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Quebec notary Vincent Morier of St-Hyacinthe and retired Dalhousie University law professor Dianne Pothier of Halifax are the recipients of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) 2012 President’s Award. The award recognizes the significant contribution of Canadian jurists to the legal profession, to the CBA or the public life in Canada.

“Vincent Morier is a dedicated CBA volunteer whose team spirit is unparalleled,” says CBA President Trinda L. Ernst, Q.C., of Kentville, NS. “His exceptional dedication and service has benefited our Association immensely.”

Vincent Morier has been active in the CBA at both CBA-Quebec and nationally for many years. A notary with extensive experience as a senior partner in a regional notary firm, Vincent Morier joined the National Committee on Small Firms in 1996. He later served on the Resolutions, Constitutions and By-laws Committee, which he chaired from 1998 to 2000.

Elected and re-elected to the CBA-Quebec Branch Executive Committee since 2000, he was Branch Treasurer from 2000 to 2012 and made significant contributions to many different committees, such as the Committee responsible for drafting new by-laws for the Branch from 2009 to 2012. Prior to his involvement at the Branch level, from 1995 to 2002, he participated in CBA activities as delegate of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, promoting CBA membership to Quebec notaries.

Dianne Pothier, a retired professor from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in Halifax, is the third woman to receive the President’s Award.

“I chose Dianne Pothier as one of the recipients of this year’s award because of her work as an advocate for the disabled and the disenfranchised,” says Trinda L. Ernst, Q.C., noting that Pothier is visually impaired. “Incorporating a disability perspective, she has done impressive research and helped mould the next generation of lawyers.”

A member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society since 1982, Prof. Pothier counts constitutional, public and labour law and disability issues among her teaching subjects and research interests. She has argued three cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, including acting as counsel for the appellant in RDS v. The Queen, acting as counsel for the joint intervention of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) and the DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN Canada) in the Supreme Court of Canada in Auton v. British Columbia, in which parents of an autistic boy argued the province discriminated by not funding a controversial treatment.

In 2005, Prof. Pothier was honoured by the Nova Scotia Association of Women and the Law as the recipient of the Frances Fish Women Lawyers’ Achievement Award.        

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 CBA, or to the public life of Canada. The award is presented only when there is a deserving winner.

The awards will be presented at the Council Awards Luncheon on Saturday, August 11 at 12:30 p.m. in the Waterfront Ballroom C of the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. The luncheon is held in conjunction with the CBA 2012 Canadian Legal Conference in Vancouver from August 11-14 and is open to accredited media. Please contact Hannah Bernstein for accreditation.

The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.

(as released by the Canadian Bar Association, Vancouver, August 10, 2012)