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Lerners LLP Appoints Cynthia Kuehl to Firm Chair

Forward-thinking all-female leadership team invests in individuals and breaks industry stereotypes

TORONTO / LONDON, December 15, 2022 – Leading full-service law firm, Lerners LLP, today announced the appointment of Partner, Cynthia B. Kuehl to Firm Chair, effective January 1, 2023. Lerners has grown to become one of Ontario’s largest law firms, with offices in London, Toronto, Strathroy, and the Waterloo Region with a growing team of forward-thinking professionals.

“My appointment as Chair is the direct result of our firm’s culture of investment in its people to drive shared success and serve our clients. We are unique in growing and cultivating lawyers with high potential, mentoring and guiding them to enter leadership roles faster than our competitors. We are now an all-female leadership team, but the work does not stop here. Gender parity is not diversity,” said Cynthia.

As the firm’s first Toronto-based Chair, Cynthia is focused on leading and investing her energy in the firm across the province and in every stakeholder they serve, continuing the firm’s long tradition of excellence, leadership, and dedication to community. In addition, her priorities include building the culture and collaboration the firm has always stood for following the global pandemic, and continuing the development of exceptional legal professionals by fostering confidence, providing opportunities early on, encouraging entrepreneurialism, and giving credit where credit is due.

“I’ve had the true privilege of working with Cynthia for the last two decades. She embodies our firm’s values, is a sought-after mentor, and is an advocate for diversifying the field while making it possible to be a leading litigator while raising a family. I could not be more confident in her appointment as my successor. I look forward to the further growth she will drive and the new ways of thinking she’ll encourage,” said Graham Porter, Firm Chair.

With a 22-year tenure at Lerners, Cynthia is a product of the firm’s investment in women and a true reflection of its values and operating principles:

• Hire the best lawyers possible, regardless of gender
• Pair them with senior lawyers (men and women) who understand their role as ally, teacher, mentor, and eventually champion
• Give them great work and other opportunities to excel
• When they do good work, promote them, loudly and often, celebrating the accomplishments of the whole team
• Invest in flexibility, encouraging new ways of delivering results

Throughout her career at Lerners, Cynthia has held several leadership positions, including Executive Committee Member, Deputy Practice Group Leader of the Health Law Group, and Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Appellate Advocacy Group. She maintains a significant trial and appellate practice in commercial, health law, and professional regulatory matters, as well as acting as counsel in arbitrations. She appears regularly at all levels of court in Ontario, at arbitration and mediations, and before professional and regulatory tribunals. She has been counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada and appeared before the Federal Court of Appeal.

A respected leader by her clients and peers, Cynthia has been recognized with honours and awards from Chambers & Partners, Lexpert, Best Lawyers in Canada, the Law Society of Ontario, and Benchmark Canada. Her arbitration expertise has led to her appointment as a member of the USMCA (formerly NAFTA) 2022 Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes. Cynthia’s commitment to firm and clients is complimented by her fierce dedication to her family and rural roots, and non-professional pursuits, which include long-distance running, live music, and life-long friendships.

About Lerners LLP

Lerners LLP has grown to become one of Ontario’s largest law firms with offices in London, Toronto, Strathroy, and Waterloo Region. Ours is a history of more than 90 years of successful client service and representation and today we are more than 120 exceptionally skilled lawyers with abundant experience.