Award of Excellence in the Promotion of Women’s Equality

To be eligible for the Award, the nominee must be a woman lawyer at any stage in her career who has demonstrated her commitment to the values of equality and equity by her outstanding, sustained contribution to the advancement of women’s equality in Canada. The recipient must be a CBA/OBA member in good standing. Eligible candidates cannot be members of the current executive.

The recipient’s contribution may be made through the practice of law, through teaching and scholarship, through work for law reform or through service to an organization or to the community, in any professional setting. Her activities on behalf of women must exemplify Charter and human rights values.

The Section Executive, by e-mail and by announcement on the Section’s web page, invites Section Members in good standing to nominate women lawyers who have made an outstanding, sustained contribution to the advancement of women’s equality in Canada.

At a minimum, a nomination package must include: a nomination letter that sets out the achievements and actions that make the nominee worthy of being honoured; up to two supporting letters (can be on behalf of an individual or organization); and a CV or biography. Optional: where appropriate and available, the nomination package may also include a list of the nominee's recent publications or reported cases, including web links.

We encourage diversity in nominations.

The Section Award Committee will set the deadline for nominations each year.

The Section Award Committee will consider all nominations and select the recipient of the Award. The consent of the selected recipient must be obtained before the Award recipient is announced.

The Selection Committee shall consider OBA policies, rules and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion when selecting the winner of the Award.

Nominations and supporting material must be filed by 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 12, 2026.

The Award is presented at a reception / dinner, format to be determined by the section executives of the award year.

The Award is a Lady Justice statuette. It symbolizes the role of the recipient in navigating Canadian law and society toward full recognition of women’s equality.

The Section Award Committee consists of the Section Chair, the immediate Past Chair and one other member of the Section Executive, who is appointed by the Chair.