Two Law ‘84 classmates win university’s highest alumni awards

Photo by Stephen Wild

Award recipient David Stratas, Law '84, (middle), at the gala awards dinner in Grant Hall on October 24, 2009, with Professor Emeritus David Mullan, LLM '73, retired faculty member Sue Miklas, Law '88, Professor Emeritus Stanley "Sonny" Sadinsky, Artsci '60, Law '63, and Dean Bill Flanagan. Award recipient Linda Locke, Law '84, was unable to attend the ceremony.

The Queen’s University Alumni Association (QUAA) honoured Linda Locke and David Stratas of Law ‘84 at a gala campus dinner on October 24, 2009, for their extraordinary achievements. Principal Daniel Woolf, Artsci ‘80, and QUAA President Heather Black, Sci’80, presented the association’s annual awards recognizing the accomplishments and service of alumni.

Locke received the Alumni Achievement Award for demonstrating the high ideals imparted by a Queen’s University education through significant contribution to the community.

“As a lawyer, a teacher and a mediator, Linda is a strong advocate for her community, and for social justice,” Woolf said. 

A member of the Stō:lo nation, Locke has devoted her career to providing much-needed legal services to aboriginal people and other disadvantaged residents in the Hazelton, B.C., region, which is among the poorest in Canada. As the managing lawyer of the remote community’s sole legal clinic, Locke works tirelessly and selflessly to maintain services. It was she who rallied support and resources to keep the clinic’s offices open when faced with discontinued funding by the B.C. government in 2002. In recognition of her work, she received the Canadian Bar Association’s Community Service Award in 2003 and was granted the Queen's Counsel title in 2006.

2009 Alumni Achievement Award recipient Linda Locke, Law '84

Moira Tobin, Law ‘83, accepted the award on behalf of her long-time friend who was unable to attend the ceremony, describing Locke as “an inspiration.”

“I feel very honoured to receive such an award,” Locke said in a statement prior to the presentation. “I also feel that many people would rise to the occasion if they had the opportunity to do so. To be recognized in this manner is amazing and it inspires me to look at others who are doing amazing things, making a difference in the world and doing it without recognition -- I want to acknowledge them and say thank you. I certainly did not expect such an award and I am very grateful to all those who stand behind it.”

Stratas, a partner at Heenan Blaikie LLP, won the Mentorship Award for his significant and ongoing contribution to the education and development of Queen's students.

“David has been ranked as one of the top forty litigators in Ontario,” said Woolf. Noting Stratas’ very demanding law practice, Wolfe added, “His nomination for this award states that Dave gives most generously to the law school the one thing of which he has the least-- his time.”

For the past 15 years, Stratas has taught the popular Advanced Constitutional Law course as a sessional instructor, consistently receiving the highest teaching evaluation scores and winning a record seven Law Students’ Society teaching awards. Top students are attracted to this course, eager to learn from one of Canada’s most highly regarded and sought-after administrative law and constitutional litigators. Generating further enthusiasm in his students, Stratas invites appellate judges from the Supreme Court of Canada and Court of Appeal for Ontario to his class to judge their moots. Each year, he also coaches Queen's mooters in Toronto and Kingston and delivers many talks on written advocacy as a guest lecturer at the law school.

“Being able to teach and mentor great students at Queen’s alongside and with the help of faculty members is a great privilege that I cherish,” Stratas said. “While the award is being given, surprisingly to me, the real honouree should be Queen’s, and in particular, the law school -- a uniquely supportive community of excellence that always empowers us to do our best.”

For further information on the Queen’s University Alumni Association awards, see http://www.queensu.ca/alumni/programs/quaa/awards/association.html.