The Hon. Gloria J. Epstein (LLB 1977, Hon. LLD 2022) K.C. to be honoured by Toronto Lawyers Association

Gloria Eptsein (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

University of Toronto alumna, the Hon. Gloria J. Epstein, K.C. (LLB 1977, Hon. LLD 2022), will be honoured February 29 by the Toronto Lawyers Association. 

The TLA Award of Distinction recognizes individual excellence and outstanding achievements, and a lifetime of contribution to the integrity and worth of the law. 

After graduating in from U of T's Faculty of Law in 1977, Epstein practised litigation at two large Toronto firms and then opened Gloria Epstein & Associates, one of Toronto’s first female-owned litigation firms, in the mid-1980s. Epstein was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2007. Her consequential decision in M v. H paved the way for marriage equality in Canada. She retired from the bench in 2018 to assume leadership of the Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations. Today, she continues to work as a mediator and arbitrator in Toronto.

She received a U of T Arbor Award in recognition of her contributions to the university in 2007, a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2013 and an honorary degree from the Law Society of Ontario in 2019.

For her transformative impact on the law and society, and her outstanding service to the university as a mentor and volunteer, Epstein was awarded a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of Toronto in 2022.