The WILL Awards are presented annually to female members of the Ontario legal profession in recognition of their outstanding dedication, creativity, initiative, achievement, and contribution to the community, profession, legal scholarship, and pro bono activities.
Join us on October 22nd, 2025 for our 3rd WILL Awards Ontario evening!
More information about ticket sales coming soon.
The 2025 WILL Rosalie Abella Silberman award will be presented to Linda Silver Dranoff, C.M., O. Ont., LSM.
The WILL Rosalie Silberman Abella Award was created in honour of Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella’s retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada. This award celebrates a Canadian woman who exemplifies equity, diversity, inclusion, and human rights leadership in her career.
Linda Silver Dranoff, C.M., O. Ont., LSM is a lawyer, writer and activist. As a lawyer in private practise, she appeared at every level of court in a precedent-setting career, helping countless individuals navigate the legal system.
As an author and columnist, she provided Canadians with access to accurate, understandable and empowering legal information throughout her 25-year stint as a columnist at Chatelaine and as the author of Women in Canadian Law (a history), Every Woman’s Guide to the Law, Every Canadian’s Guide to the Law and most recently, a memoir and history of the women’s movement Fairly Equal: Lawyering the Feminist Revolution.
As an activist, she has advanced the cause of equality and social justice for Canadian women, including spearheading the reform of Ontario family law to provide for the equal sharing of family assets.
She has spoken widely on legal, community, women’s and law reform issues at public and professional events, and on radio, TV and online. She was the founding chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Feminist Legal Analysis Section (now known as the Women Lawyers Forum).
Linda Silver Dranoff has been acknowledged for her achievements by the women’s community, the legal community, and beyond. She was honoured with the Law Society Medal, by the Governor-General with the Persons Award, and by the Toronto Y.W.C.A. as a Woman of Distinction. The Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations recognized her for her contributions to the law with their Distinguished Service Award, the Family Law Award of Excellence and the Feminist Legal Analysis Award for Commitment to Equality. The Women’s Law Association of Ontario gave her their President’s Award. Her alma mater University College at the University of Toronto honored her as an Alumni of Influence among the initial group of 100 honorees who graduated between 1853 and 2012.
She was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2012, and the Order of Ontario in 2019.
The WILL Awards Ontario recognize contributions to the legal profession in the following categories:
The WILL Awards Ontario Individual Leadership Award is presented to an individual in recognition of their leadership in the profession. This award will recognize and applaud a lawyer who has shown extraordinary leadership in one or more of several areas including:
The WILL Awards Ontario Individual Leadership Award is presented to an individual in recognition of their leadership in the profession. This award will recognize and applaud a lawyer who has shown extraordinary leadership in one or more of several areas including: legal skills and capabilities, contribution to legal education and/or scholarship, demonstrated leadership in law and diversity initiatives, and a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers.
The WILL Awards Ontario Team Award is presented to a team that best exemplifies leadership in the legal profession through implementation of a project or initiative supporting women or fostering the inclusion of female lawyers in either the legal or business community in Ontario.
In honour of her retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada, our inaugural WILL Awards Ontario Gala recognized Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella for her accomplishments by bestowing an award in her name. The purpose of this award is to celebrate and recognize outstanding lifetime achievements in equity, diversity, and inclusion, and leadership in human rights for a female identifying lawyer in Canada.
| Nurjehan Mawani, C.M., LL.D (hon) | 2024 |
| Professor Kathleen Mahoney, K.C. | 2022 |
| Sudevi Mukherjee-Gothi | 2024 |
| Signe Leisk | 2024 |
| McMillan LLP | 2024 |
