Each year, Canadian Lawyer and Lexpert celebrate Canada’s most outstanding lawyers aged 40 and under
On Thursday night, Canadian Lawyer and Lexpert revealed the winners of the 2026 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards – our annual celebration of Canada’s most exceptional lawyers aged 40 and under.
The winners were announced at an awards gala hosted by Farah Nasser, award-winning journalist and former national news anchor, at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. Nearly 500 attendees came together to celebrate their friends and colleagues.
See the list of 2026 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards winners here.
Adam Goldenberg, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault and one of this year’s winners, said it was an honour to be recognized alongside talented colleagues across the legal profession, including McCarthy Tétrault partners Jeremy Pleasant and James Kelsall.
“Our careers as lawyers demand a lot from each of us, and also from our families; much as doing it well is its own reward, a bit of external validation is always appreciated,” Goldenberg said.
“I’m grateful to my clients, who have entrusted me with challenging and often meaningful work throughout my career; to my mentors, at McCarthy Tétrault and elsewhere, who have shown me how to practise the craft of advocacy with integrity and skill; to my parents, who taught me the importance of hard work and that striving for professional excellence, especially in service to others, is its own reward; and to my husband, who ensures that even the toughest days are laced with personal joy – and who tolerates my not-so-occasional obsessiveness about my cases.”
Reflecting on his own win this year, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP partner Michael Currie said, “The definition of a star is ’a giant ball of hot gas held together by its own gravity.’ I read that and thought, ‘Finally, an award that gets me.’
“So yes, I am honoured to be among this distinguished group,” Currie said, adding that he was grateful to his firm for its support and mentorship.
This year’s awards would not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors. These include some of the most prominent law firms in Canada, like Gold Sponsor Norton Rose Fulbright.
On Thursday, Canadian managing partner Jennifer Teskey reflected, “A strong profession not only makes room for – but celebrates - new ideas, new voices, and new leaders.
“For Norton Rose Fulbright, supporting the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards is just that – an opportunity to celebrate excellence and champion the next generation of leaders shaping the future of the profession,” Teskey added.
Canadian Lawyer and Lexpert are also grateful for the support of Gold Sponsors Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Torkin Manes LLP, Langlois Avocats, Ross Nasseri LLP, and McMillan LLP.
The awards would also not be possible without the generous support of our Silver Sponsor, Dye & Durham; our Associate Sponsors, Bovine Wine Club and Lawson Lundell LLP; our Red Carpet Sponsor, Paybilt; our Education Partners, Osgoode Hall Law School and York University; and our Experience Sponsor, Orient Retreat.
