a decade recommending for Omar Khadr, almost universally on a pro bono basis. From Guantanamo Bay to the Supreme Court of Canada (three times), the unlikely duo have fought for Khadr to get him released from prison (victory in May), have him treated as a child soldier, and continue to battle for his lawful rights at home and abroad. It's been exactly what the Globe and Mail called waging a war of legal attrition from the authorities, that has always done everything to paint Khadr as a dangerous terrorist who should be held behind bars. Edney, a former football player who just started practising law in 40, has become the general public and media face of the continuing legal conflicts, even taking Khadr into his home after he had been recently released on bond. Whitling, a Harvard law grad and former SCC clerk, is a far quieter and reserved force behind the scenes. What Republicans needed to say: Dennis has gone over and beyond the call of duty in his defence of Omar Khadr. The nobility of our profession is dependent on attorneys like Dennis as we are sometimes called on to defend unpopular entities or people -- but people who are not as deserving of natural justice and procedural fairness. Whitling is a smart and extremely effective advocate who stays out of the limelight. He is a fantastic lawyer. Exceptionally smart and excellent to use.
Lorne Waldman
Waldman & Associates, Toronto, Ont. Waldman is a great guardian of refugees, immigrants, and human rights. He has won a number of important victories, including healthcare for refugees in Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care v. Canada along with a female 's best to wear the niqab while producing her citizenship oath at Ishaq v. Canada with his associate Naseem Mithoowani. He also contended at the Supreme Court of Canada in J.P. v. Canada and G.J. v. Canada, that Canada's anti-human smuggling provisions should consist of asylum seekers participating in mutual aid. In addition to Peter Edelmann, he acted on behalf of the CBA from the Harkat case before the SCC at 2014. On the international stage, he symbolizes Mohamed Fahmy (alongside Amal Clooney), the Canadian journalist working for Al Jazeera. He has also been a vocal opponent of Bill C-51 and changes to Canada's citizenship legislation. What voters had to say: Lorne educated us all, particularly now, to preserve democracy and to maintain the rule of law.
Justice Murray Sinclair
Chairman, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Winnipeg, Man. A rare write-in candidate winner with this season 's Top 25, Sinclair was among the record this past year, making headlines again in June with the release of the overview of the record of the TRC and 94 recommendations to remedy the cultural genocide of Canada's residential school system. Over six decades, Sinclair directed the TRC hearing the tales of over 7,000 survivors of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse. Sinclair, that had been the first aboriginal judge in Manitoba, was first appointed to the provincial court in which he became associate leader in 1988 and then raised to the Court of Queen's Bench at 2001. He was co-commissioner of Manitoba's Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in 1988 and presided over a 2000 inquest into the deaths of 12 infants at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre. Sinclair hopes to complete the commission's full report in the near future, after which he will decide whether to go back to retire or court and advocate for indigenous rights full-time.
Murray Klippenstein
Creator, Klippensteins Barristers & Solicitors, Toronto, Ont. Back for the next year on the Top 25, Klippenstein's continuing representation of 13 members of the native Mayan Q'eqchi' inhabitants from El Estor, Guatemala, continues to make waves. Three related lawsuits are before the Ontario courts against Canadian mining company Hudbay Minerals over the brutal killing of Adolfo Ich along with the gang rape of 11 women from Lote Ocho. In a precedent-setting judgment in July of 2013, an Ontario court determined that lawsuits could proceed to trial in Canada over the objections of Hudbay Minerals. At home he is also taking on the big guys in a situation against Encana Corp. that's challenging the law and practice of hydraulic fracking in Canada. What Republicans needed to say: Kudos for standing up for, upholding Canadian values, wherever we operate.
Allison Dellandrea
Crown counsel, Ministry of the Attorney General,Toronto, Ont. Dellandrea has been a key player in advancing the understanding of crimes against children by law enforcement officers, fellow attorneys, and the judiciary. She was included in a child sexual abuse case in March where Ontario's former deputy education minister Ben Levin pleaded guilty to child pornography related fees. The fees included making written child pornography, counseling a person to commit a sexual assault, and possession of child porn. Dellandrea's role for a Crown includes being the instruction lead for Ontario's provincial plan on Internet crimes against children. She's a worthy pioneer in this region within the justice department. What voters had to say: Allison is a tireless resource and is the penultimate legal mind for a prosecutorial position on all things related to child exploitation and sexual assault offences. For this challenging subject that inherently entails quite reckless emotional and legal problems, Allison always has the time to provide sound advice to other Crowns prosecuting these very tough and sensitive offences. Her efforts have made a tangible difference in making our society safer.
