Michelle Awad, KC

About Michelle

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Michelle is a senior partner in McInnes Cooper’s Litigation and Insurance Groups. She is a Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Michelle practices throughout Atlantic Canada in the areas of commercial litigation and arbitration, securities, risk management, shareholder disputes, products liability, defamation, commercial insurance and bonding, and disability and life insurance underwriting and claims. Michelle is known for her strategic and client-focused advice leading to dispute avoidance and dispute resolution. She has represented businesses and business leaders from all parts of Canada and around the world before all levels of Courts, including the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada. Outside of law practice, Michelle is a Director of the Halifax Port Authority and a member of the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation Board of Trustees. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys tennis, running, skiing and cooking.

Recognitions

• Ranked in 9th edition Benchmark Litigation 2022 “Top 100 Women” in Canada
• Best Lawyers^® 2021 Corporate and Commercial Litigation  “Lawyer of the Year” in Halifax
• 2020 and 2017 Atlantic Litigator of the Year, Benchmark Canada
• Best Lawyers^® 2020 and 2022 Product Liability Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Halifax
• Ranked by Chambers Canada 2020 and 2021 for Litigation: General Commercial [Atlantic Canada – Band 1]
• Listed as one of the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada for 2019 and 2018, Benchmark Canada
• Featured in the 2018 Lexpert Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
• 2020-2021 Top 50 Women in Canada, Benchmark Litigation
• 2014-2019 Top 25 Women in Litigation, Benchmark Canada
• Best Lawyers^® 2018 Product Liability Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Halifax
• 2013 LEXPERT Zenith Award
• 2013 Atlantic Female Litigator of the Year, Benchmark Canada
• Recognized annually in LEXPERT’s Guide to Leading Lawyers
• Recognized Annually in Best Lawyers^TM in Canada
• Listed in LEXPERT’s Guide to the Leading US/Canada Crossborder Litigation Lawyers
• Appointed Queen’s Counsel in January, 2010.
• Twice named in LEXPERT’s list of Canada’s Top 40 Lawyers Under 40
• Listed in Benchmark Litigation Canada 2022 Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 Women in Litigation

Memberships and Associations

• American College of Trial Lawyers Board of Regents
• The Advocates’ Society Board of Directors, 2014-2018, Past Chair of several committees and current Vice Chair of the Society’s Access to Justice Task Force
• Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Governance and Nominating Committee and Hearing Committee Vice Chair
• Supreme Court Advocacy Institute
• Trustee (and Past Chair) of the Foundation for Legal Research
• Dalhousie University Board of Governors 2008-2017
• Past President of the Nova Scotia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association
• McInnes Cooper Board of Directors, 2010-2016, Audit Committee Chair and Member of the Governance and Management Compensation Committee
• Port of Halifax Board of Directors