Thursday, February 24, 2022

In 2020, the Criminal Lawyers Association (CLA) awarded the prestigious G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal to Faculty of Law alumnus Philip Campbell (LLB 1982).

The Criminal Lawyers’ Association is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 1,400 defence lawyers in Canada. It is the largest organization of its kind in Canada. The mandate of the association is to serve as a strong voice for criminal lawyers and other stakeholders concerned with the quality of criminal justice in Canada.

The CLA's Martin Medal was struck in 1989 to honour Goldwyn Arthur Martin, a nationally prominent criminal lawyer and eminent jurist. It is awarded in recognition of lifelong achievement and sustained commitment to the principles and advancement of criminal justice in Canada.

The highly prestigious medal has been previously awarded to U of T Law Dean Emeritus Martin Friedland and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Beverley McLachlin. 

At he virtual awards ceremony, U of T Law alumni Maureen Ball (LLB 1981), John Fitzmaurice (LLB 1982), Ontario SCJ Justice Shaun Nakatsuru (LLB 1985) and Michael Dineen (LLB 2002) gave congratulatory remarks in honour of Campbell. 

Campbell has been a guest speaker at U of T Law in Professor Kent Roach's wrongful conviction course.  

On August 6, 2021, Campbell was appointed to the Ontario SCJ and is currently sitting in Toronto.

The July 2021 issue of For the Defence, the association's magazine, featured an article highlighting Campbell's work.