The dinner, held at the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto on Jan. 20, honoured Frank Walwyn, a partner at WeirFoulds LLP, as the 2025 recipient of the Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation, as well as Justin Nasseri, a founding partner at Ross Nasseri LLP, as the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Leader Award.
Walwyn was being awarded for his “extensive and unwavering leadership in the civil litigation bar as an advocate, teacher, mentor and influential member of community and professional organizations,” according to the OBA.
Frank Walwyn, WeirFoulds LLP
In his acceptance speech, Walwyn noted that it was the “contribution of others that has put me here.”
“It is the mentorship, training and leadership by example, or role modelling by another name, that has contributed to my recognition in the areas the OBA awards tonight. Areas that include advocacy skills; professionalism, integrity and civility; teaching and enhancement of civil litigation; and leadership,” he said.
Walwyn noted that, as a very junior lawyer, he was “fortunate to be involved in a piece of litigation that had two giants of the litigation bar on opposite sides.”
“Bryan Finlay, with whom I worked, and Earl Cherniak. The issues were heavily contested. No quarter was asked. Parties came to court ready to litigate, and judges came in court ready to rule. The litigation raged,” he explained, noting that what struck him at that time was the “professionalism, civility and respect that was exhibited by the senior barristers.”
“Earl Cherniak, a legend in litigation and a very fierce opponent, never once started a hearing without greeting our team, including me, the most junior member of both sides. Bryan Finlay would walk over and do the same with the other team,” he emphasized, adding that after each hearing, Cherniak would “come over and say a couple of words, no matter how intense the hearing or how heated the submissions had been.”
Walwyn recalled that after the litigation had ended, Cherniak would send him a note every time he was involved in another matter that hit the news.
“He was quick to offer support and counsel. He became a trusted mentor, and his behaviour to junior counsel served as an example of role modelling that has never left me. And recall, he was always on the other side of hard-fought litigation. My lived experience, as a result, is that mentorship and training does not have to come from your firm or lawyers with whom you practice,” Walwyn stressed.
Walwyn also said that mentorship is “not a one-way street,” noting he has found “training, learning and examples do not always come from those senior to you.”
“I have learned as much from students and associates whose growth I was supposed to be responsible for as, I venture to say, they have learned from me,” he said.
Justin Nasseri, Ross Nasseri LLP
Nasseri’s acceptance speech also highlighted the importance of mentorship and that the “biggest tenet” he’s tried to follow “with fervour” is to “relentlessly believe in and empower” the people who come after him.
He stressed that this has been the “ingredient that has fuelled the success” of his firm, Ross Nasseri LLP, since he and his partner, Mark Ross, started the firm in 2021.
“That ingredient presented itself to me in how Mark treated me when we did found the firm. He set the example for me,” Nasseri said, noting that the partners met as “opposing counsel in 2016 and became fast friends.”
“When we were talking about starting Ross Nasseri, near the end of 2020, I was 33 years old, seven years out from call. Now, we both knew we wanted to build a great litigation team, one in which we pride ourselves, not only on excellent work product and service, but on investing in our people. And that investment didn’t just mean mentorship and training, it meant making our junior partners and our associates feel believed in. And we would do that by encouraging and enabling them to break the barriers of age and year of call, to put them on the front lines of being great litigators,” Nasseri explained.
He noted that Ross didn’t “constrain” him by age or year of call.
“His assessment was based on his view of my character, my work ethic and my capabilities. And he’s also the one who encouraged me to set higher goals and to think big. He’s the one who was willing to listen to someone younger than him, less accomplished than him and with far less experience in business than him. And that’s what I mean when I talk about investment and empowerment,” Nasseri added.
He also noted that it’s “commonplace to bemoan the eccentricities of Gen Z” and that every generation will “reserve some criticism about the work ethic or engagement of the next.”
However, he stressed that if you “take the time with the next generation of lawyers, to support them, to elevate them, to promote them in public, to give them meaningful work, it will break barriers, and they will show you that new things are possible.”
In an interview with Law360 Canada, Walwyn admitted that receiving the Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation was “a bit overwhelming.”
“Frankly, looking at past recipients and their achievements, you do question what you’ve done and how you’ve gotten here, so it is overwhelming. It’s good to be recognized for service and for what you do, but this is, from my perspective, the pinnacle,” he said.
Walwyn encouraged lawyers striving for excellence in the profession to “reach out to mentors.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help, for guidance. What you find from the bar is that … all of the top litigators will respond positively to a question and will offer assistance in any vexed or troubling question,” he said.
“Be strategic. Be focused in your questions when you reach out to someone. Recognize the value of their time and don’t abuse the relationship. But once we find that you are serious and looking for assistance, you will get it. We’re all out there ready to help and give back,” he added.
In turn, Nasseri told Law360 Canada that receiving the Emerging Leader Award was “humbling.”
“It’s a little bit startling; there’s always a bit of imposter syndrome with this kind of thing. But ultimately, it’s a great honour and I think having this award, and parallel with the Civil Litigation Award, goes to what I was talking about with leadership. This is an opportunity to promote and empower the next generation of lawyers and keep them engaged, and I think that’s great,” he stressed.
OBA president Katy Commisso said that “recognizing leaders — both those whose contributions span decades and those just beginning to make their mark — reflects our belief in the essential and enduring importance of civil advocacy in an ever-changing world.”
“These awards celebrate outstanding OBA members whose consummate professionalism and litigation excellence strengthen our justice system and our communities,” she added in a statement.
OBA event photos by Ira Kotliar, Indigo Events Photography
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