Debbie Boswell Receives Middlesex Law Association’s Rising Star Award

Lerners is proud to announce that Debbie Boswell of our London office has been honoured by the Middlesex Law Association (MLA) as a Rising Star for 2025. 

The MLA Rising Star Award recognizes individuals who, having practised for less than 10 years, have distinguished themselves as lawyers through their commitment to the ideals of the profession and have been actively involved in the community. 

Debbie joined Lerners in 2019, after completing clerkships at both the Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada and working at a firm in New York. Since then, she has maintained and grown a thriving practice focused on health, education, and labour law; commercial litigation; and appeals. Having acted as counsel at all levels of court in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada, Debbie is also a certified workplace investigator.  

While on parental leave, Debbie represented the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights in a pro bono intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada involving a constitutional challenge to restrictions on third-party election spending. Debbie’s argument helped shape the majority’s decision, which the Canadian Civil Liberties Association characterized as “an important victory for democracy.” 

Debbie has volunteered with non-profit organizations since her undergraduate years, when she served as a non-voting board member for the John Howard Society of London and District through United Way’s Young Leader program. While clerking at the Court of Appeal, she served as a director and member of the governance committee for the Interim Place (now Embrave) women’s shelter in Peel Region. 

Additionally, Debbie’s contributions to her community have included volunteering with Pro Bono Ontario, serving on the board of a legal aid clinic during a period of funding uncertainty, and supporting the success of her colleagues through the tradition of mentorship that is central to our firm's culture.