Grace named top legal influencer

Toronto lawyer Elizabeth Grace has been named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential individuals in the justice system and legal profession for her personal injury work, which focuses on claims arising out of sexual and physical abuse and the transmission of sexual diseases.

The magazine’s annual feature considers a lengthy list of nominees before narrowing down the candidates while requesting feedback from the public through an online poll. An internal editorial panel then whittles the list down to its final form.

Split into five areas of influence, the list aims to highlight “lawyers who have been influential within the profession as well as society in the last year and a half,” Canadian Lawyer reports.

“Inclusion in the Top 25 talks to a level of respect, the ability to influence public opinion, and to help shape the laws of this country and others; contribution to the strength and quality of legal services as well as access to justice; and social and political influence and involvement,” the article says.

Grace, partner with Lerners LLP, was selected for her passion and determination in fiercely advocating for the victims of sexual assault, the article says.

“In 2013, Grace was the first counsel ever to be asked to act as amicus curiae at the Ontario Superior Court trial of the historical sexual assault case Rosenthal v. Rosenthal, where the perpetrator was a parent of the victim and had no counsel,” Canadian Lawyer reports. “In this case, there were difficult legal issues to unwind around what constitutes a sexual assault versus a breach of a parent’s fiduciary duty.”

Grace is a frequent speaker and writer on sexual assault, and was a recipient of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario President’s Award in June 2014, the article continues.

This article originally appeared on AdvocateDialy.com