Evan Thomas to receive David Stockwood Memorial Prize from The Advocates’ Society

June 7, 2018

Osler is very pleased to announce that Evan Thomas of the firm’s Litigation Department, will be this year’s recipient of The David Stockwood Memorial Prize. The Advocates’ Society and Stockwoods LLP established the prize to honour the contribution of David Stockwood, Q.C., who served as the editor of The Advocates’ Society Journal from 1991 to 2008. The Advocates’ Society awards the prize to the author of a previously unpublished, advocacy-related article judged for its merit by a panel and publishes the submission in The Advocates’ Journal. Evan’s winning submission was titled “Prospective Witnesses, Confidentiality Agreements and the Advocate.”

Evan’s litigation practice has a particular emphasis on class action defence, complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters. He focuses on cases involving technology and data, such as disputes involving data licensing, privacy, data security, IT projects, online defamation and protection of confidential information. He is also a member of the firm’s cross-disciplinary team advising on issues relating to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, particularly with respect to potential regulatory enforcement and other risks. Evan has appeared as counsel in numerous trials and appeals in the Ontario courts and the Federal Court of Canada, as well as in cases before the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and the Ontario Securities Commission.

In addition, Evan is the Co-National Editor for the Commercial Litigation and Arbitration Review and a member of the Executive for the Ontario Bar Association’s Class Actions and Privacy & Access to Information Law sections. He regularly volunteers as duty counsel assisting self-represented civil litigants, acts for charities and not-for-profit organizations on a pro bono basis, and has been a trial advocacy advisor for Ryerson University’s Law Practice Program.

The award will be presented at The Advocates’ Society’s 2018 End of Term Dinner on June 7, 2018. Congratulations, Evan!