We’re proud to introduce our six Precedent Setters for 2011. Now in its second year, the annual Precedent Setter Awards recognize outstanding lawyers in their first 10 years of practice.
Nominations started flowing into our office in January. Each was scrutinized by our judges — four talented young lawyers who know what it takes to be a Precedent Setter.
Joseph Cheng, counsel with the Department of Justice Canada, was one of last year’s winners. Jessica Bookman, a litigator at boutique firm Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, nominated one of last year’s winners. Trial lawyer Mark Polley started his career with McCarthy Tétrault LLP and recently left his post as assistant Crown attorney to launch his own litigation firm, Polley Faith Barristers. And Usman Sheikh also changed careers — leaving Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP to argue high-profile insider trading cases as enforcement counsel at the Ontario Securities Commission. Precedent publisher and editor Melissa Kluger took time out of her maternity leave to moderate the session.
When it was time to choose the winners, each judge came to the table with different ideas. “There were a few throwdowns,” admits Bookman. “We each had very different perspectives, but it worked remarkably well at the end of the day.”
We tasked four talented writers and award-winning photographer Sean J. Sprague to capture the Precedent Setters at work. The result is six profiles that leave no doubt that this generation of lawyers is truly transformative.
Thank you to everyone who participated this year: the nominees, nominators, judges and sponsors. Your contributions have set an amazing standard for the years to come, and we look forward to receiving more outstanding nominations in 2012!
Sincerely,
Crystal Luxmore Managing Editor / crystal@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca
Precedent’s publisher and editor, Melissa Kluger, is currently on maternity leave.
Cross your fingers for us! Precedent is thrilled to be recognized by the Kenneth R. Wilson Awards, which celebrate Canadian business-to-business magazines. With six nominations, we’ve upped our game since last year, where we took five (including one for Magazine of the Year). This year our student issue (Fall 2010) cleaned up, snagging three nominations. Also receiving some well-deserved attaboys are managing editor Crystal Luxmore for her piece, “Eight Career-Limiting Moves” (Spring 2010), and longtime Precedent photographer Daniel Ehrenworth. Check out Daniel’s latest bout of brilliance in this issue’s Secret Life. Go team!