Time to nominate deserving lawyers for TLA annual awards

By Tony Poland, LegalMatters Staff • The Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA) is seeking nominations for two of its three major awards before the June 9 deadline.

Nominations are being accepted for the TLA Honsberger Award, which is presented to a mid-career Toronto lawyer or organization in recognition of a single unique accomplishment or ongoing contribution to the legal community and the community at large, exemplifying the association’s three pillars of knowledge, advocacy and community.

Click here to nominate someone for the Honsberger Award. 

Nominations are also open for the TLA Emerging Excellence Award, presented to a Toronto lawyer in practice for 10 years or less or a Toronto organization in existence for 10 years or less, each exemplifying leadership or innovation in advancing the TLA’s three pillars.

Click here to nominate someone for the Emerging Excellence Award.

A third honour, the TLA Award of Distinction, recognizes the recipient’s lifetime contribution to the integrity and worth of the law. They are honoured for individual excellence and outstanding achievements, as well as their dedication to the Toronto community, legal and at large. The recipient is chosen by the association’s board of directors.

Winners will be honoured at the Annual Awards Gala

The winners will be announced this fall and honoured at the TLA’s Annual Awards Gala on Feb. 29, 2024.

“It is important to show appreciation to those who make a difference in our community,” says TLA executive director/library director Joan Rataic-Lang. “We have found that award winners are self-motivated people who take great joy, pleasure and meaning from their contributions. They don’t do it for recognition. However, to have others recognize them makes what they do that much more special.

“It is wonderful to bring people together to celebrate those who inspire us,” she tells LegalMattersCanada.ca. “We are especially fortunate as an association because, in Toronto, there are thousands of lawyers, at different stages of their careers, who would be worthy recipients.”

Conditions for nominating a person or organization include:

• the nominee does not have to be a TLA member;
• the nominee cannot be a TLA director; 
• the nominee cannot previously have received the award;
• the award is not necessarily given every year and is reserved for outstanding contribution;
• the award cannot be presented posthumously; 
• the TLA board decides the recipient; and
• previous nominations may be submitted again in subsequent years with updated information and documents. 

‘If someone is making a difference we would like to know’

“The nomination process is not complicated,” Rataic-Lang says. “The association’s pillars are pretty broad and encompass so many different things. If someone is making a difference in the legal community, we would like to know about it.”

The 2023 award winners included Chris Paliare, who received the Award of Distinction in recognition of his “extraordinary contribution to the integrity and worth of the law and to the legal profession.”

The Honsberger Award was presented to Pro Bono Ontario (PBO). Since its inception in 2001, PBO has helped people who have nowhere to turn to resolve their legal needs.  

The Emerging Excellence Award went to Devin Persaud, president of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto, which is the largest diverse bar association in Canada with more than 1,000 members.

Getting a jump start on the gala

Rataic-Lang says the association is getting a jump start on the next awards night, seeking nominations earlier than in the past.

“There is so much to do. After the winners are chosen, we interview them and introduce them to members on our website,” she says. “The Gala is in February, so if we wait until the fall to open nominations, it really does not give us a lot of time to prepare.

“We are a small team planning a big event so it only makes sense to move the deadline up.”

The TLA’s signature event is more than just honouring worthy award recipients, says Rataic-Lang.

“It creates a sense of community, which is so very important,” she says. “The Gala is the highlight of the year for our association and people always look forward to it. We had 300 people in one place this year. They enjoyed good food in a fantastic venue with interesting company. It is always something we are proud to present. 

‘There is such an electricity in the room’

“There is such an electricity in the room when that many people come together,” adds Rataic-Lang. “People appreciate being able to connect with their colleagues in person instead of online. There were those who may have still been feeling the repercussions of the pandemic who appreciated the chance to socialize in person. And people really enjoyed themselves.”

The event can also help the association expand its reach, she says.

“There are lawyers who come to the Gala because their friends are receiving an award. They may not know much about us or how we can benefit them,” Rataic-Lang says. “They get an introduction to the TLA and it leaves a lasting impression.” 

For photos and video highlights of the 2023 Gala, click here.