(l-r) Norman F. W. Picard, Q.C., ('74 B.A., '75 LL.B.), and B.A.R. (Quincy) Smith, Q.C., ('66 LL.B.)
The Faculty of Law notes with great pride and pleasure that four Law alumni are among those who will be recognized with a 2014 Alumni Award from the University of Alberta at the Alumni Awards ceremony on Thursday, September 18, at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The 2014 award winning Law alumni include; Kevin J. Jenkins, '80 LL.B.; Norman F. W. Picard, Q.C., '74 B.A.(Gen), '75 LL.B.; B.A.R. (Quincy) Smith, Q.C., '66 LL.B.; and Shannon O'Byrne, '84 M.A., '85 LL.B., '91 LL.M.
Norman F. W. Picard, Q.C., '74 B.A. (Gen), '75 LL.B. and B.A.R. (Quincy) Smith, Q.C., '66 LL.B. are both the recipients of a 2014 Alumni Honour Award. This award recognizes the significant contributions made over a number of years by University of Alberta alumni in their local communities and beyond. Picard and Smith are each truly worthy recipients of this award, having tirelessly served their respective communities and beyond for many years.
Norman F. W. Picard, Q.C., '74 B.A. (Gen), '75 LL.B., is a founding partner in the Edmonton law firm Barr Picard and has practiced family law for more than 30 years. He is recognized as one of the leading lawyers in Family Law by the Canadian Legal Expert Directory and since 2009 has been listed as one the "Best Lawyers in Canada". Picard has been a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta, teaching Professional Responsibility at the Faculty of Law from 1986 to 1992. He has written and edited for many legal publications. As a leader in the governance of the profession in Canada, he has served on the national Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and as a bencher of the Law Society of Alberta. He has helped promote awareness of First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture and history through school programs. For more than 30 years, he has volunteered for the Legal Education Society of Alberta (LESA), coordinated music and entertainment for law community gatherings and has been a dedicated board and cast member with Players De Novo, a group of lawyers and judges that raises funds for local theatre. In 2014, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association, Alberta Branch.
B.A.R. (Quincy) Smith, Q.C., '66 LL.B., regarded as one of Canada's top insolvency lawyers, was named a Fellow of the Insolvency Institute of Canada in 1995. He is ranked as one of the leading 500 lawyers in Canada by LEXPERT, and was selected as Best Lawyers 2014 Calgary Insolvency and Financial Restructuring "Lawyer of the Year". He has more than 40 years of experience and advises clients in matters of local, national and international scope. A former president of the Calgary Bar Association and a past bencher of the Law Society of Alberta, he is retired from the active practice of law, serving as senior counsel in the Calgary Office of Dentons Canada LLP. Beyond his impressive legal career, Smith is respected for his contributions to the community. He is an honorary life director of the Calgary Stampede, was co-chair of the 2005 United Way Campaign and a member of non-profit boards including the Glenbow-Alberta Institute, the Calgary Airport Authority and Calgary Economic Development. Smith also assisted in the transformation of Travel Alberta to a marketing organization outside the government structure. As its board chair, he ensured the reconstituted organization had sound governance, guided its strategic planning and led the recruitment of its first CEO. His years of volunteer work and his involvement with numerous charitable organizations around the City of Calgary, resulted in his receiving the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association's 2008 Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service to the community.
Tomorrow we will profile the final two Law alumni who are also being recognized at this year's Alumni Awards ceremony; Professor Shannon O'Byrne '84 M.A., '85 LL.B., '91 LL.M., the recipient of the Alumni Award of Excellence and Kevin Jenkins '80 LL.B., the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. All four exceptional Faculty of Law alumni will be honoured at the University of Alberta's 2014 Alumni Awards reception on Thursday, September 18, 2014, at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton. The Alumni Awards are a free, public event. Find out more on the Alumni Association website.