/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - The Honourable George W. Adams, QC, to receive honorary LLD/

TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2016 /CNW/ - The Law Society of Upper Canada will present a degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD), to The Honourable George W. Adams, QC, at its Call to the Bar ceremony on Friday, January 29.

Adams is considered a pioneer of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Canada. The former law professor, award-winning author and former judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has acted as a mediator and facilitator in almost every type of conflict and conducted many public policy facilitations. (Full biography follows.)

The Law Society awards honorary doctorates to distinguished people in recognition of outstanding achievements in the legal profession, the rule of law or the cause of justice. Recipients serve as inspirational keynote speakers for the candidates being called to the Bar.

Law Society Treasurer Janet E. Minor will award the honorary LLD to Adams, who will then deliver the keynote address to the Call candidates.

There will be 187 new lawyers called to the Bar of Ontario at the January 29^th ceremony.

When:	Friday, January 29, 2016
	9:30 a.m.
Where:	Roy Thomson Hall
	60 Simcoe Street
	Toronto, ON
	#called2016

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Biography

The Honourable George W. Adams, QC

The Honourable George W. Adams, QC, is a professional mediator. Since establishing his alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practice in 1997, Adams has been called upon to mediate or facilitate a vast range of disputes and public policy issues affecting important and sensitive areas of Canadian life.

Adams earned his BA from McMaster University (1967), his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School (Bronze Medal; 1970), and an LLM from Harvard Law School (Mackenzie King Travelling Scholarship; 1971).

He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1973 and soon after served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour – Ontario (1975–79) and chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (1979–84). He was made Queen's Counsel in 1981.

Adams was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 1991. As a judge, he handled major cases in all areas, including the Commercial List and Divisional Court. Many of his decisions are widely reported.

He resigned as judge of the Superior Court in 1997, in a rare instance of a judge stepping down from the bench, believing he could better serve the Canadian justice system through other means. He established his alternative dispute resolution practice — Adams ADR Services Ltd. — later that year.

A former professor, Adams taught contracts, contract remedies, labour law, international business transactions and dispute resolution as an Associate Professor of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School (1971–78) and at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law (1990–91). He was an Adjunct Professor with the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law (2003–09).

He was awarded the Walter Owen Book Prize in 1987 by the Foundation for Legal Research for the labour law treatise, Canadian Labour Law, published by Canada Law Book. Adams also wrote the book Mediating Justice: Legal Dispute Negotiations (CCH Canadian; 2nd ed., LexisNexis, 2011). The second edition is a comprehensive text that provides a practical and theoretical framework for mediating rights disputes in Canada.

SOURCE The Law Society of Upper Canada

MEDIA: For more information or to confirm attendance, please contact Susan Tonkin, Communications Advisor -- Media Relations, at 416-947-7605 or [email protected].