Top Lawyers In Canada

Pascale Fournier

Professor & study chair, legal pluralism and comparative law, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Ottawa, Ont. Fournier has attained international recognition for her groundbreaking work on sex, faith, and the legislation, using fieldwork interviews with women from various states to highlight the intricate interplay between religious and secular law. She has received numerous national and international awards and nominations in 2014. Fournier became a fellow of the prestigious International Women's Forum because of her job as a pioneer in the legal profession; getting the Canada-Arab Chamber of Commerce Award for academic excellence and contribution to humanity. Fournier represented the University of Ottawa as an effective pioneer at the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference and was appointed by the National Assembly of Quebec to the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission. What voters had to say: Superb mind, according [to] Harvard's Prof. Kennedy.

Pascal Paradis

Executive director, Lawyers Without Borders Canada, Quebec City, Que. Also back to his second time on the Top 25, Paradis is an unstoppable force and a fervent advocate for human rights, especially for women and kids. As a result of Paradis' initiative, the Quebec bar joined LWBC to behave as international counsel in favour of Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger condemned to prison and flogging for his comments criticizing the regime. Since January 2015, Paradis and LWBC are leading a consortium of Canadian organizations working on a wide-range five-year project to boost justice. They plan to implement means of prevention and reconciliation for women victims of sexual violence and other individuals affected by the Malian armed conflict. He also speaks at several international conferences on human rights issues. What Republicans needed to say: He has left an extremely profitable position in a big federal law firm to go LWBC for quite a small paycheque because he followed his heart and his passion.

Marie Henein

Old partner, Henein Hutchison LLP, Toronto, Ont. Considered one of Canada's greatest criminal defence attorneys, Henein is known for representing high-profile clients such as former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi -- charged with seven counts of sexual assault, of which two have already been dropped -- former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant, along with junior hockey trainer David Frost. Most recently Henein has taken on the event of defence counsel colleague Leora Shemesh, who had been charged with perjury and obstruction of justice by Peel Police. Henein is well known in the profession as a go-to lawyer for all high-profile criminal issues. She has a superb track record of wins versus losses and was part of the team that recently was victorious in having John Salmon's certainty in a 1970s murder overturned. What Republicans needed to say: Most observable leader of [the] criminal defence bar.

Murray Klippenstein

Creator, Klippensteins Barristers & Solicitors, Toronto, Ont. Back for the next year on the Top 25, Klippenstein's ongoing representation of 13 members of this indigenous Mayan Q'eqchi' inhabitants from El Estor, Guatemala, continues to make waves. Three related suits are ahead of the Ontario courts against Canadian mining firm Hudbay Minerals over the brutal killing of Adolfo Ich and the gang rape of 11 girls from Lote Ocho. In a precedent-setting judgment in July of 2013, an Ontario court decided that lawsuits could proceed to trial in Canada over the objections of Hudbay Minerals. At home he's also taking on the big men in a case against Encana Corp. which 's hard the regulation and practice of hydraulic fracking at Canada. What Republicans needed to say: Kudos for standing up for, upholding Canadian values, where we function.

Allison Dellandrea

Crown counsel, Ministry of the Attorney General,Toronto, Ont. Dellandrea has been a key participant 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 in which Ontario's former deputy education minister Ben Levin pleaded guilty to child pornography related fees. The charges included making composed child pornography, counseling a individual to commit a sexual assault, and possession of child porn. Dellandrea's function as a Crown includes being the instruction lead for Ontario's provincial strategy on Internet crimes against children. She's an instrumental leader in this area within the justice department. What Republicans needed to say: Allison is a tireless source and is the penultimate legal mind to get a prosecutorial place on all things related to child exploitation and sexual assault offences. For such a challenging subject that inherently involves very taxing emotional and legal problems, Allison always has the time to provide sound guidance to additional Crowns prosecuting these very difficult and sensitive offences. Her efforts have made a tangible difference in making our society safer.

Katrina Pacey

Executive manager, Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver, B.C. Pacey was recently appointed executive director of Pivot Legal and continues the good work of her predecessors. Pivot focuses on topics related to health, police liability, drug policy, and homelessness, poverty, and sex workers' rights. She may be best known for her part in the Bedford case, but Pivot is about more than that and frequently has intervener status in major Supreme Court of Canada cases, including the recent one on mandatory minimums. She is also gifted at bringing on board highly admired counsel to perform pro bono on many of these instances that can really influence the lives of a number of the town, and country's, most vulnerable citizens. What Republicans needed to say: Incredible devotion to social justice at each level with keen passionate intelligence. She has helped change draconian laws that endanger the lives of sex trade workers and restore dignity to people who've been marginalized.