For Immediate Release
August 15, 2008
QUEBEC CITY – Montreal lawyer J. Vincent O’Donnell, Q.C., Ad. E. has been selected as the winner of the Canadian Bar Association's (CBA) 2008 CBA President's Award for his contributions to the legal profession and the Association.
“As counsel and attorney, author and lecturer, Vincent O'Donnell has a tremendous record of leadership," said Bernard Amyot, President of the CBA. "His stature in the profession rests on his excellence in solving legal problems, his unmatched depth of expertise, particularly in matters involving the judiciary, and the energies he has devoted to legal education.”
A lawyer with the firm of Lavery, de Billy LLP since 1957, O’Donnell is a specialist in professional liability, civil and commercial litigation, oppression litigation and insurance law. He served as Bâtonnier of the Bar of Montreal from 1984 to 1985. His many other professional leadership roles have included membership on the General Council of the Quebec Bar, the Quebec Judicial Council, and various committees of the Bar of Montreal, Quebec Bar and CBA. Between 1990 and 1998 he served on the CBA/Supreme Court of Canada Liaison Committee, the last two years as chair.
O’Donnell was president of the committee which reviewed the remuneration of the judges of the Court of Québec and the municipal courts from 2001 to 2004, was awarded the Quebec Bar Medal in 1999 and was named Avocat émérite, Ad.E. by the Quebec Bar in 2007.
O’Donnell graduated from McGill Law School in 1955 and was called to the Quebec bar in 1956. He was named Queen’s Counsel in 1972.
To be eligible for the CBA President's Award, a candidate must meet at least one of the following criteria: made a significant contribution to the legal profession, to the Canadian Bar Association, or to the public life of Canada. The award is presented only when there is a deserving winner.
The 2008 CBA President's Award will be presented at the Council Awards Luncheon on Saturday, August 16, 2008 in Quebec City, as part of the 2008 Canadian Legal Conference. The event is open to accredited journalists who have registered with the CBA Media Centre.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Aug. 15-19, Québec City Convention Centre, room 2103, Tel: 418-649-5218; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org.
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