Nominations for this year’s awards will be accepted through June 26, 2026
Each year, Lexpert, Canadian Lawyer, and Law Times gather together members of Canada’s legal community for a celebration of its early-career lawyers at the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards.
The first years of building a law practice are notoriously challenging. This makes it all the more important to recognize those young lawyers who have already made outstanding contributions to the legal profession.
Law is a line of work “that involves a lot of sacrifice,” according to Guillaume Michaud, a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and one of last year’s award winners.
“Sometimes it’s hard,” Michaud said after accepting his award last November, noting that the occasion was “one of those days where you can get rewarded for all that work during those years.”
“I feel very lucky to be in the company of a lot of great lawyers from across the country,” said Michael Byers, a partner at Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP, upon winning a Lexpert Rising Stars Award last year, who added he was honoured to be “recognized amongst so many amazing, high-quality peers.”
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards. To be considered, nominees must be born in 1986 or later and be licensed to practise law in Canada as a private practice or in-house lawyer.
Nominations can be submitted via the Lexpert Rising Stars website by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time on Friday, June 26, 2026. There is no nomination fee.
The Lexpert Rising Stars team will first evaluate each entry to create a shortlist of potential winners. That shortlist then goes to a panel of Canadian legal leaders and experts, who will cast their votes for this year’s winners.
Winners will be revealed at a formal gala at Toronto’s Liberty Grand on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The 2026 awards would not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors: Silver Sponsors Cassels, McMillan LLP, and Norton Rose Fulbright, Associate Sponsor Bovine Wine Club, and Education Partner Osgoode Hall Law School.
See the full list of the 2025 winners here.
