The Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility

The Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility

The Catzman Award was created in 2008 by the Catzman Family together with The Advocates' Society and the Chief Justice of Ontario's Advisory Committee on Professionalism. It's awarded in memory of the Honourable Marvin A. Catzman of the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
The award will be presented at the Opening of the Courts Ontario on October 3, 2022.

Opening of the Courts of Ontario for 2022
Monday, October 3, 2022 | 3:30 p.m.
Call for Nominations:

The Catzman family, The Advocates' Society and the Chief Justice of Ontario's Advisory Committee on Professionalism are pleased to call for nominations for an award in memory of the late Justice Marvin A. Catzman, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and civility in the practice of law. The Award will be presented by the Chief Justice at the Opening of the Courts in October 2022 and acknowledged at The Advocates' Society End of Term Dinner in June 2023.

This annual Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate the qualities exemplified by Justice Catzman throughout his distinguished career, including:

  • An exemplary knowledge of the law;
  • Integrity, fairness and civility;
  • Generosity of time and expertise, with a commitment to mentorship and/or legal education; and
  • Dedication to the highest ideals of the legal profession
  • The recipient must be a lawyer in good standing with The Law Society of Ontario and is not required to be a member of The Advocates' Society.
The nomination period for the 2022 Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility is now open. The deadline to submit a nomination is June 6, 2022.

Nomination Form

The Society is committed to diversity and encourages the nomination of women, Indigenous peoples, francophones, persons with disabilities, racialized peoples and members of the LGBTQ+ communities.
Past Recipients:

2009 – Stanley G. Fisher, Q.C.
2010 - Jeffrey S. Leon, LSM
2011 - Bryan A. Carroll and John Norris
2012 - Connie Reeve
2013 - L. David Roebuck & W.A. Derry Millar
2014 - Michal Fairburn
2015 - Samuel S. Marr
2016 - Donald Bayne
2017 - Kenneth Cole
2018 - Tom Curry
2019 - Gregory Richards
2020 - Robert J. Frater, Q.C.
2021 – Jennifer McAleer
About Justice Catzman:

Throughout his distinguished career both as an advocate and a judge, Justice Marvin Catzman earned an exemplary reputation for his knowledge of the law, his integrity, his fairness, his civility and his dedication to the highest ideals of the legal profession. He inspired younger lawyers by example and contributed to legal education by writing and lecturing with great insight and humour. He was unfailingly generous to colleagues with his time and expertise. Justice Catzman's career was characterized by all of the qualities that are encompassed by the terms professionalism and civility. The successful candidate for the Catzman Award will be a person who exemplifies these qualities.