OBA Award for Excellence in Family Law in Memory of James McLeod

Any OBA member in good standing, not including current members of the OBA Family Law Section Executive, is eligible.

The award should recognize any or all of the following:

• teaching of Family Law and practice
• taking tough cases forward and precedent setting cases, and/or involved in advancing the practice of alternative dispute resolution
• development of Family Law, including lecturing, scholarly writing, lobbying, and development of policy and family law legislation, including new directions involving inter-disciplinary and comprehensive approaches to dispute resolution
• enhancement of the practice of Family Law
• leadership in the Family Law Bar
• The Selection Committee shall consider OBA policies, rules and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion when selecting the winner of the Award.

Nominations shall be solicited:

• by a request for nominations in at least one issue of the Family Law Section newsletter
• through members of the Executive of the Family Law Section; and
• through members of the Family Law Bar throughout the Province of Ontario.

Any member of OBA in good standing is eligible to nominate a candidate by submission in writing, together with a curriculum vitae outlining the nominee’s qualifications. 

The Nomination Committee will recommend two recipients, to be voted on by the Executive.

A committee consisting of the Immediate Past Chair, a member of the Executive with at least three (3) years experience on the Executive, a new Executive Member of the Executive, a member of the Executive from outside the Toronto Area and one further member of the Executive, shall be formed and shall perform the following functions:

• solicit nominations from members including members outside of Toronto;
• obtain information about any candidate including letters of support and curriculum vitae;
• make recommendations to the Executive of the OBA Family Law Section with the committee setting out the reasons for the recommendation;
• coordinate with the sponsor;
• present the award; and
• otherwise coordinate all matters relating to the award.

The recipient of the award shall be chosen from the candidates submitted by the Nomination Committee of the Executive of the Family Law Section vote of the Executive at a scheduled meeting or, at a special meeting of the Executive called for that purpose.

A private sector organization who has a vested interest and is a stakeholder in Family Law in Ontario. The award shall be a plaque or other award approved by the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section, appropriate to the importance of this honour. The Nomination Committee shall consult with the sponsor in order to settle appropriate recognition of the sponsor at the time of presentation of the award.

The award is presented at the Family Law Section Dinner held in Toronto in Fall of each year.  Save the date on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at the Arcadian Court in Toronto.