The William J. Simpson Distinguished Paralegal Award

The Distinguished Paralegal Award was created in 2011 and renamed in 2014 in honour of William J. Simpson, to recognize a paralegal who has demonstrated one or more of the following criteria:

• outstanding professional achievement;
• contribution to the development of the profession;
• devotion to professional duties;
• adherence to best practices and mentoring of others in best practices;
• a history of community service;
• personal character that brings credit to the paralegal profession.

2024 recipient

Charlene Nero
Charlene became licensed as a paralegal in 2014.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Charlene led the legal department of LIUNA (Labourers’ International Union of North America) Local 3000 in its representation of thousands of healthcare and frontline workers, defending their rights and ensuring their protection on the job. Her professionalism and tireless devotion in her representation of these frontline healthcare heroes is remarkable and she consistently achieves positive results for members.

In 2021, Charlene became national president of LIUNA Local 3000 and was also promoted from legal director to senior director. As president, she leads nearly 10,000 union members, most of whom are women working in the healthcare field. As senior director, she oversees the operations of the legal and organizing departments, while playing an integral role in collective bargaining in the hospital and long-term care sectors.

In 2022, Charlene was appointed to the Canadian Council of the Canadian Labour Congress. She is also a vice president of the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Whether through her legal seminars, mentoring of colleagues or in the daily course of her work, Charlene demonstrates an unwavering commitment to making the law and the practice of law more accessible for all.

Past recipients

Paul Cappa, 2023
Paula Callaghan, 2022
Kathleen Cooper, 2021
Michelle L. Haigh, 2020
Jennifer Gravel Vanasse, 2019
Harry D. Fine, 2018
Edwarda De Oliveira Castro, 2017
John Tzanis, 2016
W. Paul Dray, 2015
Paula Stamp, 2014
Elaine Page, 2013
Brian J. Lawrie, 2012