Thursday, June 8, 2023

Douglas Elliott stands with arms folded in front of a rainbow flag

R. Douglas Elliott is a leader in the field of class actions and is well known for his work on landmark constitutional cases including same sex marriage (photo courtesy of Cambridge LLP)

R. Douglas Elliott (LLB 1982) has been recognized by the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law Section (SOGIC) with the Robert Muir Award for Mentorship.

The award recognizes an OBA member for outstanding contributions to the practice of law, mentorship of its members, and contributions to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. The award in named in honour of Associate Justice Robert Muir (1963-2020), the first openly gay Associate Justice ever appointed in Canada, and a founding member of SOGIC.

Elliott is a partner in the law firm of Cambridge LLP in Elliot Lake, ON. He is well known for his class action work on ground-breaking constitutional cases concerning same-sex partners and LGBTQ2+ rights, and served as lead counsel in the LGBT Purge class action, resulting in a landmark global settlement for members of the armed forces, RCMP and federal employees. 

Elliott has received multiple recognitions for his social justice work. The Law Society of Ontario certified him as a specialist in civil litigation in 2003, awarded him the Law Society medal in 2010 and presented him with a Law Society degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa in 2021. He is a founding co-chair of the OBA's SOGIC, CBA's SOGIC and previously received the SOGIC Hero Award. 

Elliott serves on many legal and community committees including the Northern Ontario Pride Network and Elliot Lake Pride.