Ottawa, June 21, 2023 - Each year, the Canadian Bar Association honours members of the legal profession whose contributions to the Association, the legal profession and the justice system sets them apart as deserving of special recognition.
Here are the 2023 CBA Awards of Excellence honorees:
Marie Laure Leclercq, Ad. E. is this year’s recipient of the President’s award, presented by CBA President Steeves Bujold. An intellectual property lawyer with De Grandpré Chait in Montreal, Marie Laure Leclercq is a champion of the transgender community. She spearheaded the creation of the CBA Quebec Branch SOGIC and served as its Chair for four years. She is the first woman lawyer in Quebec to have transitioned while working in a law firm. She is a pioneer and an inspiration for an entire generation of lawyers.
J. Kyle Bienvenu is a lawyer who has appeared in all levels of courts in British Columbia and in Federal Court on behalf of clients in a wide range of practice areas. As a member of the CBA BC Court Services Committee, he provided advocacy and encouraged information sharing between court users, judiciary, and government to improve court services. He is a former vice-chair of the CBA-BC Construction Law Subsection and former elected representative of Vancouver County on the CBA-BC Provincial Council.
Professor Lara Khoury, Ad. E. is an internationally acclaimed expert on complex issues of causation, whose scholarship focuses on how the implementation of the law of civil liability by the judiciary operates as a tool for governing the uncertain risks associated with biotechnological and biomedical innovation and crises. Her writings have informed health professionals, lawyers, and judges, including in high-profile cases.
The CBA’s highest award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding service. This year’s award is given posthumously to J. Patrick Peacock, K.C. Pat Peacock was the 60th President of the Canadian Bar Association from 1988-1989. A CBA member since his call to the bar in 1968, he also served as Chair of the 61st Annual National Convention, as President of the Alberta Branch and as Chair of the Law for the Future Fund. He is described as a president who respected and appreciated the work done by CBA staff and volunteers.
Faisal Bhabha is an associate professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, who has been noted for his excellent work advancing equality in the legal profession, including his exceptional contributions to legal academia, his volunteer work for various equality-driven organizations and his precedent-setting pro bono work.
About the Canadian Bar Association
The CBA is dedicated to support the rule of law and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries in Quebec, law teachers and law students from across Canada are members.
For more information, contact:
Vanessa Racine
Manager, Media Relations and Public Affairs
613-237-2925 x153
vanessar@cba.org