Lexpert, Canadian Lawyer, and Law Times will be accepting nominations through June 26, 2026
Lawyers aged 40 and under can now be nominated for the 2026 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards – Lexpert, Canadian Lawyer, and Law Times’ celebration of young lawyers who have already made outstanding contributions to the legal profession.
To be considered for an award, nominees must be licensed to practise law in Canada as a private practice or in-house lawyer. Nominees must also be born in 1986 or later.
Nominations must 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.
After the nomination period closes, the Lexpert Rising Stars team will evaluate each entry to create a shortlist of potential winners. The team will then send that shortlist to a panel of judges – comprising Canadian legal leaders and experts – who will cast their votes in August for the winners of the 2026 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards.
On Thursday, November 12, 2026, the winners will be revealed at a formal gala at Toronto’s Liberty Grand, which is attended each year by hundreds of people looking to celebrate their friends and colleagues.
For some past Lexpert Rising Stars Awards winners, like Ravipal Bains, director and senior counsel at British Columbia Investment Management Corp., and a 2025 winner, community support, like the kind demonstrated at each year’s awards, is a big motivating factor in their career.
“It’s the faith and trust of friends, colleagues, and mentors who have motivated me, taught me, and made me want to prove them right to believe in me,” Bains said last year.
“You… want to have that inherent ability as a lawyer. You want to do well, but it’s also the ecosystem around you. You want to do it for them.”
The 2026 awards are generously supported by our sponsors: Silver Sponsors Cassels, McMillan LLP, and Norton Rose Fulbright and Associate Sponsor Bovine Wine Club.
See the full list of the 2025 winners here.
