Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 25 S hannon Salter has been the driving force behind the development and implementation of Canada's first online tribunal, the Civil Resolution Tribunal, which went live June 1. She has ensured the CRT claims registration process is easily accessible and in plain language. The dispute resolution software that has been developed by the CRT will be able to be used by other administrative tribunals to assist in resolving disputes in the future. While developing the CRT, Salter continued to teach administrative law and legal ethics as an adjunct professor at the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, where she received the Adam Albright Award for Teaching Excellence by an Adjunct Professor in 2016. She joined the Access to Justice All-Stars from the National Self-Represented Litigants Project and was recognized as one of Canada's 26 New-Law Pioneers by the Canadian Bar Association last year. Salter is also a board member of CanLII. O ver the past year, there has been an unprecedented amount of media attention, as well as law society action, in the area of personal injury law, and Adam Wagman has been a key voice in the discussion. He was the president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association from June 2016 to April 2017. He led the development of a consumer-friendly contingency fee agreement that is more understandable and clear for the public. He also oversaw the dissemination of the new OTLA Code, the code of conduct for personal injury lawyers. He led the firm's submissions to the Law Society of Upper Canada to address fair and honest advertising by the sector and to have a transparent referral fee that is capped at a reasonable level. Wagman identified to the government and to David Marshall, special advisor to the government, that the automobile insurance system in Ontario is bro- ken and needs to be rebuilt. He ensured that both written and oral submissions were made on this subject with clear and tangible solutions to reduce costs for the benefit of consumers. Chairwoman, British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal Vancouver Senior partner, Howie Sacks and Henry LLP Toronto what voters had to say: "The reach of Shannon Salter's work can be felt as far away as New Jersey in the United States, where her materials are shown to law students as inspiration." what voters had to say: "Adam carried himself with grace through a very difficult year for plaintiff personal injury lawyers. He con- tinuously demonstrates leadership and professionalism and is the epitome of what it means to be an advocate." Shannon Salter Adam Wagman O ver the last two years, Sharon Vogel and Bruce Reynolds have been at the forefront of change in Ontario's construction industry leading up to the fun- damental amendment of Ontario's Construction Lien Act, which is currently under consideration by the provincial government. Reynolds and Vogel recently acted as co-counsel for the Ontario government to conduct an independent expert review of the act. The duo put together a report of recommendations on the modernization of the act, while also shepherding industry stakeholders to the next phase of its development through ongoing drafting work and consultation. In April 2016, they delivered the report to the province including approximately 100 recommendations for the modernization of the act. As part of their ongoing retainer, they have worked with the Ministry of the Attorney General to prepare a draft bill and have continued with industry consultation. This year, Vogel was the recipient of an award from the Ontario General Contractors Association, while Reynolds was the recipient of one from the Toronto Construction Association. They both received awards from the Council of Ontario Construction Associa- tions for their contributions to the construction industry as well. Vogel has also been program faculty for Osgoode's Certificate in Construction Law professional development course for the last few years. Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and national leader, BLG's Construction Group Toronto Chairman, BLG International Construction Projects Group Toronto what voters had to say: "Sharon is a leading voice and changemaker in construction law. She is authoritative, engaged and dedicated." "Bruce is a meticulous, professional and absolutely innovative individual." Sharon Vogel & Bruce Reynolds

• Cover